THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume X, Issue # 18, January 17, 2008
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
REFLECTIONS ON AMERICA'S PAST & FUTURE
By Christopher G. Adamo
THE PRESENT STATE OF THE AMERICAN NATION & ITS PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE: CORROSIVE FORCES HARD AT
WORK TO ENSURE THAT THE FORMER POWER WITH WHICH THE U.S.A. MOVED THE REST OF THE WORLD IS DILUTED &
EVENTUALLY NEUTRALIZED -- FORCES SEEKING TO ERADICATE THE FOUNDING PHILOSOPHIES OF THE AMERICAN
REPUBLIC -- MANIFESTATION OF SUCH FORCES IN THE ABSURD NATURE OF THE PRESENT RACE FOR THE U.S. PRESIDENCY,
A POLITICAL CONTEST DAILY EXHIBITING LESS & LESS SUBSTANCE, WHILE ANY REAL CONSIDERATION OF SERIOUS ISSUES
& PROBLEMS CONFRONTING THE NATION IS BEING REPLACED BY A CIRCUS CONDUCTED BY THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA IN
ITS ONGOING EFFORT TO SHIFT THE FOCUS FROM A THOUGHTFUL CONSIDERATION OF WEIGHTY ISSUES (WHICH WOULD
LEAVE THE DEMOCRATS AT A DISADVANTAGE) TO EVER MORE FRIVOLOUS ASSESSMENTS OF PROSPECTIVE CANDIDATES
-- THE CHEAP POLITICAL THEATER AMERICANS ARE BEING FORCED TO ENDURE -- THE MORALLY & INTELLECTUALLY
VACANT IDEAS THE VOTERS ARE BEING OFFERED BY PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDERS
FULL STORY:
Perhaps it is overly limiting to discuss the present state of our nation, and thus its prospects for the future, without
broadening the topic to include all of Western Civilization. Nevertheless, for at least the past century as well as a goodly
portion of the century before that, America provided the primary defining force of Western culture. So it is no
overstatement to assert that life in the free world will live or die based on the direction America takes in the upcoming
years.
Corrosive forces are hard at work to ensure that the former power with which this nation moved the rest of the world is
diluted and eventually neutralized. Worst of all, many who express outward belief in the worthiness of the American
experiment are nonetheless helping to eradicate its founding philosophies, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they too
will fall if America and its founding philosophies fall.
It is as if they think they can selectively remove the sometimes inconvenient building blocks of the American foundation
without ever weakening the overall integrity of that foundation. And, if they believe thus, they believe what is not and
will never be.
The present, absurd nature of the presidential race, daily exhibiting less and less substance, while any real consideration
of the issues is increasingly being replaced by a media circus reminiscent of American movie idols, old-time circus
hucksters, used-car salesmen, other traditional con artists, and the big-city sensationalistic press of bygone days (but
with participants in the contemporary media-circus phenomenon possessing far less genuine talent than their forebearers),
did not evolve overnight. Rather, the present phenomenon has resulted from an ongoing effort of the mainstream media to
shift the focus from a thoughtful consideration of weighty issues (which would leave the Democrats at a disadvantage) to
ever more frivolous assessments of prospective candidates.
In the 1960 Nixon/Kennedy debate, the first such event to be broadcast on television, public opinions were swayed by
Nixon’s appearance of discomfort in front of the cameras, “darkness” of facial features, and five o’clock shadow. Nixon’s
real qualifications notwithstanding, these were extremely weak reasons to support or oppose a particular candidate.
In the same vein, Hillary Clinton’s crying episode last week (for those able to recognize its transparency) was no more
about bolstering America’s standing in the world than it was a genuine outpouring of emotion. Rather, it was only a matter
of jumping through whatever hoops was necessary to claim a dubious victory in the New Hampshire primary. In the
process, America’s greatness was lowered a notch in the eyes of the world. And more of the same is likely to follow.
Furthermore, to listen to the catcalling that has erupted between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama since then, one can
only fear for the future of the country if either assumes the reins of power by offering such morally and intellectually
vacant ideas. But, sadly, they are not alone.
A disturbing number of Republicans now want to celebrate John McCain’s decades old ordeal in the Hanoi Hilton by
rewarding him with the American Presidency. But the helm of the mightiest power on earth was never intended as merely
some plum to be given as an award to some individual for his personal aggrandizement, regardless of the horrendous
nature of suffering or sacrifice he might have endured.
The ponderous process by which U.S. Presidents were once selected was hardly supposed to be any personal boon to
the recipient, but, instead, represented a gauntlet through which only the most fit candidate could pass. And that
assessment was to be based solely on one’s worthiness for fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of public office.
Now, polls swing wildly from week to week as a result of a single impressive debate performance, or even a flamboyant
episode within a debate. A conflagration of moods and impressions continually ebbs and flows in the public
consciousness, suggesting that none of the rising and falling of particular candidates represents any public embrace of
a specific political agenda. Such is not the basis on which a country can confidently chart a course for its future. Russian
roulette would offer more consistent odds.
Yet some occasional glimmer of ugly truth leaks through all of the cheap political theater the country is forced to endure.
Just as all of the Clinton attacks on Obama reveal the longstanding reality of contempt held by the Democratic Party
political machine towards black America, so do Conservative panderers, by the stark contrasts between their present
posturing and that of their past governing, demonstrate their real regard for Conservatives and Christians, in the past,
and not incidentally why things have remained so bad for traditional America.
An enormous chasm separates those principled few who have relentlessly sought, with every ounce of strength available
to them, to fix deteriorating conditions simply because it was the right thing to do (California Congressman Duncan
Hunter’s fight for a border fence stands as a rare example), and the obvious rush by many to board the latest political
“bandwagon” as a result of its perceived popularity. But, despite the cynicism it generates, the latter pattern continues.
For starters, those candidates who have engaged in such embarrassing antics as we have witnessed in the past week
should immediately be excluded from serious consideration for such a solemn position as the Presidency of the
United States of America. Then, among those remaining contenders who can at least conduct themselves with the
requisite degree of dignity necessary for the job, a thorough examination of their stances on issues is the key to
understanding their likely role in America’s ensuing success or failure.
These are dangerous times, and this will be a defining election. Much more rides on it than merely deciding who can win a
cheesy “reality television” popularity contest.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
American Politics & Political Competition:
Elections, PACs, & Political Parties
American Government & the U.S. Presidency:
Presidential Politics & National Leadership
The American Political System:
Politics & Government in the U.S.A.
Christopher G. Adamo is a freelance writer who lives in southeastern Wyoming and works in the field of industrial instrumentation.
He is actively involved in Wyoming's political process, serving as a delegate to successive Wyoming State Republican Conventions
and as a member of the Wyoming State Republican Central Committee. He has assisted Republican candidates for local and state
legislatures and for the United States Congress. His articles, which appear regularly in The Progressive Conservative, U.S.A.,
and on a number of other websites, reflect a major concern with the damage being done to Conservatism and Conservative causes by
the Liberal Leftist faction in the Republican Party as well as by the much larger and more powerful Liberal Leftist faction in the
Democratic Party. During the early and middle 1990s, Adamo was Editor of the Wyoming Christian Coalition's official news organ,
The Wyoming Christian.
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity