Name 2 things that have gone to the political right in the last 20 years.
August 3, 2012 4:29 PM Subscribe
Name 2 things that have gone to the political right in the last 20 years.
My uber-conservative, Limbaugh/Beck/O'Reilly-worshiping, persecuted-christian father would like to know. I'd like to be fairly comprehensive. Help me out?
My uber-conservative, Limbaugh/Beck/O'Reilly-worshiping, persecuted-christian father would like to know. I'd like to be fairly comprehensive. Help me out?
That is tough to flesh out because, by its nature, conservatism aims to maintain the status quo, so instead of things going to the right, changes such as health care policy or gay rights are blocked or impeded.
The two most critical things in my mind that have been "going to the right" are climate change and evolution. Both of those are being attacked by the right. In the case of climate change, it prevents action from stopping it due to the doubt spread by those on the right. For evolution, it keeps children from receiving good science education.
posted by perhapses at 4:37 PM on August 3, 2012
The two most critical things in my mind that have been "going to the right" are climate change and evolution. Both of those are being attacked by the right. In the case of climate change, it prevents action from stopping it due to the doubt spread by those on the right. For evolution, it keeps children from receiving good science education.
posted by perhapses at 4:37 PM on August 3, 2012
District of Columbia v. Heller
McDonald v. Chicago
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:38 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
McDonald v. Chicago
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:38 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
There hasn't been this low of a percentage of government workers (vs the population in over 40 years.
Assault weapons are no longer banned.
Taxes on the extremely rich are much lower now than 20 years ago.
Foreign policy: the Iraq war cost the economy 3 trillion dollars, much of that going to arms dealers and mercenaries.
posted by goethean at 4:39 PM on August 3, 2012 [8 favorites]
Assault weapons are no longer banned.
Taxes on the extremely rich are much lower now than 20 years ago.
Foreign policy: the Iraq war cost the economy 3 trillion dollars, much of that going to arms dealers and mercenaries.
posted by goethean at 4:39 PM on August 3, 2012 [8 favorites]
Do you mean, "Please give me examples of conservative rhetoric that have affected public policy and pushed it toward the right?"
posted by MonkeyToes at 4:40 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by MonkeyToes at 4:40 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/08/we-now-have-our-smallest-government-in-45-years/260701/
^^cite for govt workers claim
posted by goethean at 4:40 PM on August 3, 2012
^^cite for govt workers claim
posted by goethean at 4:40 PM on August 3, 2012
Income inequality is at its highest since about 1935.
posted by goethean at 4:44 PM on August 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by goethean at 4:44 PM on August 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
The Supreme Court.
posted by milarepa at 4:46 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by milarepa at 4:46 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Union Membership in U.S. Fell to 70-Year Low Last Year
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm: "In 2011, the union membership rate--the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of a union--was 11.8 percent... In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent and there were 17.7 million union workers."
Union Membership: Overall (1948-2004)
posted by Dixon Ticonderoga at 4:48 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm: "In 2011, the union membership rate--the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of a union--was 11.8 percent... In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent and there were 17.7 million union workers."
Union Membership: Overall (1948-2004)
posted by Dixon Ticonderoga at 4:48 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Access to abortion.
posted by scody at 4:51 PM on August 3, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by scody at 4:51 PM on August 3, 2012 [6 favorites]
Citizens United?
posted by drezdn at 4:56 PM on August 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by drezdn at 4:56 PM on August 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
The tax rate
posted by -harlequin- at 4:59 PM on August 3, 2012
posted by -harlequin- at 4:59 PM on August 3, 2012
The creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
posted by jsturgill at 4:59 PM on August 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by jsturgill at 4:59 PM on August 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
Since 1998, "thirty-one U.S. state constitutional amendments banning legal recognition of same-sex unions have been adopted."
posted by bcwinters at 5:01 PM on August 3, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by bcwinters at 5:01 PM on August 3, 2012 [5 favorites]
Access to abortion (and even birth control) is much further to the right now than it was 20 years ago.
Abstinence-only education is also more normal than it was when I was in school 20 years ago (during the first years of the AIDS crisis).
