What's in a name?

Have you noticed that most people described as conservatives today, whether by themselves or the media, just aren't? The prime example is GW Bush. The man's presidency is a complete walking disaster from a real conservative's perspective, and yet he is constantly being described not only as conservative, but as radically conservative.

How did this come about? I have a theory. In the late 60's and early 70's, the left made up a tale of "The Man"(r), a horrid, racist oppressor who is constantly fighting to keep down the poor, the blacks, and the powerless for his own benefit and amusement. While there were certainly people like that in the 70's, they were very few and mostly Democrats. A person who only cared about power in the 70's was just not going into national politics as a Republican. As the Democrats on the left told this story over and over again to itself, it was natural to identify The Man(r) with the Rich, the Elite, the Republicans. Eventually they stereotype took, becoming unquestioned in the minds of the young. So when a young proto-fascist like Rumsfeld or GW Bush was looking for a political home, the GOP seemed like the proper place. And of course, everyone knows that the Republican party is conservative. It must be true!

In reality Conservatism is diametrically opposed to all kinds of social engineering, from socialist health care to wars for democracy. I can't think of a single conservative issue the current batch at the helm of the GOP would be willing to fight for, except (marginally) lower taxes. For us paleoconservatives, tax rates are an important but non-critical issue.