Conservatism can't be redefined to mean social issues only. Otherwise, it becomes a sectarian movement largely comprised of very religious folks that cannot get to 51% in any election.I think there are some Freepers who would prefer conservatism to equal religious issues plus national security. That totally misunderstands the rich intellectual history of conservatism, both the Tory strain in the UK and the modern movement here started by, quite frankly, a bunch of New Yorkers! Buckley, the Kristols, Will, etc.
Political conservatism is a movement open to both religious and irreligious and is based on how one views the role of government more than anything. Economic freedom is one of its central tenets, as is taming the federal leviathan, and Duncan Hunter misses the mark on both counts.
All this re-defining conservatism conveniently overlooks the fact that this is a socon website. I'm not interested in re-defining conservatism to fit the image of your tootyfruity solib candidate. I doubt Jim Robinson is, either. Such attempts are much better suited elsewhere, on another website. We're pushing a socon candidate on a socon forum and running into people who like to think of themselves as conservative but they're pushing a solib candidate on this socon forum and trying to get socons to compromise. Knowing that a solib candidate splits the socon republican base and that no republican ever won the presidency with a split base, that leaves me to conclude that this cult of personality values its own solib beliefs more than the health of the republican party. Folks like you are doing REAL damage to the republican party and I doubt your loyalty to it.
Statement by the founder of Free Republic
Free Republic ^ | Jim Robinson
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.