ProgressiveSpirit.com
What are Progressive Values? Documentary Project & Study Group 

Failed Conservative Values Project

Sure, conservative ideas and policies have failed, but the failures go even deeper to the very heart and essence of the conservative movement, to their Failed Conservative Values. In this project, we will pull back the mask of Conservative Family Values, Conservative Traditional Values, Compassionate Conservativism, individual freedom, individual responsibility, individual liberty,  etc. to the underlying Failed Conservative Values of authoritarianism, fear, dogmatism, fundamentalism, secrecy, greed, indifference, division, arrogance, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, etc.

Join in our effort to create a documentary and book about these failed values. We are looking for contributors to submit chapters for a book and video clips showing how conservative values have failed. Send me links, articles, blog postings, videos, etc. and any other resources to help reveal the Failed Conservative Values.  Email me or post your comments to our discussion list.

I started to create a model of  conservative and progressive values at this url.  I use it as a framework for how to think of the interaction of  progressive and conservative; spirit, values, principles, ideals, philosophy, issues, and policies.

What needs to be done:


 

Comparing Progressive and Conservative values.

Traditional Progressive Values   Versus Traditional Conservative Values
Progressive Family Values Conservative Family Values
Democracy Authoritarianism
Hope   Fear
Empathy   Selfishness and Greed
Caring   Indifference
Integrity Corruption
Openness and Transparency Secrecy
Open-Mindedness Close-Mindedness
Searching   Dogmatism
Unity   Division
Peace Violence and Brutality
Freedom Control
Truthfulness Self-Righteousness and Hypocrisy
Honesty Corruption
Progressive Patriotism Conservative Patriotism
We're all in to together Dog Eat Dog Individualism
Common Good Good of the Rich and Powerful
Equality Hierarchy and Privilege
Responsibility Irresponsibility
Tolerance Intolerance
Hard work Speculation and Corruption
Creativity Conformity and Fear
Compassion Coldness



Daily Failed Conservative Values Posts
When we interview progressives about their values, we also ask how they compare to conservative values and how conservative values have failed.  (We'll be posting more here about this project shortly)

Failed Conservative Values Interviews

Failed Conservative Values Barack Obama: Status Quo v Change
Failed Conservative Values: Dona Ridgeway - Authoritarianism
Failed Conservative Values: Elaine Charkowski - Patriarchy Family Values

Failed Conservative Values: Norman Solomon - Dog Eat Dog Greed
Failed Conservative Values: Don - Greed is Good
Failed Conservative Values: Norma - Greed
Failed Conservative Values: Karen Suarez - Greedy
Failed Conservative Values: Dan Healy - Greed Force
Failed Conservative Values: David Lutness - Me First
Failed Conservative Values: George Ripley - Me First
Failed Conservative Values: Nancy Kops - Selfishness
Failed Conservative Values: Ben Leet - Selfishness
Failed Conservative Values: Gordon Wright - Psychopath
Failed Conservative Values: Eric C Bauman - Ego Centric
Failed Conservative Values: Heartlessness
Failed Conservative Values: Trin Yarborough - Entitlement

Failed Conservative Values: Aris - Fear Power
Failed Conservative Values: Frank - Fear

Failed Conservative Values: Arun Akkineni - Self-Righteousness
Failed Conservative Values: Fred Davis - Self-Righteousness


Failed Conservative Values - Brenda Emerson - Hypocrisy
Failed Conservative Values: Michelle - Hypocrisy
Failed Conservative Values: Steve Reed - Hypocrisy

Failed Conservative Values: Jim Dean - Corruption v Tolerance

Failed Conservative Values - Robert Cuthbert - Compassionate Conservative
Failed Conservative Values: Joseph Lyons - No Compassion


Failed Conservative Values: Brian Galt - Family Values
Failed Conservative Values: Joan - Family Values


Failed Conservative Values: Deloris - Name Calling
Failed Conservative Values: Jay Jackman - Neglect
Failed Conservative Values: Michael Nagler - Dehumanization

