First, my apologies for not posting yesterday, but I was traveling and distracted. Fortunately I used the time wisely to think about where to go with my efforts to kick around the political topics of the day.
I'm on a Conservative kick.
For the next week, I'm going to be talking about what it means to be a conservative in America. What are conservatives thinking? What do they want? What do they object to most about Progressives and Liberals, and what would they like to see from America. My goal in this is not to mock the positions of the group I usually oppose, but to achieve two goals.
First, I want to make sure that liberals and conservatives, themselves, understand why people identify themselves as conservative. What are the core elements of the American conservative and what do they hold most dear. In the average American conservative's mind, what does an ideal America look like?
Second, I want to call into question whether or not the current Republican party is carrying the torch for conservatives based on answers to #1. I'll make no secret of the fact that I am no longer convinced that this is true. I am more and more convinced that Conservatives are without a representative party in the US and are forced to vote Republican mostly out of habit and dislike for the alternatives. Throughout the week, I'll address this position more, but first I want to get to the heart of American conservative thought.
This is how >I< understand conservative American politics. Conservatives are fundamentally individualists. They believe that self determination and initiative are core American values that when embraced allow any person the ability to improve his or her station and make a life for themselves. They see government as a necessary evil, but mostly as a tool for defense and conflict resolution. They want government kept small and focused on things like infrastructure and defense. They certainly don't want government involved in their day to day lives outside these necessities, and resent intrusion into their business or home. Conservatives don't like government departments or agencies that reach beyond these goals, particularly if they interfere with business.
Economically, Conservatives see business as the great social good. If left to the marketplace, successful business will provide jobs and invest in communities that will stimulate spending, raise standards of living for themselves, their employees, and third parties through subsidiary markets. Conservatives believe that taxation slows this process and interferes with societal growth, as such it should be minimized.
Socially, Conservatives believe in the classic values and nuclear family as it has evolved for 200 years. These days, this tends to be, but is not limited to, the white, middle class, nuclear family life in suburban America. Morality is defined by classic Christian values and takes a very black or white stance against issues such as abortion and homosexuality and promotes the practice of the Christian religious faith.
Now this is a snapshot, and admittedly a hastily written one. But it's a starting point from which to understand the group and set the groundwork, hopefully, for dialogue. I'm inviting conservatives out there to read this and add their own take or commentary. I will be reading all comments and trying to distill at least good general picture of what an American conservative looks like without any immediate judgment.
So let's have it.
Any of you conservatives out there want to bite and give me some feedback?
I'm on a Conservative kick.
For the next week, I'm going to be talking about what it means to be a conservative in America. What are conservatives thinking? What do they want? What do they object to most about Progressives and Liberals, and what would they like to see from America. My goal in this is not to mock the positions of the group I usually oppose, but to achieve two goals.
First, I want to make sure that liberals and conservatives, themselves, understand why people identify themselves as conservative. What are the core elements of the American conservative and what do they hold most dear. In the average American conservative's mind, what does an ideal America look like?
Second, I want to call into question whether or not the current Republican party is carrying the torch for conservatives based on answers to #1. I'll make no secret of the fact that I am no longer convinced that this is true. I am more and more convinced that Conservatives are without a representative party in the US and are forced to vote Republican mostly out of habit and dislike for the alternatives. Throughout the week, I'll address this position more, but first I want to get to the heart of American conservative thought.
This is how >I< understand conservative American politics. Conservatives are fundamentally individualists. They believe that self determination and initiative are core American values that when embraced allow any person the ability to improve his or her station and make a life for themselves. They see government as a necessary evil, but mostly as a tool for defense and conflict resolution. They want government kept small and focused on things like infrastructure and defense. They certainly don't want government involved in their day to day lives outside these necessities, and resent intrusion into their business or home. Conservatives don't like government departments or agencies that reach beyond these goals, particularly if they interfere with business.
Economically, Conservatives see business as the great social good. If left to the marketplace, successful business will provide jobs and invest in communities that will stimulate spending, raise standards of living for themselves, their employees, and third parties through subsidiary markets. Conservatives believe that taxation slows this process and interferes with societal growth, as such it should be minimized.
Socially, Conservatives believe in the classic values and nuclear family as it has evolved for 200 years. These days, this tends to be, but is not limited to, the white, middle class, nuclear family life in suburban America. Morality is defined by classic Christian values and takes a very black or white stance against issues such as abortion and homosexuality and promotes the practice of the Christian religious faith.
Now this is a snapshot, and admittedly a hastily written one. But it's a starting point from which to understand the group and set the groundwork, hopefully, for dialogue. I'm inviting conservatives out there to read this and add their own take or commentary. I will be reading all comments and trying to distill at least good general picture of what an American conservative looks like without any immediate judgment.
So let's have it.
Any of you conservatives out there want to bite and give me some feedback?
Ok, let me preface this by stating this is my own view as a Moderate Conservative as I see it. Obviously I can't speak for others, and I may be way off base.
ReplyDeleteI think you have hit the nail on the head with all points save one. Socially, I think Conservatives have evolved past the 1950's mentality you portray here. Yes, there are many, maybe even still a majority, that think as you describe. But I also think that those are the old-timers. The ones in office. These are also the ones slowly being phased out through elections, retirement and death. The new generations of Conservatives (like me) tend to be more open-minded about social issues. Christian values are still a mainstay, but they no longer need to apply to only Christians. The core values of being kind to those in need, placing family first, respect of authority, and respect of life are there. Traditionally, these are seen as "Christian" but really, they are pretty universal. I think the notion of these values as Christian is a machination of the media, personally. The media needs to keep the relationship between Liberals and Conservatives as adversarial as possible.
All in all, I think many Conservatives are willing to accept change. They are willing to concede that maybe marriage doesn't need to be just a man and a woman. That maybe Christianity isn't the only religion with merit. Maybe even that, in some extreme circumstances, abortion is an acceptable alternative to bringing a child into a hostile world that he/she may or may not even survive.
These are my thoughts off the cuff. And there may be more to it than this in my mind.