Not-so-vast right wing conspiracy

I just learned from clicking here that America's most farcical fake populist, quoted always and everywhere as the man with his finger on the pulse of the Conservative Masses, has opened up "THE INTERNET HEADQUARTERS FOR THE NEW CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE 21st CENTURY." That would be Richard Viguerie.

I accepted his invitation to click. Here is what I learned:

In total there are 4 users online :: 0 registered, 0 hidden and 4 guests (based on users active over the past 5 minutes). Most users ever online was 12 on Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:16 pm.

There opened just today, however, a new message board, "Submit ideas on how to relaunch the conservative movement."

Of the four threads (with, respectively, four, two, five, and five replies) one is headed:

Launch a Conservative party or raly around the Constitution
by dbostan on Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:49 pm

(The good dbostan takes his own advice, suggesting, "I think it clear at this point that the republican party is no more the conservative party, therefore we must find a new home for us. We need people with deep pockets and grass roots activities. That's all." He's answered by "philosophicallyfrank," who opines: "Let me suggest that the Republican Party has generally been a 'Neo-Con' and/or wealthy businessmen party from the days of Lincoln. Lincoln was for a vastly unconstitutional bigger Federal Gov't., went to an unconstitutional war to prevent States from 'legally' secedeing from the Union and unconstitutionally usurping citizen's Rights.")

Another is headed:

Repeal the 16th and 17th Amendments
by OldMan on Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:11 pm

Because: "We need to get rid of the Federal Reserve and have a Central Bank that isn't catering to the International banking cartel We need to return to appointing Senators (17th amendment) that gave states a way to check federal power. We need to repeal the 16th and return to states taxing whatever way the citizens want to be taxed to send their appropriate share of taxes to the Federal Government for its operations."

Why do these piddling whispers matter? Because this is the best Viguerie can drum up—but he's nonetheless been quoted three times in the last three weeks as a crucial power broker in the conservative movement.

They're exhausted. It's the end of the road. The era of conservatism may be over. All they have left is hustlers—and, alas, a media establishment still all too willing to take them seriously.

Views expressed on this page are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Campaign for America's Future or Institute for America's Future