Posted on 10/31/2003 8:00:17 AM PST by Scenic Sounds
Does a Republican equal a conservative? There is an entire spectrum of beliefs embodied within those elected officials that have an (R) after their name, and most of us assume that if someone is a Republican, they are conservative. However, political parties die when they are stagnant, and so there is constant change.
To answer the conservativism question, first we have to know what the basic beliefs of conservatives really are.
Historically, their most common belief – the one issue that typically unites them – is a belief in a limited federal government. Conservatives in American tend to believe that power is best left to state and local governments – the governments that are closest to the people. They believe that these smaller governments know better what their own communities need than the more distant federal government.
Conservatives also believe that the government should have a limited fiscal policy, and that the economy runs better with as little government interference as possible. We believe that most government regulations on economic issues serve to stunt growth, and that the capitalist system works best when it is allowed to work as freely as is possible.
Conservatives believe in the rights of the individuals over the rights of the government. They also deeply believe in the idea of personal responsibility. They believe that with individual rights comes individual responsibility. With a limited government comes a limited amount of assistance for its citizens, and conservatives embrace this, because it encourages individuality and freedom from dependence.
Conservatives believe in a strong national defense, and they tend to believe that our borders should be tightly controlled. They support the military and tend to believe that our military is not well served when it is spread all over the world on peacekeeping missions.
These make up the core of conservative values. While there is room for argument within any of these, they are the foundational tenets.
Now, let’s get back to our original question. Does a Republican equal a conservative? There isn’t a simple answer, but the most obvious one is no. There is no Republican that can say that he has held to these values without fail. The problem occurs when the leaders within the Party stop making conservative values their goal.
When the foundation of a belief system is taken away, the entire system wobbles. When one tenet is taken away, the rest threaten to crumble. If Republicans cease to believe in the idea of a limited central government, it becomes easier to justify more regulation and restriction on our market system. When our troops become less of a defense force and more of a peacekeeping force, it becomes easier to justify spreading them out from country to country, which tires and stresses our military. When personal responsibility stops – anything can happen. If no one is to blame, then no one must fear consequences of what they do.
Perhaps the question really is – Should a Republican equal a conservative? For those of us that believe in the GOP, that answer is a resounding yes – but this question will be answered by the people, over a period of decades, who will give their money and their votes to the Republican Party. As the GOP moves closer to the center, there will be a day when conservatives must decide whether the Republican Party is still the party that represents them best; and if they conclude that it is not, they will have to find an alternative.
Cathryn Crawford is a student at the University of Texas.
Who defines the "center" and does it shift from time to time?
I agree Look at some threads on the Republicans' proposed senior benefit. When someone says that thy are glad the RATS are obstructing it, albeit for the wrong reasons, they get jumped on like they're the anti-Christ.
Sorry, I have more faith in the American people that if they could be shown that conservatism is indeed the best road to go down, they would. Are you just giving up on the GOP having any type of platform and becoming a cult of personality?
Good point. But let me ask you a question.
Would you apply your question to, say, the issue of "principle(s)" that is thrown around like candy around here? I mean, whenever I read someone spouting the term "principle," I ask myself "Which principles?" since the term is never completely defined.
Closer to the truth?
And it's such a shame, it was good enough for the Founders.
CC - Another fine piece.
Good point. It is entirely too broad a term. For instance, we have Constitutional principles, judeo-Christian principles, fiscally responsible princples. Heck, even some Dems have principles. Wellstone and Pat Moynihan come to mind. Even though they were completely wrong, they still acted on what they felt was the right thing to do rather than out of a quest for power.
Today, it is more of a cult of personality, than a cult of ideaology.
I am politically happy with GW Bush. Is he perfect, no? He never will be, neither will you or me be perfect.
JMO, it's called a fact of life. We will never be 110% happy, so we should just deal with that, rather than give the advantage to people who will be to, you and I, zero/null/empty set in the political arena.
Excellent article, Cathryn. As conservatives, we SHOULD examine these things from time to time.
Yes, the conservatives of today are really what used to be called classic liberals.
There are pro-choicers on FR. :-(
No, all Dems have principles. They are just principles with which we disagree. To say that Dems have no principles (which is often said around here) is fallacious.
I look at it like this: Wouldn't it be "principled" for the drug addict to get as high as he can as quick as he can?
It's the mission statement of the Republican Liberty Caucus.
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