Conservatism

Last month, a good deal of post-election GOP talk was about finding some new direction for their party. We liberals hoped that this new direction would include a fundamental change from divisive politics. This is starting to seem to be wishful thinking. If the activities of the last week are any indication, the new GOP [...]

>...The most obvious point to me is that it is the do-gooding liberals who are telling us all what we can and can't do. The religious right usually just wants to be left alone, either to home school, pray in public or not get their children vaccinated with who-knows-what.......>>

Mike Huckabee latest book, “Do the Right Thing”, offers a candid, behind-the-scenes, view of one of the most interesting campaigns of the 2008 general election. Huckabee, former 2-1/2 term Governor of the State of Arkansas, takes the reader through the campaign, which serves as a context and background on where the conservative movement needs to go. As in other books by Governor Huckabee, he a

In 1980 Ronald Reagan swept into office and effectively re-invented American politics and American conservatism, ushering in an age of supply-side economics, deregulation, and substantial tax cuts. He united conservatives and some democrats with his social agenda, and won the hearts of as many Americans through his genial nature and oratorical skills as he did [...]

Several ballot measures shows the country moving left on the issue of abortion, while they remain adamant against gay marriage.As of November 6, 2008 at 2:30 PMArizona Proposition 2: Ban on Gay Marriage (PASS)Yes: 1,045,724 (56%)No: 805,551 (44%)Arkansas Initiative 1: Ban on Gay Couples Adopting Children (PASS)Yes: 579,695 (57%)No: 437,720 (43%)California Proposition 4: Abortion Limits (FAIL)Yes:

Ok, this is a long one and very important. I have tried to edit it, but you must go HERE to read the entire piece. Please do! -- Jimmy ZYES WE CAN: RE-ESTABLISH CONSERVATISMRush LimbaughConservatism did not lose last night. Conservative was not on the ballot. The Republican Party has not sought to be conservative since the new tone was initiated by the Bush administration in 2001. But I would l

Winston Churchill: “This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

In 1994, when the Republicans swept into majority positions in the House and Senate, it seemed that a long-awaited Republican conservative era of dominance was at hand, and that it might last for a very long time. Back then, I hoped that such a scenario was actually the case. Back then, I listened to Rush Limbaugh. I admit that now with some degree of shame.2008, by all accounts, promises to be a

If there is one single lesson to be learned from the outcome of ‘The Election No One Wanted’, it is that a long-held Albertan belief has been proven correct: Quebec will never accept anything resembling ‘Alberta values’ in the national political arena.The Conservatives, after successfully leading the longest sitting minority government in Canadian history, presented a platform and a sound,

I’ll sprinkle this with excerpts from an article from the Interim ( just a quick warning for those readers who might prefer walking on eggshells, it’s a bit, well, socially conservative  ) Lorne Gunter, a senior columnist with the Edmonton Journal, is one of Canada’s most prominent and distinguished journalists. Unlike the great majority of his fellow journalists and [...]

If you closely follow politics, one thing you'll learn is that liberals often go to great lengths to try to hide what they really believe from the public while conservatives inevitably seem to be trying to correct some misperception that has been spread about them. So, as a creature of the Right and as someone who knows other conservatives well, I'd like to do something a little out of t

A Book Review — “A jaw-dropping investigation of the decades of deliberate and lucrative conservative misrule.” “Frank offers one damning anecdote after another. The Wrecking Crew explains how cynical conservatives have wrested control of the government by railing against its very existence, all while using federal perches to funnel billions into the pockets of lobbyists [.