Failed Conservative Values: James Hargrove - Fundamentalism

On Failed Conservative Values Discussion: Michael Nagler
 

Failed Conservative Values Metaphors

Failed Conservative Values Metaphor - Robert Cuthbert - Drug Addicts
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Brian - Threatened Bear
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor - Joseph Lyons - Unequal Playing Field
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Michael Nagler - Wolverine
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor - Gary Alford - Vacuum
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Arun Akkineni - Strict Teacher
Failed Conservative Values - Bill Honigman - Restrictive - Intolerance
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor - Brenda Emerson - Under Glass Prize
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor - Jay Jackman - Predator
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Dan Healy - Red Pill Sleep
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Don - Bull Elephant
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Time Bomb
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Jim -Mud Stuck Elephant
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Owen Jackman - Hyena
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Kenneth Arnold - Angry God
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Joan - Quicksand
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Meat Grinder
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Michelle - Sold Soul
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Norma - Anaconda
Conservative Values Metaphor: Bill Honigman - Porcupine
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor Fred Davis - Feathering Nest
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor - Eric C Bauman - Fire v Rainbow
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor - Brian Galt - Brier Patch
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor - Harry Scott - Shredder
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Steve Reed - Backhoe
Failed Conservative Values Metaphor: Salazar-Rivera - Snake v Dolphins

 

Comparing and contrasting conservative and progressive values?
 
   Video clips on Youtube

 


Daily Posts on Failed Conservative Values

 53. Failed Conservative Values: Gavin Newsom on Division & Schizophrenic Tasmanian Devils
The likes of Bill O'Reilly and Newt Gingrich have long railed against 'San Francisco Values' as a cause of Americas ills.   I sat down with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at the Netroots Nation Conference in Austin, Texas to talk about  conservative values.  Gavin articulated the case for how the conservative value of division leads to weakness and failure. Finally he likened the values to schizophrenic and bipolar Tasmanian Devils. 

View @:
Democracyforamerica.com - Opednews.com - Dailykos.com

 

52.  Melanie on Progressive Flying Monkey versus Conservative Snail Values
I attended an anti McCain rally at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. There I interviewed several people and asked them to create a metaphor for Progressive and Conservative Values and to create a dialogue between the two.  In this story, Melanie sees conservative values as snails and progressive values as monkeys with wings. See how the snails and monkeys get along.

  View @:
Democracyforamerica.com  -  Opednews.com - Dailykos.com

 

 51.  Presidential Candidate Bob Barr on the Failure of Conservative Values
video At Netroots Nation in Austin, Texas, you can always tell when a VIP is in the room.  Just look for the person with a deferential crowd gathered around them and  follow the direction the cameras are pointed. While I feel uncomfortable standing so deferentially in anyone's presence, I have a job to do, and that's to find out how exactly conservative values have failed. So, when I saw a crowed gathered in the hallway, I moseyed on over with my video camera in hand and worked myself into the front of the crowed.  There was  Bob Barr, the Libertarian presidential candidate. After patiently waiting for the other interviewers to finish asking their questions, I asked Bob, "Have Conservative Values Failed?"

 View @: Democracyforamerica  -  Opednews - Dailykos - Huffingtonpost.com

 

 48.  Fatally Flawed Conservative Value of  Hypocrisy
 Several people I asked about the failure of conservative values mentioned hypocrisy.   Michelle, Owen and Steve  brought up examples of conservative hypocrisy in;  family values, education,  finance, the economy,  the occupation of Iraq and in human rights. While we all may exhibit varying degrees of hypocrisy in our lives, it seems that the conservative movement has embraced and institutionalized this value.

View @:
DemocracyforAmerica - Opednews.com  Poll   - Dailykos - Groups.Yahoo

 

 47. Failed Conservative Values: Congresswoman Maxine Waters on Blame, Hate & Lying
video
 
I interviewed Congresswoman Maxine Waters and asked her about progressive and conservative values. In this section, Maxine mentions that conservatives have tricked people with the failed conservative values of  blame, hate and lying.   These values are also failing because more people are not following them anymore and in fact,  people are starting to turn toward progressives values. She goes on to talk about how the occupation of Iraq is a metaphor for the failure of conservative values.

