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The Republican Utopia


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From conservative NYT columnist David Brooks, 'The GOP rejects conservatism': https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/opinion/the-gop-rejects-conservatism.html?mcubz=0

 

This is not a conservative vision of American society. It’s a vision rendered cruel by its obliviousness. I have been trying to think about the underlying mentality that now governs the Republican political class. The best I can do is the atomistic mentality described by Alexis de Tocqueville long ago:

 

“They owe nothing to any man, they expect nothing from any man; they acquire the habit of always considering themselves as standing alone, and they are apt to imagine that their whole destiny is in their own hands. Thus not only does democracy make every man forget his ancestors, but it hides his descendants and separates his contemporaries from him; it throws him back forever upon himself alone and threatens in the end to confine him entirely within the solitude of his own heart.”

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Here's John McCain doing his #NeverTrump thing.

 

H/T NM.

 

I had a lot of hope in McCain for awhile but it was mostly from quotes, and that's all he is. Air.

 

 

Same with Sasse. They'll say something contrary to Trump for a headline or two, but when it comes down to it, they're with him on nearly every issue.

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From conservative NYT columnist David Brooks, 'The GOP rejects conservatism': https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/opinion/the-gop-rejects-conservatism.html?mcubz=0

 

This is not a conservative vision of American society. It’s a vision rendered cruel by its obliviousness. I have been trying to think about the underlying mentality that now governs the Republican political class. The best I can do is the atomistic mentality described by Alexis de Tocqueville long ago:

 

“They owe nothing to any man, they expect nothing from any man; they acquire the habit of always considering themselves as standing alone, and they are apt to imagine that their whole destiny is in their own hands. Thus not only does democracy make every man forget his ancestors, but it hides his descendants and separates his contemporaries from him; it throws him back forever upon himself alone and threatens in the end to confine him entirely within the solitude of his own heart.”

 

Taking Trump completely out of this. I'm failing to understand how that quote has any semblance of reality.

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Trump is the vehicle, not the progenitor.

I said...taking Trump out of it. This quote was obviously written before Trump:

 

“They owe nothing to any man, they expect nothing from any man; they acquire the habit of always considering themselves as standing alone, and they are apt to imagine that their whole destiny is in their own hands. OK...I guess. I'm not sure who "they" are but in a Democracy, the populace does have their destiny more in their hands.

 

Thus not only does democracy make every man forget his ancestors, No

 

but it hides his descendants and separates his contemporaries from him; No

 

it throws him back forever upon himself alone No

 

and threatens in the end to confine him entirely within the solitude of his own heart.” No

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I think what it's saying is that with the modern day GOP there is no nuance or perspective. Only isolation from ideas, others, thoughts, facts etc.

This author published the book in 1835.

 

 

Yes, it was written long ago, but the author of the article is applying that quote to today's GOP

 

"I have been trying to think about the underlying mentality that now governs the Republican political class. The best I can do is the atomistic mentality described by Alexis de Tocqueville long ago:"

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“They owe nothing to any man, they expect nothing from any man;

 

Taking health care away from 20 million.

 

they acquire the habit of always considering themselves as standing alone, and they are apt to imagine that their whole destiny is in their own hands.

 

"I alone can fix it" -Donald Trump at 2016 RNC comes to mind. As does the "Grab your musket" attitude from the likes of former congressman Joe Walsh, as well as the general NRA crowd which is highlighted nicely in this new ad

 

https://www.vox.com/world/2017/6/29/15892508/nra-ad-dana-loesch-yikes

 

 

Thus not only does democracy make every man forget his ancestors, but it hides his descendants and separates his contemporaries from him;

 

Muslim ban. Border wall. Immigrant and refugee fear mongering.

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I think what it's saying is that with the modern day GOP there is no nuance or perspective. Only isolation from ideas, others, thoughts, facts etc.

This author published the book in 1835.

 

 

Yes, it was written long ago, but the author of the article is applying that quote to today's GOP

 

"I have been trying to think about the underlying mentality that now governs the Republican political class. The best I can do is the atomistic mentality described by Alexis de Tocqueville long ago:"

 

I have said...take Trump out of this....and I would add any modern day political organization/situation/person....etc.

 

I'm failing to see what the original author of the original quote thinks pertains to Democracy.

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Yes, and that's exactly my point. Trump is not the reason for this indictment of the GOP and conservatism.

 

The rest of it, does this sound familiar? "I earned this myself. I owe the government nothing and I don't depend on them for anything. In America we all control our own destinies; therefore what I have I earned, and where others lack they, too deserve."

 

So, yes: you forget your ancestors, not biological, but those who forged this nation before you and built the world that gave you this opportunity; you ignore those who will come after (Future People. Hello, climate change?) and are blind to your contemporaries. It can be condensed to this line, which should be well-known but here's an entire article around it: "I've got mine." Solitude of the heart, absolutely. I'm critical of David Brooks in a lot of ways, but I think he makes a striking connection here.

 

de Tocqueville, it should be noted, is a classical liberal -- that is to say, a libertarian, or perhaps a "conservative" in the non-GOP sense of the word. The source for this quote is his pivotal work Democracy in America. His views on democracy are quite interesting and not intended to tie to any one party alone. But Brooks is astute in his observation that the GOP 'political class' is particularly captivated by this motivating myth. And to be clear, he's a parliamentarian; here he is warning against the excesses or extremes of democracy; against which our own Founders who, it should be noted, strove to build failsafes.

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Yes, and that's exactly my point. Trump is not the reason for this indictment of the GOP and conservatism.

 

The rest of it, does this sound familiar? "I earned this myself. I owe the government nothing and I don't depend on them for anything. In America we all control our own destinies; therefore what I have I earned, and where others lack they, too deserve."

 

So, yes: you forget your ancestors, not biological, but those who forged this nation before you and built the world that gave you this opportunity; you ignore those who will come after (Future People. Hello, climate change?) and are blind to your contemporaries. It can be condensed to this line, which should be well-known but here's an entire article around it: "I've got mine." Solitude of the heart, absolutely. I'm critical of David Brooks in a lot of ways, but I think he makes a striking connection here.

 

de Tocqueville, it should be noted, is a classical liberal -- that is to say, a libertarian, or perhaps a "conservative" in the non-GOP sense of the word. The source for this quote is his pivotal work Democracy in America. His views on democracy are quite interesting and not intended to tie to any one party alone. But Brooks is astute in his observation that the GOP 'political class' is particularly captivated by this motivating myth. And to be clear, he's a parliamentarian; here he is warning against the excesses or extremes of democracy; against which our own Founders who, it should be noted, strove to build failsafes.

 

All that pertains to what is right now in the GOP and thus, the bolded part of your quote is apropos. However, in 1835, he didn't make this just about people who just want to keep their money and not help others. He was saying this about Democracy in general.

 

So....how does this pertain to a liberal or a democratic socialist or a centrist who wants taxes low but understands a basic need for a certain level to do what is needed?

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That's a fair question. One thing to keep in mind here is the political views of the source ('classical liberal' is what cm husker identified as, if you recall). So on some level he's fundamentally suspicious of government excesses (hey, that's healthy in a way!) and the various dangers in any system including democracy of despotism. David Brooks similarly is quite conservative, and ultimately has some sympathies to these views.

 

I think in part Brooks is trying to speak to conservatives in their own language. He's doing this by taking something from a preeminent early classical liberal scholar and drawing a (pretty fair, IMO) line to what's happening today.

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