Indecision 2008 is ALWAYS worth your time.------------------------------The Colbert Report: Obama, McCain, and Media Love(Government/Politics, Media, Sen. Obama, Sen. McCain) ------------------------------The Colbert Report: Senator Ted Stevens--"Fat Cat"(Government/Politics, Sen. Stevens, Rupert Murdoch, Corruption)------------------------------The Daily Show: Neo-conservatism and Chocolate--"Ben

I am a convinced law-and-order conservative, an eagerly practicing capitalist, an ideological libertarian. I accept enthusiastically the whole package of US Republican Party policy and sentiment - pro-America, pro-victory in Iraq, pro-gun, anti-abortion (with sensible reservations), pro-death penalty, pro-tax cuts, pro-smaller government, pro-spreading democracy and freedom throughout the world, p

I am a convinced law-and-order conservative, an eagerly practicing capitalist, an ideological libertarian. I accept enthusiastically the whole package of US Republican Party policy and sentiment - pro-America, pro-victory in Iraq, pro-gun, anti-abortion (with sensible reservations), pro-death penalty, pro-tax cuts, pro-smaller government, pro-spreading democracy and freedom throughout the world, p

My friends at Magnasquids posted this and, since I think it's typical of a certain mind-set, I thought I'd reply. George Packer's a delusional idiot (I don't know if he's an idiot, but I thought I'd ape his argument style.). Let me elaborate: Democrats think that a general discontent caused mainly by the Iraq war (or arguing the Iraq war) and things unrelated to ideology like responses to disast

Tom Coburn has an Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal today that makes the case against so-called "compassionate conservatism" and, believe it or not, against spending increases for Iraq and Afghanistan. The piece argues, correctly, that Republicans are in denial that what ails the Republican Party is that Republicans over the last 8 years have ceased to act like Republicans but are instead trying to

~Snooper~It was bound to happen and three heavy hitters are leading the way. I have joined them albeit I am not a heavy hitter...yet. But, get there I will come hell or high water...I can swim through both.The Next Right has begun the long trek forward in the morass and self-inflicted quagmire of the socialist Republican...a GOP liberal, if you will. I bring you three excerpts from the front pa

See-dubya, writing at Michelle Malkin's site, demonstrates how modern conservatism is ultimately more about finding things for the government to do than it is about limiting the size of government. In the post, he says that it is a "fair question" of what our counter-terrorism strategy should be "when" we defeat al-Qaeda. One would think that once the biggest threat (and entire raison d'etre for m

Evangelical leader Jim Wallis on President Bush's veto of SCHIP.

When I was 15, I once proudly declared myself as a Conservative. It had nothing to do with political or social stances though, because I was still so naïve that time that I thought being a “conservative” had anything to do with “environmental conservation”. Now that I have fully understood the difference between conservatism and liberalism, I very much prefer to be on the moderate left s

Well your sleep deprived blog master here has another blog that I will posting from time to time. It is called Recalim Conservatism. So go on over and check them out also. We are trying to get the GOP back...

~Snooper~In some way, some one has decided that Conservatism is dead in the water. There are articles and blog posts decrying the myth that Conservatism is dead. How they come to such a conclusion is beyond me but there are folks that seem to think that is the case. Apparently, they live in their own version of Upside Down Land.I ran across this article earlier today entitled, The Fall of Conse

McCain’s latest comments about implementing tariffs against China and other countries for their “carbon footprint” should be a warning flag for the nation’s true conservatives. Liberal Democrats and Republicans have participated in live-for-the-moment economic policies that rival the “money handout” campaigns by Juan and Eva Peron Those policies eventually cripp

Here is what I think about green conservatism:When it comes to saving the environment we need a diverse portfolio to fight environmental degradation – from regulation to litigation to market based mechanisms and voluntary action NOT cherry picking self-serving narrow solutions, which is the true goal of Newt Gingrich's green conservatism. Don’t be fooled with the rhetoric and attempt to hijack environmentalism.

The Labor party of Gordon Brown has never recovered from its disatrous alliance with George Bush in the fiasco that is known as the Iraq war. A growing malaise has seeped into the minds of British citizens, a feeling the Labor party is not connected to their needs and desires. Yesterday’s sweping victory for the [...]

