Who else can they vote for? The parties are not giving conservatives what they ask for. Conservatives can vote for at best, "the lesser of two evils" and generally they see that as the Republican candidate because the Republican candidate tells them what they want to hear while the Democratic candidate tells them to "fuck off and die".
As for Republicans, what have they done for conservatives in the last forty years. We've still got Abortion. We still have a failing Social Security plan. We still have a Welfare System that locks its victims into a death grip and does not let go. Now we have Obamacare, which as Democrats like to point out was largely written by Republicans and if a Republican was in the White House would be supported by Republicans. We've got the Patriot Act which is antithetical to conservative thinking, but because it was signed into a law by a Republican, well... it has to be conservative, doesn't it?
What has the Republican Party done for conservatives lately? What has either party done for the citizens of America lately? Not a whole hell of a lot.
Immie
OK, I guess you've got me. I won't use "Conservative" and "Republican" interchangeably anymore. I honestly thought they were pretty much the same thing. The Republican party has for a long time struck me as being very authoritarian and in the pocket of corporations. I thought Conservatives were big on out toughing everyone on crime, building up the military at the expense of everything else, giving lush tax breaks to the rich, wanting to do away with the social safety net, codifying religious dogma into law, and stomping on individual liberties except gun ownership. So it is just Republicans who want these things? It is Republicans and not Conservatives who want the TSA, DHS, and Patriot Act?
What is it that Conservatives want? Someone stated that Conservatives are >40% of the population. How can the Republican party not listen to that big a constituency? Why not form a "Conservative" party?
I'm trying to get to bed (and obviously not that successful) so this answer is likely to be short and not all that in depth.
What do conservatives want? Let me ask you, can you define what every "liberal" wants?
I think conservatives basically want liberty and the freedom to live their lives in peace with their neighbors. We've been defined (in the same way as Republicans define liberals) as not caring about the poor, sick and hungry. I think that is bullshit. I think conservatives care as much as liberals do, but, I do believe one difference between conservatives and liberals is that conservatives believe that they serve the poor more by lifting them up and putting the poor back on their feet rather than providing a hand out for life.
I honestly do not think liberals and conservatives want vastly different things. Liberals want to help the poor, so do conservatives. The difference is in the understanding as to which is more helpful. By the way, I don't see Republican politicians as caring all that much for the poor but then the same goes for Democrats. The Democrats use the poor for votes, but really what have the Democrats done for the poor in the last forty years? I think if you think about it, you can come up with a list similar to mine in the earlier post of the truly lack of accomplishments for the poor of the Democratic Party.
I, as a conservative, do not want to interfere in the lives of my fellow citizens. I hate abortion and if I could find some way to reduce the number of abortions every year, I would do so even if it included that terrible word... compromise. I look at it like this, is the goal here to win the debate or to save lives? I'll choose the saving lives and you can have the damned debate. I want to mend social security because as an accountant and a person with a degree (although only a BS) in Finance, I believe we the people can do a hell of a lot better than the government is doing for us. Note: I said mend, not end. The idea behind Social Security is sound, but letting the politicians get all of our hard earned taxes if we should die shortly before arriving or even shortly after arriving at "retirement age" is BS in my humble opinion.
I don't want to end Welfare. I want to help people down on their luck to find a way to better days. I just don't want those people being stuck in the rut for the rest of their natural lives.
I despise "Obamacare". Why? Because I believe it gives to much control of our economy to the hated politicians. The concept of helping the poor is commendable. Believing that a politician cares about the poor is foolish.
Did I say this was going to be a short response? Yeah, I did didn't I?
Well, I don't think the desires of the common everyday conservative are all that different from the common everyday liberal. You, as a liberal, are not my enemy. My enemy is the system in Washington that works to enpower those who have it all at the expense of those of us who have enough to survive or those who are struggling just to survive.
Can you honestly say that I am your enemy based on the above?
Immie
