Back to the Past!

The essence of conservatism's political appeal is nostalgia. The problem with nostalgia is that it's "better days" never really existed. The old days are gone, and in most cases we can wish them good riddance.

Many observers have noted that the purpose of today's right-wing "reform" is simply reactionary. Conservatism's political success over the last few decades have inspired them to retreat to an ever-distant past. First they wanted to repeal the Great Society, then the New Deal, and lately the Progressive Movement (the Square Deal and New Freedom).

What I never suspected is that the right has now decided to repeal the Pendleton Act.

The Bush administration is attempting to remove civil service protections. They do so in the name of management flexibility, which sounds great. But the problem is that by permitting public managers to more tightly control their employees, you invite the return of the Spoils System. The Republicans' obvious aim is to eliminate public employee unions, thus undermining the labor movement and the Democratic Party. But the second, less obvious aim is to convert the U.S. bureaucracy into a servant of the Republican party. Now I generally think that the Progressive attack on the parties was a mistake, but re-instituting political patronage in federal employment? Are you kidding me?

But wait, we still aren't done! We are going to go back even further, to the 1790's! We are all familiar with Fox News and the New Partisan Press (much like the old party-sponsored newspapers of the 19th century). By that late 19th century, newspapers had become independent of parties. What you may not know is that Thomas Jefferson financed Philip Freneau's National Gazette as a mouthpiece for the Democratic Party. What made it shocking is that Jefferson did so while Secretary of State! There was a scandal about it at the time. So it's pretty scary that the Bush Administration has decided that Jefferson was right use public funds to suborn public opinion. Sure, I know he says now that paying Armstrong Williams and Margaret Gallagher was wrong. But am I the only one who doesn't believe him?

There are no apparent limits to how much of history the right wants to repeal. I suppose the next step would be to withdraw the Declaration of Independence and become colonies of England again. Or maybe we should undo the Protestant Reformation and restore the Inquisition. Or even revive the Roman Empire!