Conservative leftists?

I posted this at John Michael Greer´s old blog. The context was a discussion about the relationship between politics and morality, with Greer pointing out (among other things) that the leftists of yesteryear often held positions considered "conservative" today. Greer also claimed that the US working class was largely pro-gay until the 1930´s! A good reminder that what positions you take on moral issues isn´t necessarily connected to your economic program...

And yes, my shtick about the US presidents (and Hamilton) is included, too!

Excellent essay. One of your best! I was aware of most of the issues you mentioned (they used to confuse me when I was more dogmatic), except the gay thing. However, the gay stuff you mentioned do explain some curious “anomalies” I noticed when reading about the early 1900´s. Such as: where did all the emancipated gays come from? Or: why were pro-gay leftists considered strange?

Here in Sweden, prohibition was a huge issue about a century ago. In 1922, Sweden even organized a referendum on prohibition. 50.8% voted “no”, but 48.8% actually voted “yes”. While the referendum was non-partisan, it was a public secret that many Social Democrats and Communists supported prohibition. The Social Democrats even had their own temperance organization, the National Order of Verdandi (it still exists). While Sweden never got prohibition, Swedish alcohol and drug policy has always been very restrictive. I used to hang out in Swedish leftist circles about 30 years ago, and what I noticed was that pro-drug positions were considered controversial. Many leftists supported anti-drug organizations, including groups so restrictive that they would probably be considered “conservative” or even slightly fascistic had they existed in, say, California. One of the most restrictive anti-drug groups, the RNS, was actually formed by leftists, something probably unknown to its present members! The same with Hassela-Solidaritet, another restrictive group. Interestingly, Denmark – a neighboring nation to Sweden – has exactly the opposite attitude to drugs and booze, so there the leftists are probably closer to the Left Coast variety. This can lead to interesting cultural clashes (I´m almost tempted to call it ethno-centrism) between left-wing radicals from different nations…

Prohibition was an issue in many other nations, too. In Russia, the Bolsheviks kept the prohibition of vodka originally imposed by the Czar during World War I! In Germany and (I think) Austria, the Social Democrats had their own temperance lodges, like in Sweden. However, the German Social Democrats and Communists were also pro-gay and “pro-sex”, something highly unusual at the time. Lenin criticized the sexually liberal attitudes of the German Communists in a famous conversation with Clara Zetkin.

As for American history, I think many leftists and liberals have repudiated Jefferson and Jackson due to their racism. The liberals have found an intriguing substitute in Alexander Hamilton. Since Hamilton and the Federalists represented the “moderate”, “conservative” or “right wing” faction of the American Revolution, this is richly ironic. But then, I suppose the elitist banker connections and filibustering interventionism of Hamilton may subconsciously appeal to liberals, I mean, think Hillary Clinton, LOL. Interestingly, I wondered about 20 years ago why no leftist or liberal supported Hamilton, since he was against slavery, supported industrialization and wanted a “dirigiste” economy, in contrast to Jefferson who was a slave-owner, agrarian romantic and called for a free market. At the time, I suppose most leftists and left-liberals were still too much into Thomas Paine to bother about the Founding Fathers, but it seems I almost called it!

Incidentally, the right-wingers have their own version of Whig history and strange anachronisms. World history has inexorably moved forward until its zenith in the Eisenhower presidency, but it´s been pretty much downhill from there (with Reagan as a temporary stop gap). Also, right-wingers have a tendency to think that everything looked like during the 1950´s throughout most of history (or at least American history). They seem to have apotheosized a very small segment of history, about a decade or so of specifically US history.

Note also the following weirdness: conservatives love Teddy Roosevelt (whose political program sounded like FDR´s!), libertarians like Andrew Jackson (an authoritarian machine politician who trampled the constitution underfoot), and militia groups adulate George Washington (who would have suppressed them á la Janet Reno if given have the chance). Since I´m an equal opportunity offender, I also wonder why so many leftists seem to hate the Roosevelts, both of them?

OK, enough irreverence for today… ;-)