Television news has gone to the right, if you can count Fox news as conservative. I consider it radical, but it's definitely radical towards a right-wing direction.
posted by small_ruminant at 5:05 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Abstinence-only education is also more normal than it was when I was in school 20 years ago (during the first years of the AIDS crisis).
Television news has gone to the right, if you can count Fox news as conservative. I consider it radical, but it's definitely radical towards a right-wing direction.
posted by small_ruminant at 5:05 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Not a single Republican U.S. Senator will admit that climate change is caused by man. No Republican presidential candidate would raise their hand when asked if they "believed in" evolution. Here I equate an anti-science bias with a rightward leaning.
posted by Right On Red at 5:10 PM on August 3, 2012 [6 favorites]
posted by Right On Red at 5:10 PM on August 3, 2012 [6 favorites]
Access to capitol. (see: repeal of Glass-Steagall)
posted by armoir from antproof case at 5:14 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by armoir from antproof case at 5:14 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
From 2010:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010858255_scotus22.html
posted by Dixon Ticonderoga at 5:23 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
WASHINGTON — A bitterly divided Supreme Court on Thursday swept aside decades of legislative restrictions, ruling that corporations may spend as much as they want to sway voters in federal elections.
In a landmark 5-4 decision, the court's conservative bloc said corporations have the same right to free speech as individuals and, for that reason, the government may not stop corporations from spending to help their favored candidates....
Until Thursday, corporations and unions were barred from spending their own treasury funds on broadcast ads, campaign workers or billboards that urge the election or defeat of a federal candidate.
This restriction dates back to 1907, when President Theodore Roosevelt persuaded Congress to forbid corporations, railroads and national banks from putting money into federal races. After World War II, Congress extended this ban to labor unions. More recently, the McCain-Feingold Act in 2002 added an extra limit on corporate and union-funded broadcast ads in the month before an election. They were prohibited if they simply mentioned a candidate running for office.
Thursday's decision swept away all these restrictions....
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010858255_scotus22.html
posted by Dixon Ticonderoga at 5:23 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Welfare "reform."
The makeup of the Supreme Court
posted by Obscure Reference at 5:25 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
The makeup of the Supreme Court
posted by Obscure Reference at 5:25 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
War and POW rights.
posted by steinsaltz at 5:33 PM on August 3, 2012
posted by steinsaltz at 5:33 PM on August 3, 2012
Can you define what you mean by "the right"? Do you mean, society has changed its opinion to the right, or, the right has won a large sweeping victory in one battle?
posted by corb at 5:38 PM on August 3, 2012
posted by corb at 5:38 PM on August 3, 2012
On the opening day of:
102nd Congress, 1991-1993
Senate: 56 D, 44 R
House: 270 D, 164 R, 1 I
112th Congress, 2011-2013
Senate: 51 D, 47 R, 2 I
House: 192 D, 242 R
posted by Dixon Ticonderoga at 5:43 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
102nd Congress, 1991-1993
Senate: 56 D, 44 R
House: 270 D, 164 R, 1 I
112th Congress, 2011-2013
Senate: 51 D, 47 R, 2 I
House: 192 D, 242 R
posted by Dixon Ticonderoga at 5:43 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
No Republican presidential candidate would raise their hand when asked if they "believed in" evolution.
Oh?
Of ten candidates, onyl three raises their hand to deny evolution. Still three too many, but your comment is not accurate.
Here I equate an anti-science bias with a rightward leaning.
Have a conversation with a SWPL mom about vaccines or a stroll down the homeopathy aisle at Whole Foods sometime.
posted by Tanizaki at 5:54 PM on August 3, 2012 [9 favorites]
Oh?
Of ten candidates, onyl three raises their hand to deny evolution. Still three too many, but your comment is not accurate.
Here I equate an anti-science bias with a rightward leaning.
