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What is the essence of Conservatism?

Visbek said:
Sorry, but no. There are significant variations within conservatism, just as there are various types of centrism, progressivism, libertarianism, socialism etc. Just to name a few:

• Neoconservatism
• Paleoconservatism
• Movement conservatism
• Liberal conservatism
• Populist conservatism
• Social conservatism
• Fiscal conservatism
• Evangelical conservatism

I'd also argue that "Trumpism" is not an actual or genuine type of conservatism, though it shares the autocratic / authoritarian tendencies of the illiberal flavors of conservatism. His vaguely right-wing cult of personality capitalized upon and exacerbated numerous existing trends of the Republican Party to drop any concern for principle, in exchange for raw power, picking culture war fights they usually lose, and "pwning the libs." Among the common conservative principles widely violated in the past 4 years:

Federalism
Originalism
Separation of powers
Rule of law
Independence of law enforcement
Independence of the judiciary
Democracy
Involvement in foreign affairs
Fighting against dictators and dictatorships abroad
Fiscal responsibility
Cutting spending
Minimal government
Respect for the military
Not using the government to pick winners in the free market
Free trade
Balance of powers / reining in the POTUS - Executive branch
The importance of character
Individual responsibility
Holding elected officials accountable
Preventing foreign interference in US elections
Fighting corruption
Peaceful transition of power
Putting nation over self-interest
A basic respect for the truth
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Excellent list of violations of conservatism by Trump Republicans.
 
ataraxia said:
So who’s a Republican?
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Anyone who registers as a Republican.

Thousands of hardcore leftist freaks register as a Republican every day. That makes them a "Republican In Name Only," a.k.a. RINO, in case the meaning of the acronym was lost on you. If you had done any research on Trump at all, which you obviously haven't, you would know that Trump was a massive Hillary supporter in 2008, and had been close friends with the Clintons for years. Even inviting them to his wedding. Trump was a life-long NYC leftist Democrat, then suddenly, when in his 70s, decides to register as a Republican for the very first time in 2012 so he could run as a Republican for President in 2016.

It does not get to be any more of a clear-cut case of a hardcore leftist pretending to be Republican than RINO Trump.
 
Glitch said:
Absolutely.

Anyone who voted for Trump, Romney, McCain, or Bush Jr. thinking they were somehow conservative Republicans are brain-dead idiots and don't have the vaguest clue what it means to be a conservative.
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Romney certainly was the closest of the bunch. Jr could have gotten there had he not been so intent on invading Iraq. McCain was just dumb.
 
calamity said:
Romney certainly was the closest of the bunch. Jr could have gotten there had he not been so intent on invading Iraq. McCain was just dumb.
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After RomneyCare in Massachusetts he does not even come close to being conservative. None of them do. Conservationism is about limiting government's power, not expanding both its scope and size. Particularly when it was done in direct violation of the US Constitution as with creation of the TSA under Bush Jr. No President since FDR expanded the size and scope of the federal government more than Bush43.
 
Glitch said:
It is far better than someone who has no principles, integrity, or honor and only votes for any fascist moron they think will beat their opponent.
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We don’t know if you have those things either, but we know your votes are thrown away and I take comfort in knowing that.
 
iguanaman said:
The let the unvaccinated die at home. It is their right.
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Say the people that kill babies by the millions, and call it their body, their choice.
 
Glitch said:
After RomneyCare in Massachusetts he does not even come close to being conservative. None of them do. Conservationism is about limiting government's power, not expanding both its scope and size. Particularly when it was done in direct violation of the US Constitution as with creation of the TSA under Bush Jr. No President since FDR expanded the size and scope of the federal government more than Bush43.
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Biden says, "Hold my beer."
 
American said:
Say the people that kill babies by the millions, and call it their body, their choice.
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All at a clinic of an organization founded by a racist/pro-eugenicist.
 
