Talking Point

9/11 Aftermath: Time to Change Course

Alex Carter — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 10:36:08 -0500

In the hours after the horrific crime of September 11, 2001, Americans rallied as one and the world stood at our side.

Now, all that has changed. Americans are divided. Allies are alienated. The Muslim world’s fury has increased. Osama bin Laden is still at large. Terrorist acts are up across the world. Afghanistan is a mess. And U.S. troops are mired in an occupation amid a growing civil war in Iraq. We are more isolated, less respected and less safe.

In response, the Bush administration chose not to change course, but to rouse fears—worried more about saving the president's face than serving the nation's security.

It is time to stop fanning fears to cover up failure. It is time to change course.

Catastrophic Conservatism's Costs In Iraq

Eric Lotke — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:22:20 -0500

The fiasco in Iraq is a direct consequence of catastrophic conservatism. There are four key factors that led to the conservative failure in Iraq.

Conservatives undercut government. They rushed our troops to war, but skimped on the government planning, diplomacy and expertise needed to get the job done effectively.

Conservatives displaced experts with zealots. Instead of sending experts on reconstruction, conservatives recruited ideologues who spurned allies, shut down "hearts and minds," and lost control of the country.

Conservatives forced risky privatization. They outsourced core government functions to private contractors whose profit motives compromised troop security, eroded Iraqi trust, siphoned away taxpayer money, and failed to deliver results.

Conservatives stifled accountability. They supported ideology over effectiveness, and repeatedly blocked efforts to investigate the pervasive waste, fraud, incompetence and abuse sabotaging the U.S. mission in Iraq.

Accountability, expertise, planning and good management are not partisan issues. But conservatives, blinded by their own ideological certitude, scorned even common sense.

Economic Growth for Whom?

Chris Collins — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:16:41 -0500

Under Republican control, economic growth has been lopsided at best. CEO salaries are soaring and profits are up, but most Americans aren't seeing the benefits.

Bush's Economic Delusion

Alex Carter — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:15:39 -0500

When President Bush talks about how strong the economy is, most Americans think he's out to lunch.

Intimidating the Media

Rick Perlstein — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:55:20 -0400

The conservative call their obsession with dominating media narratives a neutral quest for "balance"—which is actually a reliance on intimidating feckless media organizations into treating even settled scientific facts as open "debates."

More of the Same

Rick Perlstein — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:51:14 -0400

Conservatives respond to the public's rejection of conservative governance by retroactively declaring the conservatives in power as "false" conservatives—then ask for another chance with the next generation of "true" conservatives." Elect more conservatives, and the same process will repeat itself—again and again and again.

A Failed Ideology

Rick Perlstein — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:42:36 -0400

George Bush has been a failure as a president. But the problem isn't rooted in Bush's personality—it's rooted in his conservative ideology. People who disdain government can't be trusted to govern.

Conservative Policy Causes Collapse

Rick Perlstein — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 03:00:00 -0400

The signature conservative policy proscription—tax cuts—offers short-term blandishments to (some) voters, at the expense of the basic infrastructural needs that maintain America as an economic powerhouse. The collapsing bridges, failing power grids, and sinkholes we're suffering now will be visited tenfold on our children and grandchildren.

Fear and Scapegoating

Rick Perlstein — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 03:00:00 -0400

Since conservative social policies only help the privileged few, conservative politics rely on fear and scapegoating to achieve electoral majorities. Thus do they lower the moral level of American life—in the guise of elevating it.

Saber-Rattling v. Security

Rick Perlstein — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 03:00:00 -0400

Conservatives confuse unilateralist saber-rattling belligerence with "security"—at the expense of true security vouchsafed by strong alliances, intelligence cooperation, political and diplomatic initiatives, and economic assistance.