 View @:
Democracyforamerica.com - Opednews.com  (Poll) - Dailykos.com

 

 46. Failed Conservative Values: Gordon Wright on Psychopaths and Fear
Failed Conservative Values: Gordon Wright - Psychopath Gordon Wright values freedom but was raised by a conservative autocratic, dictatorial and bully of a father. He feels conservatives fear life's changes and it's spontaneity. An example is how all of George Bush's public events are totally choreographed and controlled events.   He also thinks  that the corporate conservatives value of heartlessness and unfettered self-interest, are the same values as a psychopaths.

 View @:Democracyforamerica.com  - Opednews.com - Dailykos.com

 

 45. The Failed Conservative Values of James Dobson
James Dobson is a major leader of the social conservatives. He is considered one of the more moderate of the 'Value Voters' leaders because he doesn't support spanking any child under the age of 18 months, while other conservative leaders do. Dobson  is now attacking Barrack Obama for "deliberately distorting the Bible" and "dragging biblical understanding through the gutter." Isn't it time for progressives to start unmasking how the values of  the conservative movement have failed? Isn't it time to ask them some questions about their values? How about asking your family,  friends, neighbors, colleges, etc, "Have Conservative Values Failed?"

View @: Democracyforamerica.com Dailykos.com  -Opednews.com

 

44. Failed Conservative Values: Elaine Charkowski on Patriarchy Family Values
Failed Conservative Values: Elaine Charkowski - Patriarchy Family Values Elaine Charkowski talked with me about how conservative values have failed. She says, Conservative Family Values is about patriarchy and fear of authority. It’s about not using your own mind and woman are to be subservient to the man. The type of power used is random punishment and reward, which studies show is the best way to drive animals crazy.

View @:
Democracyforamerica.com  -  Opednews.com - Dailykos.com

 

 43. Failed Conservative Values: Louise Specht on Hierarchy Authoritarian Narcissism
vstill-1vvow2WOhsg  I asked Louise Specht about the the failure of conservative values. She addressed the hierarchal and authoritarian nature of conservativism and how this can lead  to narcissism for the people at the top. Steven Colbert does a great job of imitating a conservative on the Colbert Report. I just saw him begin his show lately by saying, "Did I tell you I love me lately?"  He hit's the nail on the head, as does Louise.

View @:Democracyforamerica.com   - Opednews.com  -Dailykos.com - Groups.yahoo

 

 42. Failed Conservative Values: Dona Ridgeway on Authoritarianism
Failed Conservative Values: Dona Ridgeway - Authoritarianism  Donna Ridgeway is a blogger living in the Santa Cruz, California area. She was raised republican and was in the military, but then started questioning.  She says the Failed Conservative Value is authoritarianism, it's a lose lose situation because if the authoritarian fails, everything fails. However she sees a lot of problems with progressives as well. There's a lot of egos with progressives and herding cats is hard.

View @: Democracyforamerica.com  - Opednews.com  - Dailykos.com - Groups.yahoo

 

 41. Failed Conservative Values: Arianna Huffington on Family Values Hypocrisy
video Arianna Huffington is a well know progressive speaker and activist. She started the popular Huffington Post website and it seems you can't turn on a progressive TV show without her popping up on it and taking a swipe at the conservatives. I saw Arianna at our local bookstore where she was promoting her new book, The Right is Wrong. During the Q and A, I asked her how conservative values have failed. She had plenty to say. 

View @:Democracyforamerica.com  - Opednews.com  - Dailykos.com

 

 40. Failed Conservative Values: They're Not Working - George Lakoff
vstill-dR00hoYc7os George Lakoff is a linguistics professor at UC Berkeley and author of numerous books on metaphors, framing and politics. Howard Dean has called him, "one of the most influential political thinkers of the progressive movement." George was at our local bookstore talking about his latest book, The Political Mind. During the question and answer period, I asked him if he personally feels that Conservative Values have Failed and if so, how have they failed?

View @:
Democracyforamerica.com  - Opednews.com - Dailykos.com

 

 39. Failed Conservative Values: David Sirota on Economic Darwinism
video David Sirota came and talked about his new book, 'The Uprising' at the Oakland Democracy for America meet-up on June 11, 2008.  During the Q and A, I asked David how conservative values have failed and he talked about the failure of Conservative Economic Darwinism. The full video of his 70 minute talk and slideshow is now online.

