It's ironic that I should stumble across this work at this time, because I have been working on an article of my own in which I argue precisely the opposite thesis. It is my contention that the term "conservatism" doesn't name any particular political or economic ideology but is, rather, an attitude toward ideology. It is, in fact, a personality disorder - an irrational fear of change.
What has caused the rise of conservatism in the past 30 years? It is certainly not a rational response to historical developments. Why would tens of millions of poor and working-class people ally themselves with the rich - with whom they share no reasonable interests? Why would so many of these same millions mindlessly buy into a particularly crack-brained travesty of Christianity, one which teaches contempt for the poor, hatred of the foreigner, and so many other anti-Christian values?
The reason for all this was the radical change our society saw from the 1950s on. The Old Establishment - white, rich, straight American males - had to watch their hegemony crumble. Women, minorities and gays were no longer content to stay in their place. Poor and working people were using unions and political clout to demand their fair share of the riches they were producing. New immigrants were bringing strange skin colors, languages, foods and behaviors to White, WASPY America. And foreign countries began to challenge America's imperium. It all got rather scary.
Some people - liberals - have welcomed these changes. It seemed that, finally, millions who had been held down in the name of the precious status quo were going to be given what they deserved. But others couldn't cope with this brave new world. They were threatened by the changes, and looked to any conman who promised to make time run backward and keep things as they were. These conmen have included William Buckley, George Will, Ronald Reagan, Karl Rove and George W. Bush. All their political success has rested on one skill - their ability to exploit the fears of millions of threatened people.
This book is a particularly crude example of this phenomenon.
