Quote:I think that’s how they see themselves.
Well, no-one's going to call themselves a rabid right-wing radical, however true it may be.
Conservatism is
a respectable if intellectually rather barren political philosophy. It is based on the premise that society works fairly well for the most part even if it isn't perfect, and that steps to improve it must be taken with great care lest the unforeseen consequences of our actions end up making matters worse.
The classic conservative motto is, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'
Now take a look at MAGA and its fan club. Are they, by the above definition, conservatives at all? Certainly not – they want to tear American society apart and build it up according to their own design. They have destroyed countless institutions, all of which were working well enough even if they weren't perfect. The social and economic outcomes have been predictably disastrous.
Now, on top of all the other destruction they have caused, they have dragged America into a losing war against Iran that successive previous administrations, whether Republican or Democrat, were too
conservative to embark upon. And now the global economic system, which was working pretty well (at least before Trump introduced his idiotic tariffs) is broken too.
Conservative? Well, call them that if you're concerned for their feelings. But if you would speak of them accurately, call them what they truly are: right-wing vandals.