Conservative Delusion Part II
Posted by Paul Wilden in Political Commentary | 4 Comments »
If you’ve ever wondered how conservatives can believe some of the ridiculous things that they do, how they can call themselves patriots while trashing the Constitution or talk about responsibility while blaming anyone and everyone for the problems they themselves have caused, one need look no further than Andrew Klavan’s Washington Journal column, “What Bush and Batman have in Common.” Honestly, I could just stop here, the title says it all. Only in the deluded world of a conservative authoritarian would anyone seriously compare the hapless yet dangerous Bush to a comic book hero, or want to for that matter.
There seems to me no question that the Batman film “The Dark Knight,” currently breaking every box office record in history, is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war.
If this movie really is a tribute to Bush, then where are the record breaking crowds coming from? Bush’s approval rating is at an abysmal 27% as measured by Fox News. They must each be seeing this movie a multitude of times.
Like W, Batman is vilified and despised for confronting terrorists in the only terms they understand. Like W, Batman sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past.
“[P]ush[ing] the boundaries of civil rights” is a laughable understatement, Bush is responsible for suspending habeas corpus, a power that kings have not possessed since the signing of the Magna Carta and not on a temporary basis as Klavan is claiming but permanently. Additionally, Bush has been spying on American citizens starting before 9/11 to an extent we’re only just beginning to understand. One has to wonder if it had been discovered that Bill Clinton had violated the Constitution the way Bush has, even after a terrorist attack, would Klavin be as unconcerned as he is now? Hardly, they would have tarred and feathered him and rode him out on a rail.
This is classic authoritarianism, where they place a child like trust in their leaders to always do the right thing. Not only do they forget that they can’t always count on having someone in office that they actually do trust but also, that trust can and will be betrayed. As the saying goes, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is a concept that the Founding Fathers were well aware of, that’s why they designed our government with checks and balances but apparently the Klavans of this world think they know better than Thomas Jefferson or John Adams et al. They may think they know better but the rest of us beg to differ.
Why is it then that left-wingers feel free to make their films direct and realistic, whereas Hollywood conservatives have to put on a mask in order to speak what they know to be the truth? Why is it, indeed, that the conservative values that power our defense — values like morality, faith, self-sacrifice and the nobility of fighting for the right — only appear in fantasy or comic-inspired films like “300,” “Lord of the Rings,” “Narnia,” “Spiderman 3″ and now “The Dark Knight”? (emphasis added)
Morality? What kind of twisted mind does one have to have in order to think that Bush’s torture regime represents anything resembling morality? Torture is immoral at any time, for any reason but especially when you consider the number of innocent victims there are of Bush’s “morality”. And how about Bush’s lawlessness? He’s admitted to breaking the FISA law–after he was caught. Is thumbing his nose at the rule of law another example of morality? No doubt Klavan defends Bush’s decision to break the law on the basis of fighting evil, but if Bush was acting so nobly, why then did he take such pains to keep it a secret? Why indeed is his whole administration shrouded in secrecy? Is this the kind of morality we should be teaching are children? It’s okay to break the law as long as you think it’s necessary, just don’t get caught.
There are circumstances where breaking the law really is necessary, that’s what civil disobedience is. Martin Luther King Jr. broke the law many times in his life to protest unjust laws, but unlike Bush, King didn’t try to hide his actions like a sniveling coward, King did what he did in plain view and accepted the full consequences for his actions. That’s a morality and integrity that neither Bush nor Klavan will ever know.
The true complexity arises when we must defend these values in a world that does not universally embrace them — when we reach the place where we must be intolerant in order to defend tolerance, or unkind in order to defend kindness, or hateful in order to defend what we love. (emphasis added)
That’s not complexity, that’s called hypocrisy, and it’s the battle cry of the truly deluded where the ends justify the means and anything goes as long as you’re on the side of righteousness, just ask Hitler.
–Paul Wilden
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July 25th, 2008 at 11:43 am
I thoroughly enjoyed your perspective on how conservatives delude themselves. I was listening to Rush Limbaugh on the way to visit a friend this afternoon and virtually everything you were saying about W and Batman applied to the way he was speaking about Barak Obama. The scariest part continues to be that folks really accept what he says at face value (members o my wife’s family listen to him regularly!)
Thanks for the post…
My blog is about connecting the dots vis a vis the wars in Vietnam and Iraq – from the deception that got us involved to the mistreatment of veterans – and I would appreciate your feedback.
Tom Weiner
July 25th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
@Tom Weiner – Thanks for your kind words Tom. Connecting the dots between Iraq and Viet Nam is in my opinion, an essential exercise, one that should have been performed before the Iraq war started.
Whenever anyone tries to make a connection between the two conflicts they’re immediately relegated to the “fringe left.” But as much as the “foreign policy experts” try to emphasize the differences between Iraq and Viet Nam it’s the similarities that we could have learned from.
