Conservatives Quote by Robert Reich
““They call themselves conservatives but that’s not it, either. They don’t want to conserve what we now have. They’d rather take the country backwards – before the 1960s and 1970s, and the Environmental Protection Act, Medicare, and Medicaid; before the New Deal, and its provision for Social Security, unemployment insurance, the forty-hour workweek, and official recognition of trade unions; even before the Progressive Era, and the first national income tax, antitrust laws, and Federal Reserve. They’re not conservatives. They’re regressives. And the America they seek is the one we had in the Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on political ideology, 2023
The speaker argues that self‑identified conservatives actually advocate for rolling back mid‑20th‑century social and economic reforms, seeking a return to a pre‑progressive, Gilded Age America.
In simple terms: Conservatives are described as wanting to undo modern protections and welfare.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the difference between preserving progress and regressing.
Themes
politics
history
policy
social justice
economics
Mood
critical
analytical
concerned
Type
political
commentary
analytical
When to use this quote
- policy debates
- voting decisions
- activism
- education curricula
- media analysis
Key Concepts
regression
conservatism
welfare state
progressive reforms
Gilded Age
Questions to Reflect On
- What policies do you consider essential for a fair society?
- How can we balance tradition with progress?
A Different Perspective
The claim may oversimplify diverse conservative viewpoints and ignore legitimate concerns about government overreach.