Recently I read an article by Whit Ayres: “Let’s Get Right into the Debate.” Basically, the article polarizes or politicizes environmentalism and champions green conservatism while demonizing liberal environmentalism. Personally, I believe it is dangerous to politicize environmentalism because environmentalism at its core is not to be politicized. Politicization demands benefit to politics or a political ideology or system and not towards the environment or Nature. Of course, there is political ecology but political ecology focuses on how behaviors of individuals living within a political system influence environmental issues and the landscape.I also believe that green conservatives are stealing elements of environmentalism like market-based mechanisms and making them their own.

Gee, wonder why? Islam maybe?  nawww, couldn’t be! Gates of Vienna Last year during Gay Pride several gay people were attacked simultaneously in broad daylight in different parts of Amsterdam. Groups of Muslim juveniles now prey on gays, no matter where or at what time. One isn’t even safe in the gay red light district anymore. At [...]

The more Conservative John McCain sounds, the more he pulls away from the evil leftwing fascists. I guess we can finally say it- Liberalism is dead. Good Riddance.Just 68% of Democrats say they would vote for Obama against McCain. Twenty-three percent (23%) would vote for the Republican, 5% for a third-party option, and 4% are undecided. Clinton attracts 71% of Democrats. In that match-up, 21% would vote for McCain, 4% say they would vote for some other candidate, and another 4% are undecided. McCain attracts 85% of Republicans against Clinton, 82% against Obama, and leads both Democrats by double digits among unaffiliated voters.McCain is viewed favorably by 56% and unfavorably by 41%. Obama's ratings are 47% favorable and 51% unfavorable. For Clinton, those numbers are 43% favorable, 55%

This article is by Ta-Nehisi Coates from The Atlantic Last summer, in Detroit’s St. Paul Church of God in Christ, I watched Bill Cosby summon his inner Malcolm X. It was a hot July evening. Cosby was speaking to an audience of black men dressed in everything from Enyce T-shirts or polos to blazers and ties. [...]

A reader disagrees derogatorily with my views on green conservatism. "Michael" comments on my essay GREEN CONSERVATISM: The hijacking of environmentalism by conservatives through an idea called green conservatism:It's the liberals and Democrats who have "hijacked" conservation and environmentalism, sport.However, liberals and democrats have made both conservation and environmentalism more relevant by making environmental issues part of the public debate more so than conservatives or republicans. There are no conservative think tanks that champion appropriate environmental solutions. There are no conservative organizations suing the government to protect endangered and threatened species. In fact, search results for the “Endangered Species Act” at The Heartland Institute doesn’t ex

Senator John McCain has an uphill battle to climb now that he has become the nominee of the Republican Party. Conservative Republicans are torn over the idea of having McCain as the head of their party. There are many conservatives that dislike John McCain so much that they have said they will vote for the Democratic nominee. What is it that Senator McCain has done to agitate conservatives so much? First of all there is immigration. McCain has pushed for immigration reform while in the Senate which included some forms of “amnesty” and did not have enough border protection for conservatives. McCain worked hand and hand on this bill with Senator Ted Kennedy who is seen as one of the most liberal senators in Washington. Second of all, McCain opposes torture and the pr

Watching the Democratic debate tonight, I realized three things: First, I realized how much I disagree with some of the Democratic views expressed (it was more of a reaffirmation than a revelation). Conservatism, even though it doesn't seem so at first, is about hope. It is about lifting people up and giving them confidence and self-respect. To those who truly understand, it is far more merciful to people that liberalism.Second, I was impressed with Barrack Obama's ability to not only listen to his opponent, but give her respect (at least at this particular debate). This is the polar opposite to McCain who only showed pure hatred, immaturity, lack of humility and inability to talk about the issues, instead evading tough questions by taking shots at Romney or stating who endorsed him.

