The right wing is unfit to govern
By Letter to the Editor on February 4, 2021.
Editor:
A recent Newsweek article reports that since January 6th, 30,000 registered Republicans have officially left the GOP. Since the “Tea Party” movement of 2009, the grand, old party of Lincoln that once embodied American exceptionalism and the American dream has basically devolved into a neoliberal cult pursuing total freedom and power at any cost.
Although there is now widespread agreement that it, and the right wing generally, has lost its mind, all this anger and division has been very strategically cultivated, and deliberately stoked. Ultimately, thanks to rampant misinformation, the internet, and Trump, uptake has been exponential, resulting in the full manifestation of the “alt-right.”
The resulting era of “post-truth” and “fake news” has stuck what’s left of civilized society, i.e. the political left wing, with an unprecedented challenge — how to somehow “de-program” millions.
Despite it being a Canadian pastime to eschew over-the-top Americanism, we have our own burgeoning version of the “alt-right.”
The “Proud Boys” originated here, as do other dangerous factions exclusive to the right wing.
I hear conservatives saying “yeah, but those people aren’t real conservatives,” like RINOs, Republicans in name only. Many of those 30,000 probably claim that “their party left them; they didn’t leave IT,” but political groupings are naturally dynamic; where are all the “progressive” conservatives from that old party? Permanently superseded by the Reform Party that introduced us to “bozo eruptions” that continue apace.
Such are the inherent limitations of so personally identifying with any one party, creed, doctrine, or cult (of personality or otherwise.)
I see Jason Kenney being called “Premier Jason Trump” and rightly so; the UCP’s divisive tactics are indistinguishable from Republicans’ — reviling Trudeau, “elites” and “lame stream” media, revering free markets (except for fossil fuels); denigration of government despite ever more complex populations facing neoliberalism’s consequences — growing inequality and existential crises like climate change, but still consistently cutting revenue for any social spending, even education, cornerstone of democracy.
Two further examples: Alberta’s agriculture minister campaigned for Trump in 2016, and O’Toole’s digital campaign manager founded “Ontario Proud.”
My point?
The right wing has simply become unfit for modern governance.
Patricia Pargeter
Lethbridge
-1
Agreed….unfortunately, this ultra right wing populist authoritarian Trumpism movement should not be strange to Albertans, who are now experiencing the Kenney UCP populist authoritarian government. It certainly, is not, the Lougheed fiscal conservatism of yore.
Have we learned from history? That is, following movements that generate a toxic herd mentality?
I haven’t forgotten what the former MLAs from the Lougheed era taught me. There is nothing Conservative about these Reformers. They are Right-wing extremists and don’t care who they hurt while they ram their destructive policies down our throats.
Now Erin O’Toole is promising to carry on where Stephen Harper left off by destroying the CBC. He doesn’t care that remote areas of Canada still rely on it, and my American relatives have nothing but praise for it because they tell the truth and don’t try to hide things from them.
In addition O’Toole is once again promising to cut $36 billion off our health care system and force Canadians into a privatized system, what a surprise that’s what Reformers do. It got Harper defeated.
Scary but so true.
geez, where does one start with that sanctimonious, condescending, diatribe. I will leave this for the writer:
One of the most pathetic – and dangerous– signs of our times is the growing number of individuals and groups who believe that no one can possibly disagree with them for any honest reason. Thomas Sowell. Describes your left wing rant.
Patricia said, “Such are the inherent limitations of so personally identifying with any one party”
Pot, meet kettle.
Patricia said, “The right wing has simply become unfit for modern governance”
Such implies that we have a “modern” governance, to which we have no such thing. We have an archaic party system that is rife with vote buying, collusion, corruption, and elitism. Further to that, it breeds narrow minded binary and partisan thought.