Have a conversation with a SWPL mom about vaccines or a stroll down the homeopathy aisle at Whole Foods sometime.
posted by Tanizaki at 5:54 PM on August 3, 2012 [9 favorites]
Looking at the 1992 Republican Party Platform, they've won a lot of these battles. Deregulation, privatization, and free trade (is anyone against 'free trade' these days?) being the major ones, but a ton of other ones are there too and mentioned above. They even got what they wanted from health care reform! They got the inheritance tax dramatically reduced too . The only things they are missing are increased funding for NASA, science research. The anti-porn plank hasn't done too well either I guess, not has increased home ownership for low-income families (though they did reduce housing assistance, which I feel was the real goal there).
What exactly does he think is skewing left? Minorities are treated less poorly than 20 years ago, sure. Gay people are slowly gaining acceptance. And . . . that's all I can think of right now. Is that what he's upset about?
posted by Garm at 6:05 PM on August 3, 2012
What exactly does he think is skewing left? Minorities are treated less poorly than 20 years ago, sure. Gay people are slowly gaining acceptance. And . . . that's all I can think of right now. Is that what he's upset about?
posted by Garm at 6:05 PM on August 3, 2012
The individual rights of those accused of crimes.
posted by SpringAquifer at 6:17 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by SpringAquifer at 6:17 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Name 2 things that have gone to the political right in the last 20 years.
America and Canada.
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 6:30 PM on August 3, 2012 [5 favorites]
America and Canada.
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 6:30 PM on August 3, 2012 [5 favorites]
Systemic warrantless domestic surveillance.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:13 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:13 PM on August 3, 2012 [2 favorites]
Torture. America used to be country that respected the Geneva Conventions. Now, many openly mock them, and war criminals walk among us, unpunished.
Of all the things that make me sad for my country, it is this.
posted by SPrintF at 11:26 PM on August 3, 2012 [14 favorites]
Of all the things that make me sad for my country, it is this.
posted by SPrintF at 11:26 PM on August 3, 2012 [14 favorites]
I think it's worth casting a gimlet eye on a few of law-related suggestions above:
-- Whether the Supreme Court overall has moved "right" since 1992 is disputed. Scalia, Kennedy, and Thomas were still on the Court then. Is swapping Rehnquist for Roberts, White for Alito, O'Connor for Breyer, Souter for Kagan, Stevens for Sotomayor, and Blackmun for Ginsburg a net move to the right? Not obvious.
-- Similarly, as to rights of those accused of crimes, Miranda and the exclusionary rule have been rolled back; but procedural rights at sentencing have been dramatically increased (Apprendi, Blakely, Booker), and so has the right to cross-examination, especially in drug crimes (Crawford, Melendez-Diaz, etc.). Again, it's not obvious which direction the net effect has gone.
-- Citizens United did overrule a case that was decided in 1990, and hence was on the books 20 years ago, but in terms of its effect on federal campaign finance law, the statute it invalidated was passed in 2003 (and the other half of that statute generally remains constitutional). So CU was a partial retrenchment, and campaign finance law as a whole is not obviously to the right of where it was in 1992.
Many of the other suggestions seem plausible to me, though.
posted by willbaude at 11:45 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
-- Whether the Supreme Court overall has moved "right" since 1992 is disputed. Scalia, Kennedy, and Thomas were still on the Court then. Is swapping Rehnquist for Roberts, White for Alito, O'Connor for Breyer, Souter for Kagan, Stevens for Sotomayor, and Blackmun for Ginsburg a net move to the right? Not obvious.
-- Similarly, as to rights of those accused of crimes, Miranda and the exclusionary rule have been rolled back; but procedural rights at sentencing have been dramatically increased (Apprendi, Blakely, Booker), and so has the right to cross-examination, especially in drug crimes (Crawford, Melendez-Diaz, etc.). Again, it's not obvious which direction the net effect has gone.
-- Citizens United did overrule a case that was decided in 1990, and hence was on the books 20 years ago, but in terms of its effect on federal campaign finance law, the statute it invalidated was passed in 2003 (and the other half of that statute generally remains constitutional). So CU was a partial retrenchment, and campaign finance law as a whole is not obviously to the right of where it was in 1992.