Seeing Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney fight over who is more of a fiscal conservative made me think that they are actually barking up the wrong tree. You see, although the Republican Party claims to be the party of "small government", and many fiscal conservatives vote Republican for that reason, the record shows that the last Republican fiscal conservative president was Richard Nixon. What? Not even Reagan? No. Reagan was no more fiscally conservative than the so much maligned Jimmy Carter. thebankruptcynewsdotcom The following set of charts shows Government expenditures as a percentage of GDP, quarter by quarter since 1947. This method allows us to really know how much money our government is spending, not in dollar terms, which are meaningless, but in relationship to the wealth of the nation. There are three presidencies during which government expenditures declined significantly: Dwight D. Eisenhower’s, Richard Nixon’s and Bill Clinton’s. Maybe it is jus

~Snooper~Joe Lieberman, the last Independent Democrat severely chastises his fellow Democrats...and if they keep it up, he has threatened to cross Party Lines. Come on aboard, Joe!The Senate's only "independent Democrat" is lashing out at the party whose vice presidential nominee he once was, accusing its leaders of betraying the tradition of presidents Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy. [...]Methinks Big Joe is becoming more and more a conservative than even he himself is willing to admit to. Lord knows his once-upon-a-time fellows considered him a Good Guy...now they hate him. Why? Because he stands on principal...something the defunct and passe Democratic Party considers to be an Alien Invasion.Conservatism is also rising elsewhere in the country, BUT!, in San Fran Hate The Military Sicko? Who would have thought that? It could be a result of the Code Pepto Dismal crowd being severely shown the door as the Move America Forward crowds and other Patriot Groups trounced trolls a few

Comment On Senator Thompson by Mike Huckabee Send to a friend Senator Thompson's comments on 'Meet the Press' were disappointing and disheartening for those who were expecting... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

There was a nice piece written by Michael Gerson in the Post yesterday. For those who don’t know him, he was a senior adviser with the Bush administration but left over idealogical differences. He has a book out; “Heroic Conservatism” in which he talks about those differences. In this article he says; This obligation to protect has never, in Jewish and Christian teaching, been purely private. Hebrew law made a special provision for the destitute — requiring that a portion of harvested crops be left in the field to be gathered by the poor. The Hebrew prophets raucously confronted the political and economic exploitation of the weak. A significant portion of the Republican Party and the American public is influenced more by the social teachings of the Jewish and Christian traditions than by the doctrines of Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig von Mises. Religious conservatives, broadly defined, prefer free-market methods. But they believe that the goal directing all our me

During tonight’s GOP presidential debate in Florida, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney said that he could not understand how someone without business experience could be president of the United States. But ironically, Romney’s new mentor, former President Ronald Reagan, never ran a business.read more | digg story

Often the best way to make a point - especially to a socialist/liberal - is to keep it simple. They like quick anecdotes with a straight-to-the-point message. This one illustrates the basic difference between a conservative and a liberal. A conservative and a liberal were walking down the street when they came to a homeless person. The conservative gave the homeless person his business card, and told him to come to his office for a job interview. The conservative then took $20 out of his own pocket, and gave it to the homeless person. The liberal was very impressed, so when they came to another homeless person, he decided to help. The liberal walked over to the homeless person, and gave him directions to the welfare office. The liberal then reached into the conservative's pocket, and took out $20. The liberal kept $15 for his administrative fees, and gave the homeless person $5.

Please ignore the Devil's Advocate on this issue for he simply has no credibility on it. The Devil's Advocate says he believes in judicial restraint, low taxes and a strong military. Nevertheless in 2004 the Devil's Advocate allowed his ideological purity to get in the way. This may be a shock to many of you but the Devil's Advocate voted for John Kerry, who by the way served in Vietnam, and not George Bush.This here exposes the problem with libertarians; they are unwilling to meet their friends in any sort of compromise. With his vote in 2004 the Devil's advocate was willing to accept to two more Ruth Ginsburg's instead of John Roberts and Alito. He was willing to accept 70% marginal tax rates instead of 33%. He was willing to accept a gutting of the military instead of a buildup. The fact is the Devil's Advocate was willing to throw out a President who shares his views on 80% of the issues in exchange for a man with whom he shares very little. This is some very irrational thou

