The Relationships Between Republicans And Conservatives (Cathryn Crawford)

Washington Dispatch ^ | October 31, 2003 | Cathryn Crawford

[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.

[Dane]

Churchill & Thatcher had better spelling.

And, IMO, better graces than a knee jerk spelling nazi.

[honeygrl]

bwahahahaha

[jmc813]

Could you two please chill the hell out? This thread has the potential of becoming a very interested and well needed one, and I'd really rather not see it turn into a flame war.

[gcruse]

Eliminating the deficit by reducing the size of the federal government would have been moving to the right. And since the constitution enumerates no medical or scientific powers to the feds, vetoing a federal bill outlawing research into these areas would be moving to the right. We are so used to ignoring the Tenth Amendment, we don't even think in those terms anymore.

[Gorjus]

...that Republicans must have. Are certian beliefs essential?

Yeah. If you're in the flyover zone, you have to want to be elected. If you're in the socialist zone, you have to want to lose.

Actually, I think the liberal/conserative, left/right distinction is so fundamentally flawed that any attempt to analyze real world applications is doomed. I think the real spectrum is between individual rights versus collective 'rights' and authority. At one extreme are socialists/fascists/totalitarians of all flavors. At the other extreme are anarchists. On that scale, Republicans are generally moderate and Democrats are much closer to the socialist extreme.

I think even the sexual 'rights' they trumpet are in fact an attack on individual rights. Alternate sexuality could always exist in private. What the socialists want is to take away the right of the majority of people to decline support for those alternate sexualities in public - in other words, it takes away an individual's right to choose what sexualities one will consider normal and makes that a collective decision. So once again, Republicans are moderate, and Democrats are socialist extremists.

Just my 0.73241 cents worth (after taxes).

[Dane]

Then, I'm assuming that since you were less than positive towards my "idealism", you advocate people having no principles?

First of all, You should consult Felix Unger's use of the word "assume" from a classic "Odd Couple" episode.

What I am saying is that looking at the big picture is better than getting all upset over the micro machinations of an issue.

[Dane]

Could you two please chill the hell out? This thread has the potential of becoming a very interested and well needed one, and I'd really rather not see it turn into a flame war

I wasn't the one looking for a food fight.

[tpaine]

Cathryn Crawford wrote:

I'm wondering if there is a baseline conservativism that Republicans must have. Are certian beliefs essential?
_____________________________________


Here's a fine baseline that most conservatives could follow:



WHEREAS Republicans believe in limited government, individual freedom and personal responsibility;

WHEREAS we believe that government has no money nor power not derived from the consent of the people;

WHEREAS we believe that people have the right to keep the fruits of their labor; and

WHEREAS we believe in upholding the U. S. Constitution as the supreme law of the land;

BE IT RESOLVED that we endorse the following principles:

1.0 FEDERALISM
1.1 The power of the federal government should be limited, as per the tenth amendment to the U. S. Constitution.

2.0 EDUCATION
2.1 The U. S. Department of Education should be abolished, leaving education decision making at the state, local or personal level.
2.2 Parents have the right to spend their money on the school or method of schooling they deem appropriate for their children.

3.0 HEALTH CARE
3.1 Free market health care alternatives, such as medical savings accounts, should be available to everyone, including senior citizens.
3.2 The federal entitlement to Medicare should be abolished, leaving health care decision making regarding the elderly at the state, local, or personal level.

4.0 TAXATION
4.1 The tax system of the United States should be overhauled.
4.2 There should be a national debate discussing various alternative means of taxation including but not limited to a single flat income tax, repealing the income tax and replacing it with a national sales tax, and reducing spending to the point where the income tax can be repealed without the need to replace it with a national sales tax or any other form of taxation.
4.3 The capital gains tax should be *eliminated*.
4.4 The inheritance tax should be *eliminated*.
4.5 The new tax system should be implemented *promptly*.

5.0 WELFARE
5.1 The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services should be abolished, leaving decision making on welfare and related matters at the state, local or personal level. All Americans have the right to keep the fruits of their labor to support themselves, their families and whatever charities they so choose, without interference from the federal government.
5.2 All able-bodied Americans have the responsibility to support themselves and their families.

6.0 CRIMINAL JUSTICE
6.1 Every American has the right to keep and bear arms. We affirm our support for the second amendment of the U. S. Constitution.
6.2 All people, regardless of position in the public or private sector, should be held equally accountable under the law.
6.3 The *only* litmus test for Supreme Court or other judges should be their determination to accurately interpret, not amend, the Constitution. Judges have *no* authority to make new law.

7.0 CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
7.1 Election campaigns should not be subsidized by tax payers.
7.2 No individual should be compelled to support a political candidate he or she does not support. Government should not empower trade unions to collect funds from their members for use as political contributions without their members' expressed consent.
7.3 All limits on campaign contributions should be eliminated.
7.4 There should be full and timely public disclosure of all the sources and amounts of all campaign contributions upon their receipt.

8.0 FEDERAL BUDGET
8.1 There should be an amendment to the U. S. Constitution to require a balanced budget, provided it includes a supermajority requirement to raise taxes and provided it does not empower the judiciary to unilaterally raise taxes.
8.2 Honest accounting dictates that all federal expenditures should be on budget.
8.3 Each budget should be derived based upon the justification for and needs of each program, with no program being either budgeted for or increased automatically.

