The Four Pillars of Modern Conservatism

As they have been laid out in public and plain English by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich since the late 1980s/early 1990s:

1. Democrats are unalloyed evil.  And whatever horrors you might hear of Republicans committing, it is an existential certainty that somewhere, somehow Democrats are either actually to blame for it or are up to something worse.  So never apologize and never back down.


2. Never compromise with the Left because see Rule #1.


3. The media is a tool of the Left and is therefor liars and enemies of True Patriots like us because see Rule #1.


4. Never trust anyone who is not one of us.   You can spot the secret traitors among us because they're those ones who won't tell you exactly what you want to hear, and don't valorize you and confirm that you are the innocent victim of vast Leftist conspiracies. Because see Rule #1

If you set these as the operating parameters in SimDemocracy, and let it cook for awhile, and sooner or later it'll spawn democracy-killing monsters.  

And for decades this has been painfully obvious to anyone paying any attention to conservative politics and media.

Obvious even to groundling civilians like me who have no access to the inner working of media machinery, or the inner thoughts of media executives.  So what are we to make, at this late date, of the denials of those who were working those machines and now swear they never knew?  Or of those whose profession it was to either keep those machines running, or to deny that the machinery existed 

at all, who also now swear they had no idea?

There are two and only two alternatives.  

Either they really were and are just too goddamn stupid to understand that which has been right in 

front of them this entire time.  Just bobblehead Ted Baxters who went right along with the madness, following orders, reading what was put in front of them but never understanding any of it.

Or they were cool with the whole filthy business as long as that filthy business was putting a roof over their heads, and coin in their pockets.  But once the got caught in the gears of the machine, or ran afoul of the machine, or were spat out of the machine...they suddenly "discovered"  Machine Bad!  

So whatever happened to those people?

Funny story.

They all got jobs in the Liberal media, reporting breathlessly that Machine Bad!  And how feckless Democrats are risking the republic by not realizing Machine Bad.  And how feckless Democrats' only hope of saving the republic is by handing the keys over to these recently-former Republicans.

Either that or they always seems to be able to find the funding to start up their own media companies, which they use to report breathlessly that Machine Bad!  And to admonish Democrats that they are risking the republic by handing the keys over to these recently-former Republicans.  Their media companies are lent enormous credibility by appearing on the teevee programs of their fellow recently-former Republicans, who have now colonised the Liberal media.  

And thus the circle is complete.  One team of recently-former Republicans is granted instant credibility by their constant presence on Liberal teevee.  They then lend their credibility to other teams of 

 recently-former Republicans who have started up their own media companies and are welcomed on Liberal teevee by their friends where they all agree that the republic is in danger and that feckless Democrats yadda yadda yadda.

And when it all comes together it looks like this (h/t alert listener Amy for the screen shot):

Former RNC chair Michael Steele -- whose past has now been fully whitewashed by MSNBC --  subbing for Chris Hayes, wrapping the cloak of Liberal teevee credibility around recently-former Republicans Jennifer Rubin and Mona Charen.

Wanna bet the subject of Mona Charen spicy opinions about the intolerant, totalitarian Left neve came up?

I Am The Liberal Media