When speaking in terms of the political extreme we must first define what is meant by "extreme." Most scholars will agree that political extremism can be defined as a political philosophy or ideology of a character and kind that is farthest removed from the ordinary or average. It is the farthest from the center, outermost or endmost. It is going or doing the utmost to very great lengths to the political left or right in action, habit, or opinion.
With this in mind it is fair to say that the body politic of the Untied States has largely shifted to two extremes - liberal and conservative, as defined by the plat forms of both the democratic and republican parties. The dilemma is that neither party views themselves as being "extreme." Yet, both parties categorically define each other by these extreme terms. They are fully capable of seeing the awful nature of the extremist positions of their opposition but not in themselves. That is more then troubling, it is dangerous. Let's take a good look at both extremes.
Liberalism was once philosophically favorable to progress and reform in political or religious affairs, but without defying the basic tenets and principals of the constitution or Holy Scripture. Liberalism was favorable to and in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom in a society and government that was free from prejudice and bigotry. Liberalism advocated tolerance and generosity. Liberals were patriots and champions of freedom. Now compare this to modern day liberalism.
Modern day liberalism can best be defined as "secular progressivism" in a true Bill O'Reilly sense. No doubt about it, this is extreme. Modern day liberalism will redistribute wealth by targeting the affluent for most of the government's revenue. They fully embrace the "rob Peter to pay Paul" mentality. This form of secular progressive liberalism wholly embraces the "welfare state" and is a champion of illegality with respect to illicit drug use and illegal immigration. Hard work and ingenuity will be taxed and penalized while laziness and illegal immigration will be rewarded through income redistribution.
Modern day liberalism embraces lax school discipline on American children to promote the so-called "liberties of minors." It will even go so far as to deprive parents of their right to shape and discipline their own off spring through tried and tested (and biblically supported) cross-generational and universally accepted standards. This includes the occasional spanking (not to be confused with abusive beating). Instead secular progressive liberalism would replace this with a new social order that claims to know what is better for children then their parents. They would assume/replace responsibility for children from their parents. It is Orwellian in scope.
Modern day liberalism has a "one-world" approach to US foreign policy. It will happily abdicate American sovereignty to the Untied Nations and a new world order. Modern day liberalism wholly embraces all manner of moral perversities from pornography in literature, film, art and music to all manner of sexual promiscuity. All of this is done in the name of "self-expression" and a disturbing interpretation of the first amendments right to the "freedom of expression." It doesn't matter how much societal harm this does either. The focus on "individual rights" trumps the rights of an entire society under this new and modern secular progressive form of liberalism.
Modern day liberals call themselves "patriots" yet will do and say practically anything that will disgrace or do harm to their own country. With few exceptions, modern day liberals seldom serve their country but think nothing of attacking those who do. Modern day liberalism, unlike the liberalism of yesteryear, largely defines the meaning of "coward." Modern day liberalism has lost its generosity, sense of fairness and fair play, and its patriotism.
Most modern day liberals are lazy. They believe they are owed everything yet deserve practically nothing. Few among them earn all that they have. They are much more "takers" then they are "givers." They are perpetual spoiled brats, even in to middle age and beyond. Modern day liberals are extremely stingy with their own money but they will happily give away everyone else's. They advocate gay rights but work diligently to deny "Christian rights." Modern day liberalism bears naked hostility to religious values and their expression in public. They even flaunt obscene perversities in the face of Christians in the name of progressive free expression. They care nothing about those they offend.
Modern day liberalism embraces freedom only for its own ideals while denying the ideals, philosophies, and thoughts of any opposing view. Liberalism that was once the champion of "tolerance" has now become the most intolerant political ideology imaginable. Modern day secular progressive liberalism personifies the evil of hatred toward those who fail to share their views and these liberals would outright do harm if they could. This secular progressive liberalism is mean-spirited, scary, and very dangerous.
Conservatism was once viewed as the inclination in politics to maintain the existing traditional order. Political conservatives urged caution or moderation, as a behavior outlook. They were strict constitutional constructionists and were strong on national defense issues and staunch supporters of the military and military veterans. They were devout American patriots, almost to a spiritual level. Conservatives clearly embraced the free market ideal and the entrepreneurial spirit. They believed in fiscal responsibility in government to include limiting spending and taxation. They were strong on faith issues and supporters of religious freedom and expression. They deemed themselves to be the "champions of family." Conservatism was a political philosophy and attitude that emphasized respect for traditional institutions, and distrust of government and governmental activism. Conservatism was in strong opposition to sudden change in the established order. Conservatism had a heart. Now let's take a look at modern day conservatism.
Modern day conservatism could be better defined as "progressive fascism." Not in terms of a governmental system led by a single dictator but rather by a "powerful elite" that I call the "fascist elite." One person may appear to be in charge but he or she is responsive to the facist elite. One must go through a "rights of passage" to gain membership in this highly select "fascist elite" inner circle. The "fascist elite' is comprised of select and influential lobbyists, corporate elitists, and the conservative governmental inner circle. The trilateral commission members clearly fit in to this inner "fascist elitist" inner circle.