9.0 GOVERNMENT REFORM
9.1 The U. S. Department of Commerce should be abolished, per the tenth amendment of the U. S. Constitution.
9.2 The National Endowment for the Arts should be abolished, per the tenth amendment of the U. S. Constitution.
9.3 The National Endowment for the Humanities should be abolished, per the tenth amendment of the U. S. Constitution.
9.4 The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development should be abolished, per the tenth amendment of the U. S. Constitution.
9.5 Subsidies to agricultural and other businesses should be eliminated.
9.6 Corporate taxes should be eliminated simultaneously and proportionally with the elimination of subsidies to businesses.
9.7 Recommendations by the Grace Commission and the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) should be reviewed and implemented, where possible, beginning immediately.
9.8 Privatization of government assets, management and services should be implemented for cost-effectiveness wherever applicable.

10.0 TRADE
10.1 The U. S. government should inhibit neither the exportation of U. S. goods and services worldwide, nor the importation of goods and services.
10.2 The United States should not be answerable to any governing body outside the United States for its trade policy.

11.0 DEFENSE
11.1 U. S. military should be deployed only where there is a clear threat to vital U. S. interests and only with the consent of the U. S. Congress.
11.2 It is the duty of the federal government to provide a system to defend against missile attacks.
11.3 No branch of the military should be put in harm's way without a clear entrance and exit strategy and a goal, which when achieved, constitutes victory.
11.4 U. S military personnel should always be under U. S. command.
11.5 U. S. armed forces should be all-volunteer.
11.6 Military draft registration should be eliminated.
11.7 Foreign aid is often more harmful than helpful and should be curtailed.

12.0 PROPERTY RIGHTS
12.1 The government should not take private property without just compensation.
12.2 All unconstitutional regulation of private property should be repealed.

13.0 DRUGS
13.1 While recognizing the harm that drug abuse causes society, we also recognize that government drug policy has been ineffective and has led to frightening abuses of the Bill of Rights which could affect the personal freedom of any American. We, therefore, support alternatives to the War on Drugs.
13.2 Per the tenth amendment to the U. S. Constitution, matters such as drugs should be handled at the state or personal level.
13.3 All laws which give license to violate the Bill of Rights should be repealed.

[jmc813]

I wasn't the one looking for a food fight.

I realize that, but please don't continue it. This thread has way too much potential.

[Rebelbase]

"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"

Well said. A very good article.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Pretty good, Tom.

[tpaine]

Could you take a look at #68 Dane, and tell us if you have basic problems with the principles outlined?

[rdb3]

Dane is Illbay without all the charm. I'm usually easy going. Not with those two rectal clowns.

TWEEEEET!

Personal foul, unnecessary roughness on Letter L of the defense!

Fifteen yard penalty from the spot of the foul.

First down!

[Scenic Sounds]

Eliminating the deficit by reducing the size of the federal government would have been moving to the right.

Well, that's of course true, but I'm not sure that it's one of the President's options. Similarly, I guess the "right" way for a President to solve the abortion problem is to just go on TV and successfully convince every American that they should not participate in abortions. Again, though, I'm not sure that's one of his options.

More often than not, I see issues that seem to involve a resolution of tension between competing conservative principles.

And since the constitution enumerates no medical or scientific powers to the feds, vetoing a federal bill outlawing research into these areas would be moving to the right. We are so used to ignoring the Tenth Amendment, we don't even think in those terms anymore.

I think you're right about that. I don't think too many people in either party pay much attention to "enumerated powers" anymore. Both parties seem to be competing for federal power in order to exercise federal power. ;-)

[Cathryn Crawford]

Thank you, Tom. Did you like the article?

[reelfoot]

Great article. I see very few legislators in the central government who seem to care anything about the limited role the federal government was designed to play. Most seem to be more interested in staying in office and doing so by buying votes with taxpayer money. My U.S. Representative, a Republican, judging by his voting record, is not concerned about limiting the federal government, nor are my two Republican Senators. Consequently, I will not support them. I don't care if they have an (R) after their name.

[robertpaulsen]

I have to agree with HG's statement, "Conservatism is a reflective term; it describes nothing but a position relative to something else."

Even the article uses phrases like "smaller government", "strong national defense", "limited fiscal policy". Smaller, stronger, more limited than ... what? Relative to what?

Well, the answer is, "relative to the liberal position". The problem is that as liberals drift even farther left, so do conservatives, even though they remain to the right.

That's why conservatives today look like the liberals of yesterday. Because it's a relative position, rather than a concrete position.

[Dane]

Could you take a look at #68 Dane, and tell us if you have basic problems with the principles outlined?

I did TP, but you are not going to win votes and hearts with having a micro machination issue fetish.

And JMO, but when you(TP) and your Libertarian/Constitutional Party/Brigadier issue fetishists go on and on over micro machinations, you lose interest.

And it really doesn't help your cause either when arguements about how the majority of voters feels about an issue is met with either more insults or more spam.

Look conservatism works, Reagan showed that, GW is showing that now(GW's overall favorabilty numbers are better than Reagan's at the same point of Reagan's first term).

JMO, but like I said to another psoter on this thread, get a clue.