The Conservative Long Con In 4 Easy Steps

Next time you hear a Republican elected official say something foolish, or vote for the 50th, 60th, or 100th time to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), remember this — many of these Republicans are not as ideological as you might believe. Oh sure, there are the true believers, but others are simply playing a long con on the conservative voting base. And this con has four simple steps.

[ordered_list] [list_item number=”1″]Adopt conservative agenda and talking points on one or more social or fiscal issues.[/list_item] [list_item number=”2″]Tell the conservative base exactly what it wants to hear (see talking points in step 1).[/list_item] [list_item number=”3″]Attempt to pass legislation that furthers the agenda.[/list_item] [list_item number=”4″]Fundraise on your valiant efforts, even if they failed.[/list_item] [/ordered_list]

 

The Maddow Blog — Chris Hayes made a point recently that continues to resonate: “Much of movement conservatism is a con and the base is the marks.”

This came up a few weeks ago when we saw Erick Erickson use his mailing list to endorse a website promising a “secret retirement plan” that “can make you America’s Next Millionaire!” but I also thought of this dynamic when reading about Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-Utah) latest fundraising efforts.

“Sen. Mike Lee is using his effort to defund Obamacare as a mechanism to fund his campaign coffers.

The Utah Republican sent out a fundraising pitch on Thursday morning, asking for a contribution to help him “keep pressuring my fellow legislators to defund Obamacare before it’s too late.” Lee is up for reelection in 2016.”

It should be noted that entry into this long con is not contingent upon one’s acceptance of the ideology and corresponding agenda. So said Republican has no need to believe in the things he or she says. It’s a power play, nothing more. A means to an end. In this case, permanent employment, if one is particularly proficient at this long con.

I recommend you don’t share this with your conservative friends unless condescension is a trait they admire. 🙂

Politics

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