Since what once was conservatism as defined by Buckley in the 50s and 60s has been completely co-opted by religion and tribalism, the only thing I can say that is left of what Buckley sold to the world was the notion of stopping change. He once said that the job of a conservative was to hold a giant stop sign in front of society and government. Of course, the stop sign was only meant to stop the people Buckley did not like such as MLK, LBJ, JFK and others who were trying to mold the nation into a more equal one. The stop sign was thrown away if people like Strom, Wallace or Nixon wanted to do everything possible to retain power and the status quo in favor of the rich white patrician and the local white city council. All the rest of what Ronnie sold as conservatism was pulled out of his ass in the 70s and 80s once he married Falwell and Friedman.
 
jdog said:
Conservatism is simple. And no, the video is not correct. Conservatism is the fundamental belief that every human being is a sovereign individual, and owns themselves and their life.
They create government to be their servant, and understand that government by it's nature is inherently evil.

Liberalism is routed in the belief that the State is sovereign and maintains ownership of the individuals under it. They believe government is benevolent and has the best interests of the people as its primary concern. While history has taught us that this is never the case, and that government always seeks to exploit the people under it, the liberals drink the Kool-Aid and believe all the same..... That is why it is a form of mental illness.
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Those are two of the weakest, made up definitions imaginable.

Conservatism is, in part, about resistance to change and adherence to traditional social structures and values, and allows sovereign individuality only within the constraints of existing and (preferably) immutable social relationships and obligations. Conservatives don't think government is inherently evil; in fact, they look to it to preserve the existing order of things. They are concerned with government driving or facilitating social change.

Liberalism in the classic context is about promoting individual freedom and civil liberties, and embracing change. As a political and moral philosophy, it advocates for social structures that emphasize equality before the law and governance based on consent.

Jdog's definitions make conservatives sound like liberals and liberals sound like fascists. He may believe that to be the case but it is not reflected in either traditional definitions nor practical applications.
 
skeptic llc said:
Sorry you are suspended. Yeah, we will see, at least at some point. Except we already saw in 2020, when they overwhelmingly voted for more of the same, and in the aftermath of 1/6, when they overwhelmingly supported taking it to the next level and then purging Rs who disagreed. Sadly, the GOP rank and file has disappointed me so many times on Trump that I have come to reluctantly accept that this is just who they are. That means we no longer have a functioning two party system, which is a hard reality to accept. But I'd love to be proven wrong.
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And you are banned.
 
LostInSeattle said:
Those are two of the weakest, made up definitions imaginable.

Conservatism is, in part, about resistance to change and adherence to traditional social structures and values, and allows sovereign individuality only within the constraints of existing and (preferably) immutable social relationships and obligations. Conservatives don't think government is inherently evil; in fact, they look to it to preserve the existing order of things. They are concerned with government driving or facilitating social change.

Liberalism in the classic context is about promoting individual freedom and civil liberties, and embracing change. As a political and moral philosophy, it advocates for social structures that emphasize equality before the law and governance based on consent.

Jdog's definitions make conservatives sound like liberals and liberals sound like fascists. He may believe that to be the case but it is not reflected in either traditional definitions nor practical applications.
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Regardless of the labels that you put on those at the opposite ends of the political spectrum, the spectrum itself is predicated upon the one basic issue that all politics are derived from and that is the issue of individual sovereignty. At he extreme end of one part of the spectrum you have the belief of individual sovereignty, and the individual ownership of ones life. At the other end of that spectrum, you have feudalism, with sovereignty being reserved for the central authority along with the ownership of the people under them.
That is the simple truth, and it is your choise to believe it or not, it really does not matter because reality does not care if you believe in it. And neither do I
 
TurtleDude said:
those who aren't in the Talibiden
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So you deny the existence of independents ?

Moreover, there are many on the right who deny that mere membership of the Republican party qualifies you as being a "Republican".
Have you never heard their derogatory label of "RINO" ?
 
Rich2018 said:
So you deny the existence of independents ?
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of course not but the term conservative is worthless unless the context is established. For example, in a stalinist regime-conservative means those who support the continuation of the stalinist policies. In a monarchy, conservatives support the king. In a constitutional republic, conservatives support the constitution.
 
noonereal said:
Greed.

Everyone knows this.
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bullshit. current american leftism is a reactionary parasitic statist mindset that spends most of its time trying to justify taking the wealth of others
 
TurtleDude said:
bullshit. current american leftism is a reactionary parasitic statist mindset that spends most of its time trying to justify taking the wealth of others
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I would not disagree about the left but if you are honest you will agree with me about the nuts on teh right. I suspect you will choose to not be honest though, as in your gun posts.
 
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