I'll guess that the number of "GOP RIP" and "Conservatism RIP" pieces numbers in the thousands by now, so here's my take to throw on the pile.
Yes, conservatism as we know it is toast. But it's not because of George W. Bush's tragic, ideology-driven, America-as-policeman-of-the-world, ill-conceived war in Iraq. It's not because the GOP is tone-deaf on abortion, or because the Republicans knee-jerked away from regulation of financial markets, a truly historic blunder (although the Democrats are equally culpable in this mess). It's not even that they think that Sarah Palin (good gawd) is their political savior.
This death has been decades in the making, and it's the result of a patient, steady narrative supplied by the American Left. Liberals have succeeded in convincing America of the following:
1. It is the responsibility of a bunch of professional politicians and the federal bureaucracy to make everything "fair", to make us all "even" and "equal", and to see to it that we are all "happy." The Constitution, of course, says that we're all created equal, not that the government should make us all equal, but the liberals don't or won't see the obvious distinction. And, by the way, business profits are a sign of pure evil as well.
2. Personal responsibility, hard work, sacrifice and discipline are now equated with greed. In other words, they're bad qualities. See, if Person A sees Person B working hard and succeeding, then Person A's feelings may be hurt. And that is no longer tolerated. So by extension, competition, innovation and success may hurt someone's feelings, and are no longer "good" things.
3. If any endeavor is considered "too hard", then the standards for that endeavor must be lowered so that no one's feelings are hurt. We shouldn't use red ink when grading school papers, because it's too mean and may hurt someone's feelings, for example. Use purple, that's a nicer color. Certainly, when that student has a job in the real world, everyone around him will do everything they can to avoid hurting his feelings.
4. Political Correctness is mandatory, or you will be punished. The examples of this are simply too many to choose from, but I don't think I need to provide them. This has been a brilliant move by the American Left, because it allows them to control the conversation. Say anything critical of a Certified Victim Group, and you will be shouted down as a racist, or sexist, or whatever-ist, and they win the debate by pure volume. The First Amendment only applies to the Left. Absolutely freaking brilliant.
5. Finally, risk is bad, we can't handle it, and it's up to the federal bureaucracy to save us. The economic meltdown provided the perfect excuse for the American Left to attack capitalism as a whole. If I make an investment decision and that investment decision goes south, that should be my responsibility. But not any more. Now, if someone makes a bad investment decision, they're a victim, and the fault lies with the American capitalist system. Once again, thank goodness we have a bunch of politicians and the federal bureaucracy to "save us".
Personally, I think that passing a fundamental personal economics course should be required before students can graduate from high school. But the American Left wouldn't like that, because creating a populace that is self-reliant goes against everything Democrats stand for.
Year by year, little by little, the American Left has convinced the American public that it is too feeble to take care of itself, that it's a victim, and that it has to watch what it says. And it has won the battle.
And the GOP has allowed it to happen. This is a self-inflicted, fatal wound.
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