The reason people are confused, Max
No wonder people are so confused about titles, names, and descriptions that are being thrown around.
That's because those titles, names, and descriptions don't have the same meanings they did 50 years ago. They don't even have the same meanings in California as they do in Iowa, Alabama, Canada, England, or Finland. And today, there are many with the arrogance to assume they are the arbiters of what does and does not fit in those labels and who is and isn't entitled.
"Conservative" is no longer a valid definition for the Republican Party, nor is it a valid definition for the political right. There is nothing conservative about destroying the environment in search of the almighty dollar. There is nothing conservative about dismissing scientific findings outright because you disagree with what they tell you. There is nothing conservative in forcing others to comply with your religious views. There is nothing conservative in condemning others because their opinions differ from yours.
The "conservatives" in today's Republican party are no less radical than any member of the Black Panthers or Weather Underground ever was. They say they are in favor of less intrusive government, fiscal responsibility, and the American worker, but when push comes to shove, it's just the opposite. They want government to regulate who people can love and women's health options. They won't raise taxes to help reduce the deficit, and refuse to consider cutting subsidies for the most profitable corporations in the world. Their anti-union stance and desire to cut social programs are the proof they don't give a flying shot at a rolling doughnut about the average American.
Today's Republican Party has become a perverted shadow of what it was 50 years ago, holding positions closer to those of the John Birch Society or Ku Klux Klan. Were Barry Goldwater alive today, I don't doubt he would repudiate the Republican Party's positions and platform in the harshest words possible.
For centuries, politicians have been considered as liars and hypocrites. Today's Republicans seem determined to become the poster children.
