The Conservative Worldview

The last few years have helped me to realize what the conservative worldview is, what its foundational feature is. Calling it an ideology gives it too much credit. It is really a habit of mind. It boils down to this:

Powerful bigots should have all the power.

It surely isn't about personal liberty. American conservatives oppose government only when government challenges inequality. Conservatives are all for government oppression when they get to direct it at immigrants and minorities. Conservatives are all for big government when it means enforcing fundamentalism.

It isn't about liberty. It is about hierarchy. Conservatives instinctively support the powerful in any conflict. Conservatives believe that the powerful are better than the rest of us. Our duty, to them, is obedience.

Realizing this is what conservatism is all about helps us understand our contemporary political moment.