View @: Democracyforamerica.com -  Opednews.com -
Dailykos.com

 

  38.  Attack of the Anaconda -  Failed Conservative Values Metaphors
Sometimes it helps to use a bit of  imagination and creativity to look at things in a different way to shake up the status quo and change mindsets.  I've been asking people to create a metaphor for the Failed Conservative Values.  For example, if conservative values were a type of machine, or land, or animal,  etc., what would they be like?    Here are some of the images people came up with; anaconda, meat grinder, quicksand and mud stuck elephant.

View @:
Democracyforamerica.com - Opednews.com  - Dailykos.com 

 

 37.  Failed Conservative Values: Nancy Kops on Selfishness
I interviewed Nancy Kops and asked her about Failed Conservative Values and what are Progressive Values.  She feels caring is the most important liberal-progressive value.  She knows many conservatives and finds them to have good hearts and can be very caring about the people around them. However, she can’t figure out why they can be attracted to the Republican Party. She thinks they just don't see the big picture.

View @: Democracyforamerica.com - Opednews.com - Dailykos.com

 

 36. Failed Conservative Values: Arun Akkineni on Self-Righteousness
I interviewed Arun Akkineni about Failed Conservative Values. He felt that self-righteousness is a Failed Conservative Value and it's scary and dangerous. With self-righteousness, you see the world as black and white and don't see the nuances. You also don't incorporate other peoples ideas, which makes for poor decision making. He points to the current conservative administrations creation of the war and occupation of Iraq, as an example.

View @:DemocracyforAmerica.com - Opednews.com - Dailykos.com

 

 35. Failed Conservative Values: Aris Harmon on Fear and Power

I interviewed Aris Harmon about the failure of conservative values.  He said conservatives can be very nice people but they try to maintain the status quo and are  afraid of change.  For this reason, their fear of change is easily manipulated by other conservatives such as, Grover Norquist and Abramoff, whose sole value is power at any cost.   He also sees the failure of critical thinking as the reason conservatives are so easily manipulated.

View @:
DemocracyforAmerica.com  - Opednews.com - Dailykos.com

 

 34. Failed Conservative Values: All about Greed
I interviewed people around the Democracy for America booth at the California Democratic Party Convention in San Jose.  I asked people how have conservative values failed?  It surprised   me how many responded that the conservative value of greed was the biggest failure.   Here are some of the comments. 

View @:
DemocracyforAmerica.com  - Opednews.com -

 

 32. Failed Conservative Values: Jim Dean on Corruption 
 I interviewed Jim Dean, Chair of Democracy for America (DFA) at the  Democratic Party Convention in San Jose, California. I asked Jim how conservative values have failed. He says current conservativism is like a despotic dictator and is about corruption, power and the rewarding of friends. 

View @:DemocracyforAmerica.com  - Opednews.com - Dailykos.com

 

 30. Failed Conservative Values: Norman Solomon on Dog Eat Dog Greed
 I interviewed Norman Solomon at the 2008 Democratic Party Convention in San Jose, California.  Norman  is a columnist and his book "War Made Easy"  was  recently made into a movie.  He talked about how he sees 'dog eat dog greed' as a Failed Conservative Value.

View @: DemocracyforAmerica.com - Opednews.com - Dailykos.com

 

 28.  Failed Conservative Values: Jeeni Criscenzo on Scapegoating
I interviewed Jeeni Criscenzo in Sacramento, California. Jeeni brought up the prevalent use of scapegoating by conservatives.  I find it curios how a Conservative Movement that preaches individual responsibility is so adept at finding scapegoats and not taking true responsibility. I think it has to do with the type of responsibility they preach. It is not the unqualified progressive sense of responsibility, where you feel responsible for yourself and the society around you, but rather conservatives always talk about a qualified 'individual responsibility' which actually is really no longer true responsibility, but rather a value of selfish self-centeredness. It's like taking the value of love or caring and saying we're for 'individual love' or 'individual caring'.  The values lose their meaning and are turned into nothing but the Failed Conservative Value of individual selfishness and greed.
opednews.com/articles/3/genera_edwin_ru_080430_failed_conservative_.htm
democracyforamerica.com/blog_posts/25145

dailykos.com/story/2008/4/30/135551/781/1012/506473

 

