How the Language of Morality Became a Cover for Fear and Power

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Thom Hartmann: For decades, Americans have been told that "conservative values" stood for restraint, responsibility, and respect for the rule of law.

Posted by A_Friend at 10:32 PM | 13 COMMENTS | permalink

How the Language of Morality Became a Cover for Fear and Power ... hartmannreport.com/p/is-conserv ...

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-- Thom Hartmann (@hartmannreport.com) Jan 20, 2026 at 9:46 AM

Comments

snip ...

For decades, Americans have been told that "conservative values" stood for restraint, responsibility, and respect for the rule of law. The rise of Donald Trump forces an unavoidable question: were those values abandoned, or were they a generational lie that made his authoritarian takeover possible?

#1 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-01-20 09:50 AM

snip ...

The billionaires and CEOs funding Trump and the Republicans in Congress believe they're invincible. They believe the GOP's abandonment of the principles that animated John McCain and Mitt Romney in favor of authoritarianism and oligarchy will keep them fat and happy.

They're wrong.

#2 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-01-20 09:51 AM

When you look at the GOP as a collective...especially their family value warriors....they are not family values.

Reagan
Newt
Rush
Pedo47
Gaetz
Vitter
Cawthorne
Kirk
Jordan
Rick Scott
Oz

The myriad of state and local GOP god warriors.

Now look at how they all line up to protect child rapists by hiding the Epstein files.

It is clear their whole "family values law and order" is nothing more than a facade.

#3 | Posted by Nixon at 2026-01-20 10:38 AM

#4 Thank you for your excellent post, Nixon.

#4 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-01-20 10:39 AM

And like a carpetbagger, good-for-nothing Madison Cawthorn moved south to Florida to attempt a political comeback by running for the 19th CD.

#5 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-01-20 10:42 AM

#1 A Generational Lie,Obviously.

This has been the Goal of many right wing Billionaires since Reagan's First term.

MAGA is a Facade to Provide Support and Cover for a Takeover of Government from Representives to Lickspittles for Industry.

Trump is the Top Oligarch. He Aligns with their Interests.

Will they Succeed?

Or will Trump Discard them to pursue a Faux Populist vision like Hitler?

Putin Destroyed all the Independence of the Oligarchy In Russia.

Trump is attempting the Same Play Here?

Is Trump more like Hitler, or Putin?

Trump wants the Dictatorship without Constraint like Hitler.

He Wants Control of Industry and the Economy like Putin.

Ultimately both are similar but not identical.

Putin still has the Duma to contend with and they don't always Vote his way.

But the Economy is almost his Toy to play with.

Trump is more like Putin in my Opinion.

#6 | Posted by Effeteposer at 2026-01-20 10:57 AM

Conservative values

Look no further than the conservative posters we have here to understand the lie that is "conservative values."

#7 | Posted by qcp at 2026-01-20 01:25 PM

#7 You are 100% correct, QPC.

Spot-on target.

#8 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-01-20 01:32 PM

#8 Apologies, QCP! :-)

#9 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-01-20 01:32 PM

"Conservative values" is an oxymoron.

They have no values. Every single one of them has been shown to be nothing more than high road cudgels to attack opponents with because they have no solid argument to counter.

We've seen every single so called "value" get thrown in the proverbial burn bin when once it became inconvenient or inhibitory to what they wanted.

#10 | Posted by jpw at 2026-01-20 03:27 PM

@#10 ... "Conservative values" is an oxymoron. ...

Prior to Pres trump's takeover of the Conservative, formerly known as the Republican, I'd say that they did have values.

Did I agree with all their values? No.

But I agreed with many of those values.

Then the Tea Party came along, and seemed to have substituted misogyny and racial bias for values.

That was a turning point in my political opinion and views.

Circa 2005 or so.

It convinced me to change from my Republican Party affiliation (and give up a political position I had been appointed to in the the State of Connecticut) to be Unaffiliated here in Connecticut.

#11 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-01-20 10:53 PM

"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest, best financed, most applauded, and, on the whole, least successful exercises in moral philosophy. That is the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness".

#12 | Posted by truthhurts at 2026-01-20 11:11 PM

Prior to Pres trump's takeover of the Conservative, formerly known as the Republican, I'd say that they did have values.

No, they had claimed values that were only relevant when convenient for their ultimate goals of money and power. Usually to paint their opponents in negative lights and attempt character assassinations.

As far as I can tell, they've never been genuine for the plurality of Republicans, including the base.

#13 | Posted by jpw at 2026-01-21 11:44 AM

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