Replies

I confused nothing. You confused yourself in misreading my post. I explained the terms I used in the context of what are their definitions for different times. The greater confusion is that of confusing “L” with “l.”

Yesterday’s “classical liberal” is today’s conservative.

Today’s libertarians are only partially conservative. Where there is a divide, it is an irreparable divide because the divide separates us by our principles.

Radical individualism (putting yourself and your own actions above all others) has been destroying this country since the radical 60’s. The effect of selfishness has been catastrophic.

Conservatives look to an external moral code by which all must abide. Sorry, you do not have the right to do lines of coke in your home while cleaning out your bazooka before you drive down the street with it at 100 miles an hour to go to the liquor store to buy some crack and 300-proof alcohol. Maybe in bizarro world. But our Founding Fathers never intended for liberty to be license. Their view of this ‘experiment in self-government’ was based upon a shared and respected morality assumed to be communicated through the church.

I appreciate the fact that you “explained the terms I used in the context of what are their definitions for different times. The greater confusion is that of confusing “L” with “l.””. The problem with your explanation is that it is not everyone else’s set of definitions. At least you stated your reference frame. I give you credit for that.

I would also say that you have failed to carefully read my posts.

I do agree with your most recent observations about libertarian perspective tending toward radical individualism. Our personal choices affect others, even with Jeremiah Johnson.

I think a way that is helpful for me to view the issue is to divide the issues and stances into Cartesian Quadrants where one pole deals with social issues and the other fiscal issues. Libertarians tend to be fiscal conservatives and social liberals. Reganism was more fiscal conservative and social conservative. Bush and Huckabee talk “compassionate conservatism”, inferring a degree of social liberalism, perhaps including McCain.

I have posted this often: Conservatives need to figure out who they are if they expect to muster a winning stratgey.