Fabian Conservatism

American Thinker ^ | January 18, 2010 | Bruce Walker

[neverdem]

Conservatives, who constitute the overwhelming majority of Americans, are angry with the Republican Party leadership and how politics has been played since Ronald Reagan left office. Often Republican nominees have seemed to copy Bill Clinton's "triangulation" -- strategically placing themselves as the arbitrators between conservatives and leftists. Sen. John McCain luxuriated for years in fawning media coverage of his "independence" from conservatives. George H. Bush, as soon as the Gipper was gone, promised to move us to a "kinder, gentler" -- more moderate -- America. Specter and Jeffords switched parties at critical times. Who trusts Republican leaders? Not serious conservatives, who have been burned so many times.

The question, though, is what to do? Many conservatives have long seemed to harbor the attitude that without a revolution now, we are doomed. That assumes that we must transform America in the next couple of years, and that we will have the opportunity to do so. 

The present sorry state of our country did not begin with Obama or Clinton or even LBJ. The cure for the plague of Leftism will come in steps. Conservatives who want every good reform implemented now will become sad, demoralized, and bitter. There is no need for that. We must instead become "Fabian Conservatives." 

The left moved the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave into the Land of the Taxed and the Home of the Slave by adopting Fabian Socialism. There is a reason today why Obama is not pushing for an absolute revolution like Lenin or Hitler sought: Obama practices Fabian Socialism. He works to erode our liberties step by step. He tries to create constituencies who may not be socialist themselves, but who will become addicted to some program in the socialist agenda. This is what conservatives should do. We should give clusters of Americans a new vested interest in those three pillars of conservatism: federalism with robust states' rights, small and limited government at all levels, and the influence of Judeo-Christian moral values in all our institutions. 

Fabian Conservatism means always moving to the right when we can and never supporting the left, but it also means that the transformation of America will come in increments. Fabian Conservatism means sometimes finding strange bedfellows (making common cause with leftists who have a particular ax to grind). 

Here is an example of that: Vermonters have formed a secessionist ticket of state government candidates. These folks want to withdraw from America because our nation is not Marxist enough. Conservatives ought to believe strongly in states' rights, so we should agree with these radical Vermonters on this principle: The citizens of states, rather than the majority of Americans, ought to have the right to decide how the state is governed. States' Rights, in fact, is an ideal agenda for conservatives selectively pulling leftists into ad hoc support for our goals. Socialist Vermonters and conservative Utahans both have an interest in having their own citizens exercise primary policy power in their states.

Conservatives should also push hard for federal legislation that outlaws gerrymandering in congressional and in state legislative districts. We should do this even though redistricting after the 2010 elections may slightly favor Republicans. Why? Historically, gerrymandered districts have not only been used to keep artificial Democrat majorities in the House, but also to protect nearly all congressmen -- Democrat or Republican -- from losing reelection. Gerrymandered districts are part of the Incumbency Protection Plan of Washington. States can stop gerrymandering, but most have not. Why not push for an end to it at the federal level?

Why not push now for a restoration of the federal income tax deduction for medical expenses? This was effectively removed for millions of Americans when the threshold of expenses before deductions was raised to amounts above 7.5% of Adjusted Gross Income in the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Allowing all medical expenses, including insurance, to be tax-deductible would allow ordinary Americans to be able to select and buy their own medical services with no government involvement. Many millions of Americans would immediately and significantly benefit from this change, which would have the federal government subsidize through tax deductions privately chosen medical expenses. Hospitals, drug companies, doctors, and many other providers would like this -- there is no deduction unless medical costs are paid -- and once put back in the tax code, it would be hard to take out.

These and other proposals need to create an automatic constituency who will continue to support the reform in the future. If we had now strong federal safeguards of states' rights, fair legislative district boundaries, a flowering of faith-based solutions to social problems, and a restoration of the medical tax deduction, each reform would begin an institutional reformation of America in the direction of limited and local government and private choice in medical care -- not revolutionary changes, but rather, evolutionary changes.  

We, the overwhelming majority, can reclaim America, but not in one great battle or bloody revolution. What we want instead is to be a powerful current of water, always moving America to the right, making some changes regularly and never permitting them to be lost. We must become Fabian Conservatives.

Bruce Walker is the author of two books: Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie and The Swastika against the Cross: The Nazi War on Christianity.

[rockinqsranch]

Seems to me if we scrub the body, wash the hair, shave off the beard we’d be right again in the one act of cleaning up.

[GeronL]

Gerrymandering doesn’t happen at the federal level, the states draw the boundary lines. I don’t want the fedgov having power over that process.

I also do not want the fedgov “subsidizing” peoples’ medical and healthcare spending.

[jonrick46]

I used to call it Fabian Socialism. Now I call it Fabian Fascism. This is a totalitarian system where the individual has no worth except what is given to them by the state.

[ari-freedom]

liberals didn’t merely pursue an incremental political solution. They took over the popular culture and the campuses.

And they also happen to offer a lot of free stuff. Many people will fall for that and conservatives have nothing to offer in return.

