The Crumbling Conservative Infrastructure

Over the past three years we have seen people like Bruce Bartlett, David Frum and now Michael Fumento abandon the conservative movement because of its increasing anti-science, anti-intellectual and anti-rational approach to political affairs.


Ryan Cooper writes today in Talking Points Memo of the crumbling conservative infrastructure--its institutions have taken a hit these days.


He points to the abandonment of Rush Limbaugh by dozens and dozens of sponsors over the Sandra Fluke affair. El Rushbo is not likely to go under but his program has been downgraded in certain key markets like the Philadelphia and New York area. He has been put on a station in Camden, New Jersey after losing his Philly affiliation out right. And he has been wounded by the exodus of listeners on WABC New York. The ditto heads now are a demographic of white males over 60. Rush is not attracting the desired demographic. 


We have the Ari Fleischer failed coup at the Komen Foundation and its attempt to de-fund Planned Parenthood. This almost put Komen under.


ALEC, the Koch-founded legislative group responsible for conservative state legislation including the Stand Your Ground Law, has been shedding sponsors like crazy after an activist campaign started targeting companies who back them. Just today Wendy Gramm has come out of hiding to defend ALEC.


Heartland Institute, who paid for the billboard using the UNABOMBER as an advocate of global warming, is being gutted as its corporate sponsors are abandoning ship in the wake of the controversy. Heartland had to close down its DC operation and let its staff go. Its president posted a notice on their webpage announcing no symposia until further notice.


The Koch Brothers are in a shareholder suit over the CATO Institute, one of the few remaining credible right-wing leaning organizations in Washington.


And then everyone has commented on Norm Ornstein at AEI blasting the Republican Congress for its obstructionism. Norm has been a respectable Republican scholar of government for years.


This all may be a cyclical thing but a lot of the problem was the so-called conservative movement "marketing" itself and simply becoming propaganda organs for corporations and the very wealthy. Once this was done in such large numbers they were subject to the reverse pressures brought by consumers who disagreed or were offended by their positions and statements.