REPORTING FOR DUTY, SIR!
Posted on 01/11/2008 9:50:13 AM PST by Rb ver. 2.0
You’re absolutely right.
The term “conservative” is entirely subjective, as most people here understand it.
I have mustered.
In ‘04 it was a lot more conservative than it is today.
Okay, I’ll come clean. I only pretend to be conservative so I can join in on the guilty/not guilty votes of all the naughty teachers.
By conservative, you mean small government advocate?
That would be me.
As I said to Kevmo yesterday, I miss 1998 when people around here had balls.
HERE! (will this be evolving into a Ping list?)
B4DH STILL!
I agree. If we imagine that "Republican" is the same thing as "conservative" - even assuming we agreed on a definition of "conservative - then we're always going to be disappointed.
There are many elected officials, such as our own Senators, who are loyal Republicans voting the party/administration line. However, we all seem to agree that they're not conservative. Anoreth observes that a conservative is "a person who agrees with me on every issue."
It’s the RINOs who try to obfuscate. JimRob has a perfectly good definition of conservative.
From the front page of Free Republic:
Statement by the founder of Free Republic
As a conservative site, Free Republic is pro-God, pro-life, pro-family, pro-Constitution, pro-Bill of Rights, pro-gun, pro-limited government, pro-private property rights, pro-limited taxes, pro-capitalism, pro-national defense, pro-freedom, and-pro America. We oppose all forms of liberalism, socialism, fascism, pacifism, totalitarianism, anarchism, government enforced atheism, abortionism, feminism, homosexualism, racism, wacko environmentalism, judicial activism, etc. .... We are not connected to or funded by any political party, news agency, or any other entity. .... We aggressively defend our God-given and first amendment guaranteed rights to free speech, free press, free religion, and freedom of association, as well as our constitutional right to control the use and content of our own personal private property. Despite the wailing of the liberal trolls and other doom & gloom naysayers, we feel no compelling need to allow them a platform to promote their repugnant and obnoxious propaganda from our forum. Free Republic is not a liberal debating society. We are conservative activists dedicated to defending our rights, defending our constitution, defending our republic and defending our traditional American way of life.
This is NOT a GOP website, it says so right there, we have no affiliation with any party... That often catches republicans by surprise.
Kiss-up. JR is not the sole arbiter of conservatism.
LOL!
Doubtless there are many here who would define it exactly the same way. :)
He is on this website because it’s his private property. Do you have a problem with the definition?
No, but he is certainly one that many of us agree with. Do you agree with his list?
You are bring up RINOs and obfuscation...which may be a valid point.
Then you copy-and-paste Jim's definition of a "conservative" (which looks pretty solid to me personally).
Finally, you remind me "we have no affiliation with any party" (a fact of which I'm well aware).
My point is:
Why bandy the term RINO about when this forum doesn't claim to be a Republican one? Wouldn't "CINO" be more appropriate?
And if FR has no affiliation with any party, why presume to claim what a Republican is and is not (RINO)?
All valid questions, I think...don't you?
see my #74
REPORTING FOR DUTY, SIR!
It's a sad statement that such a statement can no longer be assumed when talking about "conservativism".
It has a certain consistency which makes it an easy position to defend!
If more teenagers had Anoreth's reading list, there would be a many more "conservatives," by most accepted definitions.
No one who supports McCain/Huckabee/Rudy is a conservative or semi-conservative.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.