The dictionary that came with my Kindle defines conservatism as “holding to traditional attitudes and values, and cautious about change or innovation, typically in relation to politics or religion.”
By that definition, Rep. Joe Walsh is no conservative. I’m beginning to think he’s an anarchist, or at least, a man who believes himself above the law. The Sun-Times reported that Walsh’s ex-wife is suing him for $117,437 in child support payments. The Tribune reported that Walsh’s driver’s license has twice been suspended because of failure to abide by Illinois traffic laws. Walsh received 17 traffic tickets between 1989 and 2009.
For almost nine months ending in April 2009, Walsh lost his driving privileges because of a failure to appear in court on a traffic case, according to Elizabeth Kaufman, a spokeswoman for the secretary of state.
Walsh’s license was suspended again this past April — while he was in Congress — because he did not abide by a state requirement to maintain high-risk car insurance known as SR-22, which is used by the state to monitor what it calls problem drivers, Kaufman said.
As Walsh has made clear in his TV appearances, he didn’t get into politics to support the old order. He got into politics to overthrow the old older. And that old older apparently doesn’t just include big-spending senators, congressmen and presidents. It includes motorcycle cops, nagging ex-wives and traffic court judges. Who are they to impose their rules on a man on a mission to shrink government?
Walsh’s response to the Tribune’s story?
“The Chicago Tribune, like Washington, is out of touch with ordinary Americans.”
Walsh is out of touch with ordinary Americans. He sees himself as a missionary for a holy cause. He believes that government is corrupt. This, evidently, makes it OK to flaunt laws the rest of us are expected to follow. His “conservatism” is of the same stripe as the neo-conservatives, who believe that the United States and Israel are exempt from moral constraints that govern other nations, because they’re on God-given missions to spread democracy in the Middle East.
Walsh can call himself a Tea Partier if he wants. There’s no definition for that in my dictionary. But as long as he refuses to support his family or respond to court summons, he’s no conservative.
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