Many of the other suggestions seem plausible to me, though.
posted by willbaude at 11:45 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Keynesian economics has definitely moved to the right. Today both Democrats and Republicans now propose tax cuts as a way to stimulate the economy. (They just differ over who should get lower taxes.) President Obama is as proud and defensive of his tax cuts for "the middle class" as George Bush was over his Bush tax cuts.
posted by three blind mice at 12:32 AM on August 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by three blind mice at 12:32 AM on August 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
Some excellent examples above but I'm still having trouble digesting your question, which I find unclear. "gone to"?
posted by fivesavagepalms at 6:36 AM on August 4, 2012
posted by fivesavagepalms at 6:36 AM on August 4, 2012
parsing help:
persecuted-christian
OP wants to show thatconservatives Republicans have, in fact, made policy gains in the past 20 years, and it simply isn't wave after wave of sweeping liberal Democratic victories, and him and people those like him aren't a dying breed, continually under assault from radical .... whatevers.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:14 AM on August 4, 2012
persecuted-christian
OP wants to show that
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:14 AM on August 4, 2012
Birth control, access, getting more restrictive due to "moral beliefs." As well as defining even the pill as an abortificant, which it is NOT. maybe this should just fall under women's rights?
posted by Max Power at 8:16 AM on August 4, 2012
posted by Max Power at 8:16 AM on August 4, 2012
Highly-specific example, from TN:
Challenges to GOP Incumbents Equal Challenge to Harwell?
'The center of gravity in Tennessee politics has shifted so hard to the right that two dozen conservative Republican incumbents are under attack as moderate squishes and cowardly sell-outs in their own party's primary elections for the state legislature.'
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:51 AM on August 4, 2012
Challenges to GOP Incumbents Equal Challenge to Harwell?
'The center of gravity in Tennessee politics has shifted so hard to the right that two dozen conservative Republican incumbents are under attack as moderate squishes and cowardly sell-outs in their own party's primary elections for the state legislature.'
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:51 AM on August 4, 2012
The way the economy is run, in general, I think. We certainly live in a more deregulated economy than that which existed 20 years ago. Also, free trade agreements like NAFTA are arguably classically conservative ideas. I think nowadays, even those on the left would agree that free trade isn't necessarily a bad thing (though, the pendulum may be swinging back due to the recession, and other reasons).
posted by Geppp at 11:17 AM on August 4, 2012
posted by Geppp at 11:17 AM on August 4, 2012
The media. The mainstream popular success of Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, Beck, Drudge, Weiner-Savage, Coulter, Malkin, etc.
The mainstream media's (i.e., CNN) fawning obsequiousness towards these fascist hate-mongers.
FOX, the 24-hour per day Republican propaganda network is piped into every family room, hotel lobby and bar in middle America. CNBC is hardly any better, regularly featuring commentators from the National Review, which is an arm of the Republican Party.
In short, the right-wing media has gone farther to the right and its overwhelming success has conquered the media landscape.
posted by goethean at 11:17 AM on August 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
The mainstream media's (i.e., CNN) fawning obsequiousness towards these fascist hate-mongers.
FOX, the 24-hour per day Republican propaganda network is piped into every family room, hotel lobby and bar in middle America. CNBC is hardly any better, regularly featuring commentators from the National Review, which is an arm of the Republican Party.
In short, the right-wing media has gone farther to the right and its overwhelming success has conquered the media landscape.
posted by goethean at 11:17 AM on August 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
Bush v. Gore.
(is anyone against 'free trade' these days?)
(me)
posted by samofidelis at 3:17 PM on August 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
(is anyone against 'free trade' these days?)
(me)
posted by samofidelis at 3:17 PM on August 4, 2012 [2 favorites]
OP means "gone to" as in "won by" the right.
As few things in politics are settled permanently, it's a difficult question, and as it is designed to satisfy his resentful dad, it's unlikely to succeed.
posted by dash_slot- at 3:02 AM on August 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
As few things in politics are settled permanently, it's a difficult question, and as it is designed to satisfy his resentful dad, it's unlikely to succeed.
posted by dash_slot- at 3:02 AM on August 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
Willbaud: Multiple metrics for conservative shift in the court.
posted by klangklangston at 9:06 PM on August 6, 2012
posted by klangklangston at 9:06 PM on August 6, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by désoeuvrée at 4:33 PM on August 3, 2012 [1 favorite]