> I gave up my “conservative” card during the primaries. <
I have a slightly different take. I gave up my “Republican” card years ago. And it was George W. Bush’s first term that did it for me.
I gave up my faux conservative card even earlier than G.W. Bush. The day Bush the elder said we are in a New World Order was epiphany for me, although Goldwater’s libertarian bent had prepared the way.
I have said it for years. Kirk on side of angels, but really a re-discoverer of our Natural Law under the Judeo Christian God conservatism..
Buckley pure B.S. influnced by trotskyite neo cons.
Classical, true conservatism is pro-life to the core, recognizing self defense as a right and eveen duty. It values freedom as God given rights to choose among various good, but not the license to choose, unpunished, between good and evil. It recognizes an objective reality not a subject fantasy as the basis for morality and progress. And on and on.
My voting since 1992 -
Perot
No one in 1996
Bush
Bush
McCain
Romney
Trump ——but favored Scott Walker until Trump jumped in.
To me, the word “conservative” doesn’t mean what the media uses it as. It means to me that I revere the Constitution as written, respect the official ways it can be changed, and resonate with the longings and rights in the Declaration, of our People to be truly free.
It doesn’t reflect on my religion or way of life. Because if you are a Contitutional Conservative, you would fight to the death for your fellow American’s right to live as a Christian, a Wiccan, an atheist, a hippie, a Buddhist monk. More important THAN a religion is our right to practice a religion or lifestyle (that doesn’t hurt others).