What goes by the description of "conservatism" these days is a far
cry from its past incarnations. Forget the legacy of moderate
conservatism promoted by Dwight Eisenhower. Today's conservatism,
according to Robert Brent Toplin, has taken a decidedly radical
turn.
Toplin offers an intriguing critique of this fast-growing
movement that resembles religious fundamentalism - a rigid true
believer's mindset that dismisses opposing views and leaves almost
no room for dialogue. Toplin observes that the right's orthodox
approach represents a significant rejection of the more open-minded
and practical outlook that characterized both liberal and
conservative politics in earlier years.
Toplin considers three major subgroups within radical
conservatism: stealth libertarians, who espouse free markets and
small government, culture warriors, who crusade for morality and
"values," and hawkish nationalists, who favor military solutions in
foreign affairs. He points out that, whatever their differences,
these groups manage to unite behind a common loathing.
Conservatives demonize liberals, blaming them for most everything
they dislike in American life. But, as Toplin shows, their view of
"liberals" has little to do with reality, for it treats everyone
from the center to the far-left as a liberal and equates liberal
ideas with extremism.
When Americans talk about radical conservatism, they usually
think of strident commentators on radio and television such as Rush
Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Ann Coulter. Toplin offers a much
broader picture of the radical, fundamentalist mentality. He shows
that a religious-like approach to political ideas can also be found
in the thinking of prominent scholars, journalists, and public
officials such as Milton Friedman, William F. Buckley, Irving
Kristol, Allan Bloom, George Will, Fred Barnes, William J. Bennett,
and Ronald Reagan. Toplin finds political fundamentalism at work,
too, in media outlets like the Fox News Network and the "Wall
Street Journal" and at think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation,
the American Enterprise Institute, and the Cato Institute.
Offering a roadmap of the radical right's emergence over the
past half century, Toplin reveals how enthusiasm for a conservative
"faith" helped to erect a bully pulpit in an increasingly powerful
political church.
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