Modern day conservatives buck the traditional order as much as they embrace it. They abhor secular progressive Supreme Court decisions that overturn traditional values pertaining to marriage and life, which is a reasonable and defendable argument. However, they would happily out law individual freedom if it would advance their fascist conservative cause and further empower them. They are much more "pro-war" then they are "pro- military" and they wrongly think of them as being one in the same. They prefer a "military offense" to "military defense" and I'm not speaking in terms of military tactical or strategic maneuvering. I am speaking to a philosophical and ideological ideal.
They are quick to send Americas soldiers in to harms way provided they themselves, or their family members, never have to lead the charge. Modern day conservatives are quick to raise the flag but slow to serve it. Certainly there are exceptions but this is mostly a normal and usual dynamic of the modern day conservative movement. Most modern day conservatives are merely "military cheer leaders" that would fight only to stay our of a soldier's uniform. Most of them define the word "coward."
These modern day conservatives think nothing of turning their backs on America's military veterans once they have been spent and are no longer useful. They point to passed veterans' appropriations but neglect to mention that they themselves fought most of those appropriations tooth-and-nail through the legislative process. Had they had their way, our nations veterans would be penniless and without adequate healthcare.
Modern day conservatives abhor social welfare for the poor but embrace corporate welfare with frenzy. They are not just supporters of the entrepreneurial spirit and the capitalistic ideal, which is good, but they'll also surrender the nation and its people to that a gross aberration of that ideal in the interest of corporate greed, which is bad. They are not just against taxation in general, they devise laws and methods to ensure corporations and the wealthiest among them can completely avoid taxation, especially in off shore accounts and through creative accounting.
Most of our nation's wealthiest people are in these modern day conservative ranks and they have gotten greedier then the human psychic can comprehend. They have wholly forsaken the "middle class" and, believe it or not, with their secular progressive "give away everything "liberal cohorts, they are on the verge of turning America in to a two class "rich and poor" society. The American middle class is truly at risk of collapse.
Modern day conservatives speak a good line about being against "illegal immigration" but when they owned the presidency and both houses of congress they did absolutely nothing to prevent it. Instead they opened the avenues to illegal immigration and unlawful entry in to our country more then doubled. Cheap exploited labor for the modern day conservative ranks of the rich and greedy has become a mainstay for them, and America's immigration laws, and the American worker, are damned because of it.
Modern day conservatives are content in transferring once secure and good paying jobs to distant foreign shores. There desperate, exploited, and often abused workers who are willing to work for a pittance await these once lucrative American jobs. The modern day conservatives thought nothing of leaving their loyal and hard working American employees stranded, destitute, unemployed and having to fed for themselves and their families in an increasingly competitive market that offers only little more then minimum wage to even college graduates. So, they gather to the unemployment lines and the welfare system, without health and dental insurance, both of which modern day conservatives are reluctant to fund. Then they call their once proud American workers "lazy freeloaders." Modern day conservatives lost its compassion in an abyss of economic quicksand where it can't be retrieved.
Modern day conservatives have turned fiscal responsibility in to a tax-and-spend extravaganza that makes the most ardent liberals proud. They are still strong on family and faith issues as long as they get to decide the dogma and doctrine of what is acceptable. I'm not talking about defending bible scripture, which is good, but living outside the dictates of what they preach, which is bad. For example they are against premarital sex, sexual promiscuity, adultery and "lusting in the mind," but many among them are known to have done some or all above with a fever. Yet, they hypocritically attack an immoral Hollywood, which really is immoral. They rile about sodomy and gay marriage, which is their right if faith and scripture based. Yet they would imprison a gay couple, consenting adults, who engage in gay sex in the privacy of their own home. To be against sodomy is defendable religious belief but to want to discriminate and bring harm to those who don't conform to your belief system is in no manner a Christian principle. That's judgmental, playing God, and I think God would object. It's an "extreme" conservative position that falls outside traditional mainstream conservatism.
The modern day American politic has evolved in to a mean-spirited bastion of political extremes. The political center that was once the mainstream of American political society was slightly right of center. Some had liberal tendencies but nothing extreme. Some had more conservative tendencies but again nothing extreme. They were both patriots and they liked each other even when they disagreed. They worked together for the good of the nation and each other. Their was seldom any polarization. That is now a distant memory of our better days.
Both parties have been hijacked by the political extremes, the democrats on the left and republicans on the right. They offer only candidates that embrace one extreme or the other. Candidates that must "sell out" to extremist ideologies before the American people get the chance to decide. America desperately needs a third party. A party of moderation and atonement. A party of patriotism. A party that supports fee enterprise, capitalism and the entrepreneurial spirit without embracing the evil of greed. A party that cares more about the powerless then the powerful. A party of Judea-Christian values. A party of tolerance but not so tolerate as to embrace the extreme. A party that is slightly right of center and embraces traditional American values and morals but is not afraid of change. A party that will not lose its direction and sense of compassion. A party that will never stop caring about its people and one which reward hard work instead of good market guesses.