[exDemMom]

And they also happen to offer a lot of free stuff. Many people will fall for that and conservatives have nothing to offer in return.

I seem to recall that in the book Watership Down, a lot of rabbits gave up their freedom to live in a field where there were fences protecting them from predators, and they always had food. The only hitch was that when the farmer wanted rabbit stew, one of them would get the axe. The rabbits seemed to think it was a decent trade off.

All conservatives can do is hammer the message over and over, that the more you allow government to do "for" you, the more of your autonomy you give up. And in the end, you have no more rights than the unlucky rabbit caught by the farmer.

[Talisker]

The present sorry state of our country did not begin with Obama or Clinton or even LBJ.

I disagree. The present sorry state of our country came solely from the Clintons. Fabian socialism was moving along two-steps-forward-one-step-back to provide it with plausible deniability, and had been doing this for generations. But the Clintons threw all the dead weight overboard (including people who didn't bow to them), chopped away most of the superstructure and lit the afterburners, using the burning of the country itself for fuel. Nothing is even remotely similiar to before they came into office, and they have never stopped since. Obama is an empty suit - "his" Chicago Machine is the Clinton machine, operating at full blast without Hillary as POTUS. You think this last year has been a catastrophe? With Hillary in the Oval Office, it would be ten times as bad, Bill would be president of the UN, and this website would be long gone.

[Jabba the Nutt]

How can you have 'robust state's rights', then advocate Federal control of re-districting? And speaking of self-interest, why would members of Congress support such a thing? As for re-districting, the solution is to put it to a vote of the public in the states with the initiative process.

Second, Fabian Conservatism doesn't work. Our Founders recognized that it is the natural tendency for government to expand and liberty to retreat. The leftists and special interests, who push for that expansion fight any reduction of government power with the same fanaticism, whether it is a small or large reduction in power. However, you will not mobilize the widespread, diffuse support for more freedom, unless you make it worth the time and effort for individuals to give up time and money to work for it. You WILL NOT MOBILIZE the People for nickel and dime Fabian Conservatism. You need BIG ADVANCES FOR FREEDOM to mobilize people.

In the past, Massachusetts has come within a hairs breadth of eliminating their state income tax. Would you have even got a 5% cut in the income tax on the ballot? Who would take in front of shopping centers to collect signatures for 5%?

This author is wrong, wrong, wrong.

[Cacique]

What we need is the boldness of a Pinochet. Instead we have a Peron. Pinochet changed Chile radically and though the left in Chile vilified him, the changes he brought about on the ground were somewhat irreversible to the point that even the last leftist president of Chile could not undo them. Contrast that with Argentina where Peronism created a condition that has made changes to a free market economy practically impossible. All due to the cowardice of the right to institute the needed radical changes that were necessary. Conservatives cannot afford to cm promise by leaving leftist changes in place that become almost as permanent in the political landscape as the Himalayas.

[DavidFarrar]

Without first reclaiming some of the power we the people once gave to our government via the constitution, nothing will change.

Below, is a list of proposals that act to take away power from government and return it to its rightful owners, we the people.

By all means, if you have anymore suggestions along these lines please add them.

1. Congressional Term Limits: One four or six year term*

2. Members of Congress shall purchase their own individual retirement plans.

3. Members of Congress shall no longer be able to vote themselves pay raises. Congressional pay raises should be approved at the ballot box by the general electorate.

4. Members of Congress shall not be given any special health care benefits not accessible by all Americans.

5. Members of Congress shall be barred from enacting laws that usurp Private Enterprise under the general welfare provisions of the U.S. Constitution.

6. Members of Congress shall equally abide by all laws enacted and impose on all citizens.

7. Members of Congress shall enact the flat tax, with no exemptions up to a set amount.

7a. Members of Congress shall restore the federal income tax deduction for medical expenses, including medical insurance expenses.

8. Members Congress shall call for a Congressional investigation to address Barack Obama’s presidential qualifications as per Article II, Section I, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution, as well as any future president.

9. Members of Congress shall call for a Constitutional Convention to take away the power of the executive branch of government, or the legislative branch, to print money without the consent of the electorate, except in extremis cases, where a two/thirds majority would be required by Congress and approved by the general electorate at the next election.

10. No person holding political office shall declare for another office without first resigning their present office.

11. All candidates running for public office shall not be allowed to accept campaign contributions from outside the district they wish to represent.

12. Congress shall repeal employer withholding of taxes.

13. Each bill addressed by Congress must have a Constitutional declaration or it will be non-binding.

14. Enact voter verification procedures to insure accurate elections.

15. Any labor contracts served by the collection of public taxes are strictly limited to the taxes collected, including pension plans.

16. Eminent domain cannot be used by the state to benefit a private entity.

17. Children of illegal aliens are not U.S. citizens but citizens of their parents country.

18. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives shall create independent investigative offices to address ethics charges against the executive branch of government.

19. Members of Congress shall pass federal legislation that outlaws gerrymandering in congressional and in state legislative districts to put an end to the Incumbency Protection Plan of Washington.

          ex animo

          davidfarrar