What defines a Conservative?

[edthecynic]

Conservative is a "liquid" term...meaning the definition of the word has often changed in the minds of everyone as culture/society changes.
It is very interesting how the written definition of "conservative" has remained unchanged, however the written definition of liberal has been dramatically altered. Go ahead - look it up in several dictionaries. Liberal definitions in dictionaries today sound like they are describing an angel. Such as accepting different opinions and ways of behaving and tending to be sympathetic to other people
WTF?

"Of all the varieties of virtues, liberalism is the most beloved."
— Aristotle

 

[Dot Com]

LOL, Let me help, since the conservative base seems to have no idea how to express nor any inclination to support their 'beliefs'.

The contemporary 'conservative' isn't for very much, s/he is mostly against. They are mostly Republicans hiding from the record of George W. Bush, hence claiming to be independent conservatives.

They oppose liberals, progressives, gays, lesbians, unions, the working poor, minorities, health care reform, all forms of taxes, the RINO (defined as any non-Democrat who questions Republican Dogma***), immigrants, foreign aid, Islam, Public Education, Public Transportation, renewable energy, i.e. wind and solar and geothermal, electric cars, aid to communities who suffer earthquake, flood, tornado, etc., Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, all Democrats and in particular President Obama, universal suffrage, Stare Decisis, the ERA (Equal Rights for Women), Gun Controls, contraception, abortion, and Government.

*** 'conservative' dogma includes all of the above and the daily talking point issued by the far right power elite. The current 'issue' is Benghazi, notice how the cause of the day changes over time. It has dozens of times during the course of President Obama's Administration. Each daily talking point - some last weeks or months - are broadcast over the TV, Radio and in Print and echoed by the hysterical far right wing who infect this message board.

Discuss.

That about sums up the conservative voters who post here. They get their daily talking points from places like drudge, am radio & especially Fox TV (owned by an Aussie who, I believe, renounced his citicenship for financial reasons)

Thats how they got the nickname: "The party of NO!!!"

 

[Immanuel]

LOL, Let me help, since the conservative base seems to have no idea how to express nor any inclination to support their 'beliefs'.

The contemporary 'conservative' isn't for very much, s/he is mostly against. They are mostly Republicans hiding from the record of George W. Bush, hence claiming to be independent conservatives.

They oppose liberals, progressives, gays, lesbians, unions, the working poor, minorities, health care reform, all forms of taxes, the RINO (defined as any non-Democrat who questions Republican Dogma***), immigrants, foreign aid, Islam, Public Education, Public Transportation, renewable energy, i.e. wind and solar and geothermal, electric cars, aid to communities who suffer earthquake, flood, tornado, etc., Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, all Democrats and in particular President Obama, universal suffrage, Stare Decisis, the ERA (Equal Rights for Women), Gun Controls, contraception, abortion, and Government.

*** 'conservative' dogma includes all of the above and the daily talking point issued by the far right power elite. The current 'issue' is Benghazi, notice how the cause of the day changes over time. It has dozens of times during the course of President Obama's Administration. Each daily talking point - some last weeks or months - are broadcast over the TV, Radio and in Print and echoed by the hysterical far right wing who infect this message board.

Discuss.

That about sums up the conservative voters who post here. They get their daily talking points from places like drudge, am radio & especially Fox TV (owned by an Aussie who, I believe, renounced his citicenship for financial reasons)

Thats how they got the nickname: "The party of NO!!!"

Ha ha, "the party of no"? I don't think d.c is smart enough to realize that phrase came straight from the left wing talking points.

Immie

 

[edthecynic]

LOL, Let me help, since the conservative base seems to have no idea how to express nor any inclination to support their 'beliefs'.

The contemporary 'conservative' isn't for very much, s/he is mostly against. They are mostly Republicans hiding from the record of George W. Bush, hence claiming to be independent conservatives.

They oppose liberals, progressives, gays, lesbians, unions, the working poor, minorities, health care reform, all forms of taxes, the RINO (defined as any non-Democrat who questions Republican Dogma***), immigrants, foreign aid, Islam, Public Education, Public Transportation, renewable energy, i.e. wind and solar and geothermal, electric cars, aid to communities who suffer earthquake, flood, tornado, etc., Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, all Democrats and in particular President Obama, universal suffrage, Stare Decisis, the ERA (Equal Rights for Women), Gun Controls, contraception, abortion, and Government.

*** 'conservative' dogma includes all of the above and the daily talking point issued by the far right power elite. The current 'issue' is Benghazi, notice how the cause of the day changes over time. It has dozens of times during the course of President Obama's Administration. Each daily talking point - some last weeks or months - are broadcast over the TV, Radio and in Print and echoed by the hysterical far right wing who infect this message board.

Discuss.

