Way too often in our society Republicans want to get along with liberals. When Republicans meet in what liberals call the middle they always meet on the far left.
The United States is a constitutional republic not a democracy. We are a country of laws, the basic law being the Constitution. Being a conservative means following the Constitution instead of some Democrat thought up new law or ideal no matter how wonderful it is.
Somehow conservatives have gotten away from what conservatism is it is not doing necessarily what your grandfather did or what your father did it is simply following the law of the land which is based on the Constitution.
Being a liberal means that you interpret the Constitution very liberally instead of confining it in a small space you let it mean almost anything. Being a conservative means you confine the meaning of the Constitution to exactly what it says and nothing more.
Being a libertarian means you don't care what anyone else does, you don't care if they follow the Constitution or not. All you care about is that they leave you alone and that they let you do whatever you want to as long as you don't hurt anybody. That is not what our Constitution does for our society. The Constitution was written for the common good and to protect individual rights,
Libertarians emphasize the individual rights part of the Constitution and liberals emphasize the common good part of the Constitution. A true conservative does not take sides one way or another he simply follows the law as written in the Constitution.
I have been a Republican and a conservative for nearly 50 years. The Constitution of the United States is probably the most wonderful document on the face of the earth, it has promoted the well-being of millions of people in a way that has never before been seen in the history of the world.
I will not be in this world much longer only because I am at the natural age that our lives come to an end. If you are lucky you too will be here someday.
I sorrow not for the end of my time on the planet but only at seeing the demise of the wonderful country which has given so many so much.
“Being a libertarian means you don’t care what anyone else does, you don’t care if they follow the Constitution or not. “
Nonsense. You are describing a very small subset of “libertarians” in the United States who are anarcho-capitalists.
I’d say about 50% of conservatives have a vague idea of what’s in the Constitution and 1% walk around with a copy. If there is one thing I’ve noticed about libertararians, they always seem to have a copy of the Constitution and want to talk about it ad nauseum.
“I sorrow not for the end of my time on the planet but only at seeing the demise of the wonderful country which has given so many so much.”
Your comment is beautifully put, and sums up the definition of a conservative to a tee. Bravo, your analysis struck a strong sympathetic nerve in me. I agree with you wholeheartedly. Well put.