Tea Party Extremists

The buzz that has been generated by the left and the mainstream media is that the Tea Party movement is filled with violent, racist, hate-mongering, unenlightened, ignorant, theocratic, anti-government militia types that want people to fly airplanes into federal offices. It seems to be accepted that agreeing in any way with positions advocated by the Tea Party makes you a John Birch birther seperatist militia who jumps when Glenn Beck sneezes and froths at the mouth whenever the neurons in Bill Maher’s elitist brain make connections to each other.

Libertarian Groups Tied to Militias

Robert Stacy McCain at the American Spectator carries a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center on an increase in “Patriot groups” which include “militias.”

But last year, as noted in the SPLC’s August report, “The Second Wave: Return of the Militias,” a dramatic resurgence in the Patriot movement and its paramilitary wing, the militias, began. Now, the latest SPLC count finds that an astonishing 363 new Patriot groups appeared in 2009, with the totals going from 149 groups (including 42 militias) to 512 (127 of them militias) — a 244% jump.

Ooh, doesn’t that sound scary? The SPLC report ties these Patriot groups and militias together with neo-nazi and other “extreme right-wing” hate groups, spouting hate, racism, and “anti-immigrant” rhetoric. Left-wing sources such as the Huffington Post have latched on to this story, going on to blame figures like Glenn Beck for fanning the flames of conspiracy theories which draw people to these groups.

Conservative is the New Gay

Okay, I’m still a bit uneasy about the title, but I think that it makes some good points. Following a line of thought that Robert Jones wrote about at Conservative Punk a while back, PoliGrrl asks if conservatism has become the new “gay” — something that people hide from friends or family because they’re afraid of being rejected or ridiculed for it.

Intelligence and Liberalism

A recent study by psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa concludes that people who are more intelligent are more likely to be politically liberal. CNN and Time have given a good amount of publicity to this, as it provides fodder for the long-standing progressive notion that conservatism denotes lack or intelligence at best and mental disorder at worst (a notion that has helped justify numerous “re-education” camps and eugenics programs among communist and fascist regimes).

The Conservative Closet

I’m a college student. Being conservative on a college campus can prove tricky, especially for a grad student. Enduring rants againts Fox News and Glenn Beck during lectures is nothing unusual for me. I’m also — shall we say, unconventional in my religious beliefs and practices, and my co-religionsists are frequently of a liberal persuasion. This can make my political beliefs a point of contention at times. Sometimes it may be easier to hide my beliefs, and on occasion I do actively avoid commenting on politics because I know it’s just not the place to do so.

Constitutional Conservatism

Jacob Sullum at Reason Magazine weights in on the “constitutional conservatism” advocated at CPAC and by the Mount Vernon Statement. This appeal to constitutionalism seems to signify a more libertarian emphasis among the Republican Party, which I think is a good thing, but Sullum questions just how dedicated some Reopublicans may be to the notion of constitutionalism when it goes against their moral and religious ideals.

Mike Huckabee Blasts CPAC as “Too Libertarian”

Apparently Mike Huckabee was not very happy with the libertarian tone of CPAC. Or, he was happy because he didn’t win the straw poll. Or because he wasn’t invited to speak. Or play his guitar. Or whatever.

Others cover Huckabee’s hissy fit:

“Mike Huckabee Blasts CPAC as ‘Too Libertarian’.”

“Mike Huckabee, Sore Loser.”

“Ron Paul wins, Mike Huckabee loses in CPAC straw poll.”

I’m very pleased with the CPAC’s libertarian tone. It shows that conservatism is a political position, and not a religious one. Perhaps Huchabee isn’t cut out for a 2012 presidential run?

Take Me to Your Leader

Erick Erickson at Red State seeks to answer the elusive question of who is leading the conservative resurgence by examining the atmosphere at CPAC:

Many, many reporters have asked me who the leader of the conservative movement is right now or who the leader of the tea party movement is.

They rarely report the answer, though they should be paying attention to it. In the CPAC straw poll, one name dominated the pack. With the highest favorable ratings (73%) and lowest unfavorable ratings (8%), Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina led the field — scoring higher popularity than Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Mike Pence, John Beohner, Mitch McConnell, or Michael Steel.

Bucking the “Narrative”

Donald Douglas at American Power highlights Jeffrey Bergner’s article at the Weekly Standard that challenges conservatives to break from the confinement of the political narrative that has helped tarnish conservatismand dominates the American political sphere.

The Mount Vernon Statement

A group of 80 conservative leaders met in Mount Vernon to sign a sort of declaration of principles for the conservative movement. Many on the Left will decry this as “purging” the Republican Party, while ignoring the masive groupthink in the Democratic Party and the ostracizing of any Democrat that doesn’t toe to the party line. Needless to say, the Statement has generated a bit of buzz, as it purports to be a defining statement for American conservatism.