That about sums up the conservative voters who post here. They get their daily talking points from places like drudge, am radio & especially Fox TV (owned by an Aussie who, I believe, renounced his citicenship for financial reasons)

Thats how they got the nickname: "The party of NO!!!"

Ha ha, "the party of no"? I don't think d.c is smart enough to realize that phrase came straight from the left wing talking points.

Immie

Actually it is a bit older than that!

A conservative is a man who believes that nothing should be done for the first time.
- Alfred E. Wiggam

What is conservatism?* Is it not the adherence to the old and tried against the new and untried?*
~Abraham Lincoln

 

[LadyGunSlinger]

Conservative: Hot, intelligent, witty, charming, alluring.. too many list actually. DON'T HATE

 

[Immanuel]

That about sums up the conservative voters who post here. They get their daily talking points from places like drudge, am radio & especially Fox TV (owned by an Aussie who, I believe, renounced his citicenship for financial reasons)

Thats how they got the nickname: "The party of NO!!!"

Ha ha, "the party of no"? I don't think d.c is smart enough to realize that phrase came straight from the left wing talking points.

Immie

Actually it is a bit older than that!

A conservative is a man who believes that nothing should be done for the first time.
- Alfred E. Wiggam

What is conservatism?* Is it not the adherence to the old and tried against the new and untried?*
~Abraham Lincoln

Um no, six years ago it was the Democrats that were known as the party of no.

It is a fact that the designation has been flowing for many years, but for the time being the liberal mefia, which dissemintes left wing talking points, is going with that term for Reps. He is just not capable of understanding that is what he just used.

Immie

 

[edthecynic]

Ha ha, "the party of no"? I don't think d.c is smart enough to realize that phrase came straight from the left wing talking points.

Immie

Actually it is a bit older than that!

A conservative is a man who believes that nothing should be done for the first time.
- Alfred E. Wiggam

What is conservatism?* Is it not the adherence to the old and tried against the new and untried?*
~Abraham Lincoln

Um no, six years ago it was the Democrats that were known as the party of no.

It is a fact that the designation has been flowing for many years, but for the time being the liberal mefia, which dissemintes left wing talking points, is going with that term for Reps. He is just not capable of understanding that is what he just used.

Immie

Six years ago the GOP were still the Party of no. And there is no "Liberal Media." That has been the GOP's mythological scapegoat for all their failures for decades. There is only Corporate Media and it is anything but Liberal.

 

[Ernie S.]

snip
They oppose liberals, progressives, gays, lesbians, unions, the working poor, minorities, health care reform, all forms of taxes, the RINO (defined as any non-Democrat who questions Republican Dogma***), immigrants, foreign aid, Islam, Public Education, Public Transportation, renewable energy, i.e. wind and solar and geothermal, electric cars, aid to communities who suffer earthquake, flood, tornado, etc., Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, all Democrats and in particular President Obama, universal suffrage, Stare Decisis, the ERA (Equal Rights for Women), Gun Controls, contraception, abortion, and Government.

snip

Where to begin...We oppose public education and transportation because of what it has become, rather than what it was supposed to do at its inception. We spent $8-$16 thousand dollars per year per student and we turn out students who know about Heather having 2 mommies, but can't read a novel, can't multiply numbers after they run out of fingers and toes and have no knowledge of the US Constitution.
Public transportation is for the most part, outrageously inefficient. Except for municipal rail systems, a few regional commuter lines and buses in larger cities, ridership is scant or nonexistent, necessitating huge subsidies to keep the systems afloat.
We don't oppose gays, lesbians, unions, the working poor, minorities, health care reform, all forms of taxes per se, but we oppose special rights for special classes of citizens. We don't oppose private sector labor unions, but shake our heads in disbelief when they price themselves right out of the labor market.
Again, we don't oppose immigrants, foreign aid and Islam. We oppose illegal immigrants, foreign aid to our ideological enemies and Islamic terrorism.
We don't oppose renewable energy or electric cars, we oppose government picking the winners and losers and taking kickbacks in return for half billion dollar "loans".
We don't oppose disaster relief, but we do oppose spending billions on bogus claims and fraud.
We don't oppose Gun Control. We advocate a tight grip and a steady aim. We or at least, most, don't oppose contraception. We do object to the government forcing us to pay for it or provide it as part of a benefits package to our employees.
We do, (many, at any rate)oppose abortion. We see a fetus as a baby and consider abortion to be murder. I've heard the lump of flesh, collection of cells argument before and am not interested in going through it again. Suffice it to say, we disagree. I can not stop you from having an abortion, but I'll be DAMNED if I'll willingly foot the bill!
I actually like government. I just like it small. I would really like it if it didn't overstep it's enumerated powers.