There were valuable lessons we should have learned from Viet Nam that could’ve helped us from repeating our mistakes, and most Americans now think Iraq is a mistake, but were completely ignored.
I don’t know how many times I heard on talk radio in the run up to the war that, “they know better than we do.” Viet Nam proved the error in this argument, the “Domino Theory” was completely wrong and demonstrated just how little those in power understood the motivations people have for what they do. Communism doesn’t spread like a disease or falling dominos, it happens where people are oppressed or subjugated just as they were in French Colonial Viet Nam.
People also like to think that their government wouldn’t lie to them but the Pentagon Papers proved otherwise as did the recent revelation that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was fabricated. Fast forward to today with Bush’s lies over WMDs and mushroom clouds. Another lesson that if learned, would have gone a long way towards preventing the debacle we’re faced with now.
So I appreciate coming across a kindred spirit that understands not only the value in learning the lessons of the past but also, as your website ably demonstrates, the true cost and the real pain that all wars produce, particularly the unnecessary ones.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment, I’m looking forward to reading more of your posts.
July 26th, 2008 at 5:04 am
Paul, it is good to know that we have made contact. I want to refer you to an extraordinary book in the category of ones I wish every American citizen would read – especially those who attempt to govern us. It is mentioned on my blog on the sidebar and it is entitled, IRAQ AND VIETNAM: HOW NOT TO LEARN THE LESSONS OF THE PAST. One of its author/editors is Marilyn Young who has given me much support for the book I have written, CALLED TO SERVE: STORIES OF THE MEN AND WOMEN AFFECTED BY THE VIETNAM DRAFT. The book is filled with mistakes we have repeated from Vietnam in virtually every aspect of our relationship with Iraq – from the inability to trust diplomacy and the weapons inspectors to the lies used to invade to the torture and other undercover tactics. It is revelatory and indicative of the lengths to which this government will go to deceive its people and to thwart the democratic process and the Constitution.
You have perhaps noticed that in addition to posting on my blog, there are also a number of interviews from my book, quite a few of which make connections between the wars. I would greatly appreciate any feedback you may have if you have the opportunity to read one or more of these oral histories, since the book is being considered for publication by MacMillan’s oral history series…
I am also wondering if you know about the website – http://www.commondreams.org – which features progressive articles from around the world. The comments that these articles engender are often at least as compelling as the stories, but I believe it is the degree to which many of the folks responding are aware of the lies our leaders have told us that has alienated many from any longer even imagining being involved in mainstream (Democrat vs. Republican – McCain vs. Obama) politics. So there are many who will choose not to vote or to vote for Nader, since they see McCain as utterly unacceptable and Obama as willing to say and do anything to win the election and therefore unable to be trusted to tell the truth or to confront the power structure. I would be interested in your thoughts on this as well as your response to the common dreams website.
Thanks for your prompt reply to my comment. One last favor…could you indicate any other blog catalog folks within your circle/awareness who you think might appreciate the blog I have created…Thanks.
Tom Weiner
July 26th, 2008 at 8:00 am
@Tom Weiner – Hi Tom. Thanks for the recommendation on the book, I’ve just ordered it and I’m looking forward to reading it. May I recommend to you, ‘A Bright Shining Lie’ by Neil Sheehan, an excellent history of the Viet Nam war as well as being a compelling read.
I’m a frequent visitor to Common Dreams, that and Salon make up the majority of my daily online reading. I particularly enjoy Glenn Greenwald’s blog on Salon, Common Dreams frequently reposts his articles so maybe you’re familiar with him.
I’m in complete agreement with you regarding Democrat vs. Republican politics. I’ve been fed up with the Democrats for years and I’ve written previously on how we cannot expect any kind of real change from the them because while there are very real differences between the parties, it’s the similarities that are more significant, particularly in that they both get their money from the same place.
I am somewhat conflicted as to what to do about it however. For years I’ve advocated in favor of breaking the monopoly these two parties have over American politics and I still believe that, the problem as I see it is in the transition. The Republicans are extremely adept at taking advantage of splits between liberals, sometimes with devastating results as we’ve witnessed with Bush. Like you, I’m not very enamored with Obama, even before his “move to the center” (read: move to the right as he was always a centrist) but a McCain presidency would be an unmitigated disaster, in both the foreign and domestic fronts. Glenn Greenwald wants to reform the Democratic party by targeting the worst Democrats. There is a logic in what he advocates but personally I think it’s all somewhat moot until we can get the money out of politics–at least to a degree–by changing to publicly financed campaigns.
I too am glad we’ve made contact and I’m looking forward to reading more from your site. May I suggest you do the same for mine? I appreciate any kind of feedback, good or bad, I like it when people keep me on my toes.