Moonage Political Webdream

Now, the premise here is that the country NEEDS Neoconservatism.  I don’t particularly think that’s true.  That’s about like saying the country NEEDS to grow older.  Sounds kinda harsh I know, but this is why I think this is true.  It’s pretty simple really:  In 1990, 54% of the voting age public was over the age of 40, which by nature is more conservative than those under the age of 40.  In 2000, that figure had risen to 59% of the voting age public.  In terms of voting, that’s a very substantial jump.  All the elections of the 21st century have done is verify that the US is aging rapidly.  As people age, they tend to become more conservative in their social philosophy and politics.  They are no longer taking chances, but making efforts to secure what they have.  As such, changing things becomes less desirable.  Making their environment safer becomes more desirable.  These are the roots of neoconservatism.  A young deeply religious element that otherwise be a solid block in the more liberal voting block has simply joined the aging voting block and this just pushes the conservative voting element even more.  So, I don’t think the US "needs" neoconservatism so much as the US is reflecting an aging voting population.  That in itself is not necessarily a bad thing.  We don’t "need" it so much as we "are" it right now.  The normal political trend has been a swinging pendulum that moves from liberal to conservative values over time.  However, what we’re seeing now is instead of a return to liberal values in the US, the "opposition" to neoconservatism is actually adapting neoconservative values ( the Democrats are fielding conservative to moderate candidates all over the country ).  Now, IMO, that’s when neoconservatism can get a little scary.  I was hoping the Democrats would take a more moderate approach, which I think would work with the aging voter population.  However, that doesn’t seem to be what’s happening.  There are several races where the candidates are fighting over who’s the most conservative.  The Foley issue is purely one of the Democrats trying to debunk the Republican grip on neoconservative values.  Hopefully, over the next ten years or so, when EVERYONE is neoconservative, the alternative will be the moderates.  That’s where my vote is now, and hopefully others will chill out over time as well.  We don’t "need" neoconservatism if it’s unchecked.  And, we don’t "need" radical liberalism unchecked either.  What we "need" is to get back to what political parties represented pre-1980, purely a government philosophy based primarily on the economics of running the government.