So What’s a Conservative?
I watched bits and pieces of the Republlican Presidential debate last night. There were no big shockers. The President’s “roast duck” status continued to cement in my mind as the candaites ran from him last night, but after watching the debate I have to ask, what’s a conservative?
I consider a conservative to be someone who truly believes in less government, not just the free market but also when it comes to private morality. To say the government should leave the free market alone to its own devices, but yet be entrenched in individuals’ reproductive organs is intellectually inconsistent.
The Republican party of the late 20th Century went from a party of Nixon-Eisenhower moderation to activist conservatism, which is counter to its roots.
I really hope the GOP will take advantage of this opportunity and return to its true conservative roots.
June 6th, 2007 at 5:28 am
Abdul,
How, exactly, is being pro-life and pro free market intellectually inconsistent? The two subjects are unrelated. I wouldn’t find someone anti-life and pro-capitalism intellectually incosistent either. You are conflating libertarianism with conservatism. Your opinion is truly more in line with Neil Boortz, a consistent libertarian. By the tone of your post, I fear that his anti-life “sermon” yesterday may have gotten to you?
While libertarianism and conservatism often overlap, the libertarian desire to be free of government interference (eg., seeking limited gov’t interference, if any on prostitution, drugs, abortion)differs from conservatism. Conservatism, while seeking limited government, thankfully allows room for morality and traditional values, and, in my view, is a bit less reflexive than libertarianism.
Moreover, I am pro-life, and for a free market, yet I do not believe myself “entrenched in individuals’ reproductive organs” as you put it. No matter how many try to characterize it (including Neil Boortz via his rant yesterday), being pro-life isn’t about a wish to control or invade a woman. It is about the desire to protect an innocent life. After seeing my first child’s ultrasound at 12 weeks, with her little legs and arms flailing around, it struck me as morally wrong to terminate that innocent life. I still believe that.
Best,
WCC
June 6th, 2007 at 6:03 am
Q: Who’s a conservative?
A: Fred Thompson
http://fred08.com/
June 6th, 2007 at 7:54 am
The religious right has taken over the Republican Party. They are actively attempting to break down all barriers between religion and government.
They must have missed the civics lesson on the constitutional separation of church and state and the intent of our founding fathers to form a secular government after being abused by the monopoly of the Church of England.
I guess they want to follow the example of the example of the Taliban in Afghanistan and duplicate the religious harmony of Iraq.
June 6th, 2007 at 10:00 am
According to Plato, a liberal democracy is one where the people collectively determine their own fate via majority vote. This is also known as mob rule.
As a representative republic we’ve circumvented that mob activity at the federal level via the electoral process. In the interests of maintaining the essential liberties that a liberal democracy is intended to protect, one of the first series of pre-eminant legislation from the Congress was our first 10 amendments – aka the Bill of Rights. With that activity, the tenets of liberal government and society were foundationally secured.
Why am I stating the obvious? Very simple. The term “liberal” has been hijacked by political entities who are unhappy with allowing Americans to enjoy the liberty that our nation was founded upon. At the same time, the opposite side of the political coin has hijacked the political term of conservatism and turned it into a symbol of religious and economic ideology.
The result has been several decades of social manipulation, morality driven legislation (or the opposite), and a cultural mindset that’s divided the American people into fortified ideological camps.
What people used to understand but now fail realize because of our media propaganda is that our government isn’t structured to govern morality. Nor is it about economic class, culture, or religious ideology. Our government is structured to protect the rights of each individual and to limit the impact of federal government on their lives. Period.
But because of this false left/right or liberal/conservative battle, the people are encouraged to agree with and approve an ever inreasing amount of legislation that’s designed to govern behaviors, advance social causes, implement regulatory bodies, direct the function of county and municipal governments, etc etc.
None of which was delegated to the Congress in the Constitution.
So here is the fact: According to the original definer of liberalism in politics (Plato), a liberal is somebody who believes in indiviual representation, the right to vote, and in the ability to live freely of ones own accord.
The definition of conservatism is to preserve or to act carefully. Therefore, one who is politically conservative should be a person who would preserve and protect our Constitution and the principles that it protects – individual rights, the right to vote, and the right to live free from the shackles of government.
In essence, to answer Abduls question, a conservative should be someone who seeks to protect and presrve liberalism – if you believe in the primary tenets of our nation.
But as I’ve already stated, we’ve allowed ourselves to be swayed by ativists who have redifined the labels. They incite you to react and demand reform, demand expanded government controls, and demand that we legislate individual rights away so that we may protect our own personal beliefs. We’re been off track for so long now that most people don’t even realize it. They look out and see the forest, not remembering that we used to travel on a well marked road.
I only wonder if enough people have the guts to support a candidate who’s willing to lead us back to that road. Sorry for the pessimism, but I highly doubt it.
June 6th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
By the way, how’s that compassionate conservative George W. Bush working out for you Libertarians, Conservatives and Republicans?
June 6th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
To the original poster, I’m not real knowledgeable on economics, but I think technically in a free market abortion would be available as a business venture perhaps? In a completely free market everything is open for everybody. If I want to open a medical office that offers a service for a fee there is little to no government involvement or regulation telling me how to run the business. If I run a poor business, somebody else will come along and open a business that runs better than mine and I will go under. That’s my understanding anyhow.
Wilson46201, I’m not really a big fan of the guy myself. For somebody who claims to be a conservative he sure spends a lot of money. I don’t consider myself a Libertarian or Republican though. I just hope the next person that comes in doesn’t spend as much and take more of my paycheck for asset reallocation, which seems to be the cool thing these days.
June 7th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Jason – good point! I guess I’m intellectually inconsistent right? One cannot possibly be pro free market and pro-life right? Along the same lines, I guess I cannot be pro free market and pro law enforcement b/c some one out there in the free market might want to run a murder-for-hire business and it would be anti-free market of me to impose my morals on society(i.e. “murder is bad”) to restrict the murder-for-hire market. Good point.
June 7th, 2007 at 8:46 am
Yeah, I think that’s why the free market would require at least a little bit of regulation, eh? Think of how many enterprising drug dealers would go public. I’m sure the DOW would run a bull market for years (as the body count rises.)
June 7th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
GO RON PAUL !!!