Matt Yglesias on the 'giant failure' of the conservative movement (1964-2009):
In the 45 years since that fateful campaign, the conservative movement managed to gain total control over the Republican Party and to sporadically govern the country. But it’s only very partially rolled back one aspect of the Johnson administration’s domestic policy.
Matt Y. can be a blockhead on occasion. The conservative movement a giant failure?
That's only if you take their word about 'small government'. And we know that's never been a goal the moment any of them get into elective office.
On the other hand, if you look beyond their effect on a handful of government programs and turn instead to the country as a whole, you’ll notice we’ve gone through an unprecedented transformation. This transformation has consisted mostly of privatization and consolidation — in everything from broadcast media, insurance, telecommunications, to of course, banking.
Essentially the ‘conservative movement’ has delivered us over to a dozen or so reformulated ‘Trusts’ that, despite their signature high-price and 3rd rate service, have now all become ‘too big to fail’.