I don't oppose all Democrats. I've actually voted for several over the years. I do oppose Progressives from any party. That would include barack obama. I oppose literally everything he has done with the possible exception of being POTUS when bin Laden was taken out. I, however, do not give him any credit beyond not ordering the SEALs to stand down.

 

[Dugdale_Jukes]

The conservative has a vision for the future of America. Having read conservative litanies seeking to "return" America to its days of greatness, having paid some attention to conservative economic plans for Americans, and in consideration of conservative views on women's rights, here is what conservatives' vision for America sounds like to me:

 

[Ernie S.]

The conservative has a vision for the future of America. Having read conservative litanies seeking to "return" America to its days of greatness, having paid some attention to conservative economic plans for Americans, and in consideration of conservative views on women's rights, here is what conservatives' vision for America sounds like to me:

cool! some 30 year old pictures of poor people with no reference to their politics.
How about a more recent picture of the Liberal Utopia known as Detroit?

 

[Dugdale_Jukes]

The conservative has a vision for the future of America. Having read conservative litanies seeking to "return" America to its days of greatness, having paid some attention to conservative economic plans for Americans, and in consideration of conservative views on women's rights, here is what conservatives' vision for America sounds like to me:

cool! some 30 year old pictures of poor people with no reference to their politics.
How about a more recent picture of the Liberal Utopia known as Detroit?

What is it about "two wrongs don't make a right" that you can't seem to get, Ern? BOTH gaggles of partisan hacks are wrong. That is the reality.

The pics illustrate the effects of absentee-owned corporate control of local government, your corporate person if you will. Two pictures are very recent from KY&WV's Mountain Top removal belt, the black and white is from 1964, a year it seems like Romeny and Gingrich think could only have been improved by a Goldwater landslide.

Here are two of today's proud young Chinless McConnell Republicans getting ready for their high school prom.
Some of the pics are heart breaking, but this one shows folks going somewhere.
How many look at these pics and then think: I want to be a Republican!

 

[Dot Com]

The conservatives who post here are a far cry from the uber wealthy, like the Adelsons & Kochs of the world, who bankroll & therefore have access to & give their wish lists to boehner & mcconnell like no overtime for instance.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Many who post here regularly consider themselves conservatives and it seems they do so without giving much thought to the meaning of the word. Most seem to carry this label because they consider those who hold liberal or progressive ideas as anathema, lacking 'true' American values and a threat to the established order.

Without defining themselves vis a vis liberal or progressive, what beliefs define a conservative of today?

[I'm old enough to remember the "radical chic"; persons who wore the clothing and accouterments of the 'hip' but did so out of a need to fit in and garner attention. The "radical chic" had little understanding of history and were mostly focused on their own superficial needs. I find this to be the case for many who post here - the conservative chic.]

Your thoughts.

The ‘established order,’ of course, meaning many on the right see diversity and dissent as a threat to their perceived position of privilege.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

What defines a conservative?

Burke to IKE [real] conservatives

1. Support status quo, slow change, government is good
2. Natural heirarchy = God's order = wealth is also goodness
3. US conservatives before Reagan controlled debt, spending, kept the rabble in their place using as little force as possible
4. Favored education, opportunity, regulated competition
Examples: Coolidge and IKE supported wages and hours legislation, opposed child labor, verbally supported wartime taxes and economic controls, plus favored safety measures in factories, and worker representation on corporate boards.​

Today's [fake] conservatives:

1. Spend, spend, spend while lying about it. [Reagan tripled debt, Junebug doubled it.]
2. Against small business, for huge corporations [see: Reagan, Junebug].
3. For big government while convincing white trash government is the problem [see: Reagan, Junebug]
4. Support open borders, foreign labor over America [see: Reagan's pardon of illegals, Bush's expansion of open borders]
Examples: Reagan economy looked pretty good. You too can do this. All you have to do is borrow a ton of money and live off of it until someone makes you quit [see: 2008 for working class Americans]. Junebug economy never looked good. This guy was a dumb ******* mama's boy sent to Washington specifically to **** America's working classes and he did a pretty good job of it.
​

Overarching question: What happened?

The Faustian bargain with social conservatives, Christian fundamentalists, and the radical fiscal right.

 

[JohnL.Burke]

I believe the government that governs least governs best. I believe absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely. I believe freedom is not a cure-all but it beats the alternative. I believe it's better to teach a man how to fish as opposed to giving him a fish. I believe skepticism is a healthy function of an observant mind. I believe we should lift everybody up as opposed to dragging everybody down. I believe privacy is a good thing. I believe business owners should be encouraged to do well and take chances. I don't believe people should be punished for success. This is why I'm a conservative.
p.s.
I have no pants on.

 

[Ernie S.]

Your first picture is from New Straitsville, Ohio, actually. I was able to find it included in a 2010 photo essay.