27.  Failed Conservative Values: Barack Obama on the Status Quo v Change
video In his Pennsylvania primary speech, Barack Obama talked about change and how the Status Quo resists change. As I interview people about what are Progressive Values and about how Conservative Values have Failed, the interviewees repeatedly talk about the conservative fear of change and the promotion of the status quo. We start off with this exploration of the Failed Conservative Value of the Status Quo with Barack Obama's speech on change versus the status quo.
democracyforamerica.com/blog_posts/25118
opednews.com/articles/genera_edwin_ru_080427_failed_conservative_.htm
dailykos.com/story/2008/4/27/164645/549/1006/504461
groups.yahoo.com/group/ProgressiveValues/message/279

 

 26.  Progressive Values Stories: Brianna Leavitt on Taking Back Family Values - Justice & Responsibility
I interviewed Brianna Leavitt at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley.  She feels conservatives have taken over the term Values and Family Values, but she doesn't want to just give up the words to them. She goes on to talk about the Progressive Values she learned in her family. Her mother always reached out to the poor and homeless.  Brianna  was taught empathy, justice and responsibility by her parents and grandmother. These are in opposition to the Failed Conservative Family Values that exclude people.
democracyforamerica.com/blog_posts/25113
opednews.com/articles/genera_edwin_ru_080426_progressive_values_s.htm
dailykos.com/story/2008/4/26/192548/369/347/504095
groups.yahoo.com/group/ProgressiveValues/message/278

 

 25. Progressive Values Stories: Peter Harvey on Community versus Intolerance
I interviewed Peter Harvey at a Oakland, California Democracy for America meeting.  Peter  passionately talked about the progressive value of community and shared an early memory of the community reaching out to him.  However, he thinks that conservatives have completely missed the mark of religious teachings by going off into intolerance.
democracyforamerica.com/blog_posts/25089
opednews.com/articles/genera_edwin_ru_080425_progressive_values_s.htm
dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/4/25/14513/0750/374/503043  

 

  24. Failed Conservative Values:  Violence and Brutality
vstill-LJzD3ZDcD3A  This article is a rather harsh critique of deeper Failed Conservative Values.  In interviews, Richard Wagner told me he thinks thuggery is a failed conservative value and Herman Blackmon mentioned the lynch mob. I didn't think that either the lynch mob or thuggery were actually values. They seem more like manifestations of a value or perhaps of multiple values.
democracyforamerica.com/blog_posts/25075
opednews.com/articles/genera_edwin_ru_080423_failed_conservative_.htm
dailykos.com/story/2008/4/23/13825/2777/677/501723
groups.yahoo.com/group/ProgressiveValues/message/253

 

 23. Failed Conservative Values: Barbara, Carole, Nina on Dogmatism
vstill-fPotEtudDjI  I'm starting a new series of articles on how Conservative Values have Failed.   It's obvious that conservative ideas and policies have failed, but the failures go even deeper to the very heart and essence of the conservative movement, to their Failed Conservative Values. In this series, we will pull back the mask of Conservative Family Values, Conservative Traditional Values,  individual freedom, individual responsibility, individual liberty, Compassionate Conservativism, etc. to reveal the underlying Failed Conservative Values of fear, authoritarianism, secrecy, dogmatism, greed, indifference, self-righteousness, arrogance, hypocrisy, etc.
democracyforamerica.com/blog_posts/25030
opednews.com/articles/genera_edwin_ru_080421_failed_conservative_.htm
dailykos.com/story/2008/4/21/133117/358/240/500118
groups.yahoo.com/group/ProgressiveValues/message/241

 

Conservative Values Voters Summit.
An article about the main conference for social conservatives and a call for confronting them head on.


I asked some questions about Failed Conservative Values for the Youtube/CNN Democratic and Republican debates.

video   Values Voters:
Have Conservative Values Failed?

 

video   CNN Youtube GOP Debate Question: Conservative failed Values

 

video   CNN Debate Ques:
Failure of Republican Conservative Values

 

 

Bush Legacy Project
I heard about a multi million dollar campaign by conservatives to try and raise the Bush administrations approval ratings just before he leaves office. It they can leave on a higher note and claim success for the conservative Bush administration, they will be able to refer back to it for years to come.. The Bush Legacy Project is a progressive initiative to make sure this doesn't happen.