What Is a “Conservative”?

NRO ^ | May 11, 2005 | Jonah Goldberg

[taxcutisapayraise]

Bumper sticker definition of a conservative:
Both a social and fiscal conservative.

Deviation from either = RINO especially when portraying oneself as a "conservative."
Media will label pro-life/fiscal liberals as conservatives i.e., GWB.
Pro-abort/fiscal conservatives are media labeled as thoughtful moderates.

I know this is oversimplified, but hopefully communicative.

[Oztrich Boy]

"Goldberg funny. Me kill him last"

[SierraWasp]

"I’d call them eco-cons but that might imply environmental conservatives, another constituency feeling its oats these days."

How 'boutcha there Mr. Carry_Okie??? Ya got a copy? Git back!!! (grin)

[Eddie01]

Conservative:

Learns from the past. Thinks for him/herself.

[newfarm4000n]

Deviation from either = RINO especially when portraying oneself as a "conservative."

I agree. Farmers wanting tonnes of taxpayer loot for "protecting our way of life" aren't conservatives at all ..no matter how strongly they oppose abortion or any other social moral issue. But the rural parts of America are a big part of the GOP base. I guess GOP doesn't mean conservative.

[cripplecreek]

One thing a conservative isn't is a blind follower.

[newfarm4000n]

Learns from the past. Thinks for him/herself

Don't you think that there is a difference between a conservative ( Rehnquist) and a traditionalist (Scalia) ? Too many liberals confuse conservative with holding on to the past.

[LauraleeBraswell]

Explain the fundemental differences between Rehnquist and Scalia.

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

George Bush is a radical Marxist in the arena of fiscal policy. The offical OMB Budget tables prove that point.

George Bush is a moderate on international affairs. It is a shame he will not get out of the UN, that he abandons Taiwan while pushing for a Palestinaian state, and he, of course, refuses to guard our borders.

Actually, let's take that back--George Bush is NOT a moderate but leans heavily left on international affairs/national security.

Don't anybody here attempt to slot George Bush in the "conservative" category.

[Tailgunner Joe]

American conservatives want to change all sorts of things, while liberals are keen on keeping the status quo (at least until they get into power).

This point is key. Buckley style "status quo" conservatism is defeatist not and useful when we have the majority. We must now pursue a proactive agenda, even if that just means rolling back the welfare state. Buckley's definition of a conservative as "standing athwart history, yelling stop" buys into the leftist idea that socialism is "progress" and conservatives just want to stop "progress." Now that conservatives are in charge, we need to see some progress in the war against the socialism of the left. That means dismantling their welfare state.

Jesus was no conservative

Of course he was.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished."

I don’t think Jesus is going to have useful advice about how to fix Social Security.

Conservative don't want to fix Social Security. We want to destroy it.

[SierraWasp]

Me thinks Mr. Goldenburger be's all tangled up in his turbid terminology!!! Today we find Newt Gingrich having a joint (news conference) with Hitlery! And Monday, the Impeachment prosecutor calling the Nuclear Option far too radical! Reagan's appointees Kennedy and that AZ O'CONnor woman lookin around at other nations opinions before applying our own CONSTITUTIONAL considerations!

Personally, I like to think of the SierraWaspman as a "Considerate Conservative!" One who considers all this Liberal, government growth a total waste of American time and monetary resources!!! So, all things considered I want it to stop so's we can all be left alone a little more and get some relief!!!

Most of all, with the exception of the Cold War, I wish to conserve the greatest of American traditions from the days of my youth and turn back most of the crappola that's been imposed on us by liberal Demonicrats since Kennedy was assassinated!!! Or maybe to before Ike anointed the Governor of CA, Earl Warren to the US Supreme Court!!!

Like My computer, I wish fervently for the ability to push the command to restore the essence of goodness that pervaded this great nation from the time of "Happy Days," American Graffetti" and "Mayberry RFD!"

Now I want some smartalec to come on here and try to tell me what's wrong with that!!!

[Dog Gone]

Most excellent rant, my friend.

You write in a different style than I do, but you often express things that I only feel.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Conservatives lead, liberals follow.

[halieus]

Listen to Democratic politicians when they wax righteous about social policy. Invariably it goes something like this: “I simply reject the notion that in a good society X should have to come at the expense of Y.” X can be security and Y can be civil liberties. Or X can be food safety and Y can be the cost to the pocketbook of poor people. Whatever X and Y are, the underlying premise is that in a healthy society we do not have tradeoffs between good things. In healthy societies all good things join hands and walk up the hillside singing I’d like to buy the world a coke.

He hit the nail on the head. Which just further underscores the idea that liberalism is a mental disorder: it's a rejection of reality. It's a failure to mature.

And it's just sad.

[rattrap]

read later

[Always Right]

Liberals tend to follow their flesh. Conservatives tend to follow God.

[beavus]

More people instead define their affiliation based upon what they are NOT. For Republicans, Democrats are seen as larcenist, armtwisting, nosy, weak, libertine, and iconoclastic. For Democrats, Republicans are seen as greedy, militaristic, thoughtless, brutish, sanctimonious, and traditionalist.

If, e.g., insatiable larceny bothers you more than mindless traditionalism then you are more likely to identify with Republicans.

It's less what you ARE than what you are NOT.

[Pelham]

A great rant. Certainly better than anything that now comes from National Review, which has suffered an invasion of body snatchers.

[IronJack]

(I prefer Russell Kirk’s but these will do):

... 2. a preference for liberty over equality.

That IS Russell Kirk's.