The Right's Abandonment of Liberal Values

There is a great hypocrisy at work within Right-wing circles. They profess to believe in the American system of democratic representation and yet clearly they don't actually hold to it. Their actions suggest a strong anti-democratic bias as represented by their attempts to suppress democracy and disenfranchise large segments of the population.

In candid moments some on the Right will admit that democracy can only function within the confines of a social consensus. In other words unless society as a whole agrees about basic foundational ideas – democracy cannot work.

But this is not in the spirit of the Founders who in the Declaration and Constitution present these values as universal – in other words applicable in all contexts.

The Right has (it would seem) rejected this aspect of the Revolution and has embraced a reactionary (or counter-revolutionary) position that (at least at this point) wants to roll back the Revolution. They would argue that Jefferson, Madison et al. assumed the social consensus and would back that up by statements they and the other founders made in different contexts.

If so, then fine – make that argument. However, at least be honest enough to openly say you don't believe in the integrity and absolute nature of the American Constitutional system. Put your cards on the table.

Be careful though, no small percentage of the public would make a claim (and a strong one) that such views are subversive and anti-patriotic. Some might even say they're not genuinely conservative but merely Right-wing.

That gets confusing because all of American conservatism (at least until recent years) was operating within the confines of Classical Liberalism. The whole Left-Right divide is within and under the aegis of Liberalism. However, you can move to such a Rightward extreme that you exit the spectrum of liberalism altogether but few would want to openly do that – especially if they're still vying for political influence and control. It doesn't 'sell' very well.

But in many cases what's happening isn't really conservative. It's just right-wing and often thuggish attempts at seizing power. That's what happens when you exit liberalism on a Right-wing basis and yet don't seek the re-establishment of the Ancien Regime and the aristocracy. What you're left with is tribalism and the need for a dictator-like figure.

Do you think all the filthy Trump signs express conservatism? Think again. Do you think militias marching in the streets are expressions of conservative ideology? Think again. Old school conservatives would have been horrified at such subversion and anti-social behaviour. What about these motorcades surrounding and blocking Biden buses? That's anti-democratic and while Right-wing, it's not socially conservative.

Trumpism and the modern GOP are increasingly Right-wing. Their ideas overlap at times with conservative values or possess a superficial similarity but they're not the same. They're built on a different foundation.

And thus we see their struggles are not principled but instead are about the raw exercise of power. This explains their desire to suppress votes, discredit mail-in ballots, remove ballot boxes, restrict voter registration, and engage in an aggressive campaign of tossing ballots, challenging signatures and the like. And they're starting to turn physical and to use violent intimidation.

They don't believe in democracy and are actually afraid of the population voting, especially certain portions of the population. They are tribal and want their interests protected by raw power – even by an anointed and empowered leader.

History has taken us down this road before. The warning signs are there.

As a Christian I expect such ideas, trends, and behaviours to appear. Fallen men act like fallen men. People are lost and create idols. It's nothing new but what does concern me are the large numbers of Evangelicals and other professed Christians that are joining this trajectory and becoming 'card carrying' members of the Trumpist-Libertarian movement. Their heretical leaders are corrupted and have been bought by larger monied interests and these same leaders aggressively push their lies and myths on their congregations and radio listeners.

This is dangerous. These people have already sold out the Church and led large sections of it into functional ethical and theological apostasy. But I fear more innocent people in the pews being swept away and I fear the cultural backlash as those who retributively pursue the Church (I can't quite call it persecution) will not differentiate between those who opposed this heresy and those who promulgated it. If you're not part of the Mainline acculturated and institutionalised denominations you will be viewed as a dangerous and subversive sectarian – even if that's not the case or at least not in the way they will understand it.