What is a conservative? (Why Williams may not become a Republican, says the naive idealist)

worldnetdaily ^ | June 14, 2003 | Kyle Williams

[TLBSHOW]

People have woke up the fact what the republican party has become. I am so glad that Jim has decided not to make FR a republicans site as it would of been a disaster. Keep FR a conservative site. The Republicans have to learn that they must earn the right for our vote.

[TLBSHOW]

A great story from a fellow freeper.

JohnHuang2, I know how much you enjoy Kyle and his truth....

[headsonpikes]

Let young Mr. Williams be diffident about the Republicans; but he should consider the fact that the Pubbies do pay lip service to liberty and the Constitution.

Or not - just so long as he doesn't become a Libertarian.

;^)

[Chi-townChief]

"Thus, when the only goal is to get Republicans in power in an effort to deprive the Democrats of power, they sometimes forget why they wanted change in the first place. "

Kyle obviously misses the point that this is a pretty good reason to get the Pubbies in and then we can work from the inside to sway them more to the right. Putting a Democrat in to punish the GOP for not being conservative enough is like pounding your head against a brick wall to get rid of a headache.

[Ff--150]

At its core, conservatism is the conservation of the limited, constitutional republican form of self-government, mixed with the morality of God's laws and guidelines

See, the liberals have been defeated, as they can no longer control mass thinking as they could previously. Therefore, not being dummies, their tactics had to change by going over to the conservative side, and changing the rules and the jargon there.

Their way of thinking is "neo-con," meaning "new," and thus appeals to the more youthful to lure them away from their parent's "liberal" dogma.

However, got to keep them away from conservatives at all costs, so the ex-liberals name them "paleo-cons" to keep the youth away from those dinosaurs. Then paint the "paleo-cons" with the anti-Jewish brush, and the "paleo-cons" have to defend that slander; therefore, the real conservative issues and ideals cannot be discussed having to defend against lies and hogwash.

And, "it's deja vue all over again," with the same ol' folks still playing the tune for we the people to dance to...

[bluebunny]

Truth out of the mouth of babes indeed. I agree wholeheartedly with this article. It is all about power not principles anymore. Politics is nothing but a sport now. All about winning. If you are a conservative that wants true change, the best thing you could do would stop mindlessly voting straight ticket. Take a look at the candidates and compare their actions to their words. Don't become a sucker for the GOP. They don't deserve your vote, they must earn it.

[MeekOneGOP]

Is Free Republic too "Republican?"
Jim Robinson

Posted on 06/13/2003 3:55 AM CDT by Jim Robinson

Is Free Republic too "Republican?" I've been receiving a lot of complaints lately that FR is not really conservative, it's Republican. Is that a bad thing?

When I started FR (see the wayback machine) I don't think I even used the labels conservative or Republican. But, even though I was a registered Democrat at the time (I registered when I was very young), I was definitely anti-Democrat. And definitely anti-big government, anti-government corruption, anti-government abuse, anti-liberalism, etc. And I still am.

Click here for entire article

[William McKinley]

The former being described as the "old right-wing,"

The former being incorrectly described as the old right wing.

[TLBSHOW]

Thus, when the only goal is to get Republicans in power in an effort to deprive the Democrats of power, they sometimes forget why they wanted change in the first place.

That is the reason I have a problem with the Republican Party and that is the reason why I doubt I will register as a Republican in four years. The national platform is that of a goal of political power, compromise and lack of conservatism.


Kyle Williams

Kyle nails it and just why we MUST hold Republicans Feet to the Fire. Can you put this important story out on your ping list please.

[RAT Patrol]

AMEN! I just love this kid!

[TLBSHOW]

BUMP TO TRUTH

[Ohioan]

The essayist is of course close to the mark as to what a Conservative is. It is all about conserving the traditional values of one's society, and the traditional values of most American societies are consistent with his definition.

As for the inane name calling, that many have lately fallen into over the use of the term: It is becoming more and more clear, that that is an outgrowth of the panic that many of the trendy conformists to Academic dogma, in the public eye, experienced when it looked like Ronald Reagan really had a Conservative majority in the voting population in place; a growing force, actively seeking to roll back the big mess--the harvest of big government & collectivist egalitarianism.

I wish that instead of worrying about the name calling, my fellow Conservatives--and no modifier is necessary if you are the real thing--would simply hone in on the issues, with a sense of proportion, tradition, common sense and most important, of all, an understanding of how people are really wrapped mentally.

The reality is that almost everyone has at least a partial Conservative side. It is our job to learn better how to appeal to it. We learn that when we begin to appreciate the complex of images that are in other people's heads; when we begin to perceive how the Left evokes only a limited part of those images, those which stoke their furnaces of envy, resentment, jealousy and guilt, while neglecting all the images that may be used to ween others from envy, resentment, jealousy and guilt.

No political party is now, or ever has been, the key to the ideological battle. Quite the contrary! Political parties move in our direction, when we win the ideological battles. They move away from our position when we lose the ideological battles. They really move away from our position, very rapidly, when for some stupid reason, we do not even engage in the ideological battles.

What do I mean by a stupid reason: Trying not to embarrass those we deem our political friends. Anyway you slice it, that makes not one bit of sense. Those who really have Conservative tendencies--even if they are showing them at the moment--can only be helped in those tendencies, if we stand up and persuade as many of the public as possible to a true Conservatism. Those who really do not care at all for our values, but merely pretend to, on the other hand, need to be intimidated or defeated. There is no element whatsoever--no decent element or decent purpose--which will ever benefit from our silence.

William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site

[deport]

I wonder which party, if one exist in his mind, that Master Kyle considers the conservative party? At least he is thinking about various political actions that will impact his young life.......

[RaceBannon]

he said he believes in his conservitism because of moral beliefs,? That means he wont be a libertarian, they do not believe in moral beliefs

[yonif]

bttt

[JakeWyld]

I am a small l libertarian and I know that morality is necessary for a society to exist in relative peace instead of utter chaos.

Having been a hardline social conservative when I was a teenager(plus being raised in a conservative home) I know morality(or lack of) when I see it. However, once I began working and living in the outside world rather than just reading about it I realized that it was not my place to hold others to my morality 100 per cent of the time.

[Ohioan]

Morality is never involved in telling others how to live. Morality consists in how one governs oneself. The State does have a function in protecting morality, but that has to do with preventing conduct which undermines personal morality.

The distinction is very vital. George Washington, for example, pointed out that our system was rooted and depended upon private morals. That did not mean that he advocated a host of new laws intended to make people more moral--exactly the opposite. He understood that people who did not have the moral fibre to regulate their own conduct in accordance with a system of moral values, could hardly be trusted with the affairs of State--or with handling your business or commercial interests, either.

There is no need for you to explain a conflict between your traditional Conservatism and Libertarian values. There is none. Your family might have erred in the direction of going overboard in tyring to protect social morals, or they might not have. But that involves other issues. My point is that there is no reason for any divide between the Conservative and Libertarian bases of America, over morality.

William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site

[jagrmeister]

Policy and politics intertwine in a democracy. You can sit on the sidelines and be a purist conservative, whine about how the GOP doesn't adhere strictly to conservative ideology, and be uttlerly ignorant of political realities that non-partisan voters who decided elections won't buy those policies; or you can be part of the movement and help move America to the right so they'll be ready for a truly conservative party.

[headsonpikes]

I'll go along with W.C. Fields on this issue; "Everybody's got to believe in something; I believe I'll have another drink."

[Sir Gawain]

I'm changing my strategy. Constitutionalists need to infiltrate the Republican party and take it over. JR is right. Only the money in the Republican party can beat the dems, so let's use it.