I suppose you have voter registration cards for the happy couple?

Look! We can toss around pictures all day, but it won't change the fact that some people will make it and some won't. To blame Republicans for poverty in Appalachia is ludicrous considering that their main source of income was historically from coal mining.

60 years ago, Detroit was the 4th largest city in the US. It had a booming economy and was a middle class Mecca and home to 1,849,568 people, 83.58% of whom were white.
Today, it lies in ruin hovering near bankruptcy with a population of 713,777, and 10.61% white.
Detroit has not had a Republican Mayor since 1/2/62 nor a white Mayor since 1/1/74.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

I'm a constitutional conservative that believes in very limited government, very limited tax and spend policies. Which is the only thing I am conservative about, but it is a strict adherence. I'm against a lot of what you have in that list; The EPA, public sector unions, healthcare "reform" and a host of other federal "services" that are not authorized in the constitution.

After that, I am a true liberal. As in liberty for all, without government creating special interest groups and instead, making sure everyone is offered equal protection under the law. Especially protecting private property and individual rights.

Do you not see the obvious contradictions in your post? I understand your ideology, what I don't get is how you expect to govern and protect 300 Million People without the protections of the EPA, FDA, FBI, FCC, DOT etc. etc.

This is indicative on the naïve reactionaryism exhibited by many on the right, where they seek an idealized American past that never really existed to begin with.

The United States is a modern, industrialized 21st Century super power – we have exactly the type of government we should accordingly. Again, it is the epitome of naivete to advocate for the installation of an 18th Century governmental structure in the modern, industrialized 21st Century.

Most conservatives need to end their pathetic delusions and live in the real world, however unpleasant for them.

Moreover, there is no such thing as a ‘Constitutional conservative,’ as the Constitution exists only in the context of its case law. All perceptions of the Constitution are an interpretation, as the Framers were not of one mind nor did they speak with one voice, save that to enshrine in the Constitution basic principles of liberty, equality, and due process of law.

The Constitution both places limits on government power and authorizes Congress to enact measures determined necessary and proper and in the common good.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Many who post here regularly consider themselves conservatives and it seems they do so without giving much thought to the meaning of the word. Most seem to carry this label because they consider those who hold liberal or progressive ideas as anathema, lacking 'true' American values and a threat to the established order.

Without defining themselves vis a vis liberal or progressive, what beliefs define a conservative of today?

[I'm old enough to remember the "radical chic"; persons who wore the clothing and accouterments of the 'hip' but did so out of a need to fit in and garner attention. The "radical chic" had little understanding of history and were mostly focused on their own superficial needs. I find this to be the case for many who post here - the conservative chic.]

Your thoughts.

A Conservative is someone who knows Obama lied about Benghazi

 

[JohnL.Burke]

Let's see. People on the left think people on the right are reactionary stupid dummies.
People on the right think people on the left are reactionary stupid dummies...
and this people is why God invented happy hour.

p.s.
I don't have to put my pants on if I don't want to.

 

[Dugdale_Jukes]

ErnieS: to your political point: no one posting here of any partisan stripe loathes the Clintons more than me and few have a more informed basis for holding Obama in total contempt, but I also blame Reagan for his debt-fueled false dawn and clan Bush for massive budgetary incompetence. Detroit could have been saved as recently as the mid 1990s, but instead it was given more unconditional charity by the Clinton administration and congresses of both persuasions. The current economy would be two years further along had Obama used his good will to eliminate income taxes on the first $40k-$50k of income instead of pumping a trillion down the drain through state and local government.

There is some evidence it'd be a more responsible country if subsidies to industry, finance, real estate, education and health were off the federal books.

My position is subsidies to corporations end first. Neither party has any call on me as long as America's cash is being funneled offshore and to corporate plutarchs BY GOVERNMENT POLICY. There is no free market and there never was a legal free market in recorded history of western nations. Kings and/or the church and state governments in the US always regulated commerce - until the 1980s. Rational questions include what regulations and how to enforce them effectively and efficiently, because regulation shapes citizen behavior.

More importantly regulation determines the the level of opportunity - aka, the amount of effective competition - inside markets.

Your picture of Detroit and my pictures of Appalachia show the failure of government meddling. As long as your side is determined to undermine natural born citizens by funneling cash out of the country and the fake liberal crowd are determined to undermine natural born citizens by taxing the unorganized middle class at exorbitant rates, and both are doing what they do as a result of corporate influence, not much can change.

Folks like me just sit on the sidelines and wonder. I'd rather be dead than pick one of the existing sides. It's a third way or nothing for me. I've been lucky so personally it really doesn't matter. But I look at Detroit and the Appalachian countryside and shake my head at what looks like a bleak, dystopian future to me.