Today, the editor of Reason magazine, Nick Gillespie, wrote in the L.A. Times an interesting editorial. He argues that after numerous moral scandals from supposed social conservatives, the Republicans and Conservatives themselves are losing the Culture war because of hypocrisy. While they push family and moral values in the public arena, many of them do not live up to their own standards, thereby losing trust among the people. Consequently, he argues that Conservatives and Republicans should divert to the principles of limited government preached so adamantly by Barry Goldwater; I could not agree more.“To Goldwater, the state was inefficient at best and predicated on violence and coercion at worst. As much as possible, he argued, individuals should be left alone to pursue their happiness as they saw fit, whether in the workplace or the home.” (source) It is important to recognize that Government on its face is simply inefficient at promoting moral values for society. While Gov

Today's Patriot Post has a good post about why Ron Pual will never get elected as a Republican for Presidnet. PATRIOT PERSPECTIVE Ron Paul—The libertarian Republican If there is one man who elicits a strong response across the gamut of...

Back in 2003, the Guardian printed a story that begins: A study funded by the US government has concluded that conservatism can be explained psychologically as a set of neuroses rooted in “fear and aggression, dogmatism and the intolerance of ambiguity”. Study of Bush’s psyche touches a nerve In 2004, Reason magazine ran a story centered around the work of Professor Meyer-Emerick and associate professor Robert Altemeyer. According to Professor Altemeyer, right-wing authoritarians are cognitively rigid, aggressive, and intolerant. They are characterized by steadfast conformity to group norms, submission to higher status individuals, and aggression toward out-groups and unconventional group members. On the RWA Scale, subjects are asked to agree or disagree with statements like: “Some of the worst people in our country nowadays are those who do not respect our flag, our leaders and the normal way things are supposed to be done” and “There is absolutely

As the number of maimed, wounded, and dead increases on both sides as a result of our occupation of Iraq, the battle for a happier, healthier America isn't going so well, either.According to The Associated Press:The number of adults without health insurance jumped by 2 million from 2005 to 2006, according to a new federal report.Uninsured Americans numbered 43.6 million last year, a 6% increase from 2005, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Almost all the increase was in the non-elderly adult population -- a trend attributed to diminishing employer coverage and pricier private insurance.Of course, the devil is in the details:The change in non-elderly adults was significant, but the overall increase was not, CDC officials said. The overall count of the uninsured has been fluctuating between 41 and 44 million over the last five years and is not really trending up, they said.Two things worth noting about that last statement:"The last five years" is roughly t

I don't think I write or expand on his assessment any better. Here is the Ten Conservative Principles: I will just post the the 10 principles and let you read the rest of his great article yourself.First, the conservative believes...

People who like British cars most likely want to impose a classic look, a gentleman character, but people who hate British cars do that because of the same reason the first category likes them: classic look. I won’t tell you which category I fit in, but I really like the next concept, Aston Martin DB-ONE, designed by the Spanish designer Ruben Vela. Continue reading article TAGS: Aston Martin, British, concept, conservatism, DB-ONERelated articlesTAG Heuer teams with ModeLabs to produce cellphone watchesJaguar C-XF, the future of a british motoring legacyBuick Riviera, a concept for the yougstersLand Rover LRV+ friendly SUVSamsung plans more sliding cradle phones

There is an interesting post by Liz Mair over at GOPProgress that I wanted to share an excerpt from:For those who missed it, yesterday, John Kerry and Newt Gingrich went head-to-head on the subject of climate change. The upshot? Kerry trotted out the same, tired, lefty enviro talking points, while Gingrich said something bold and thought-provoking: climate change is a problem, and we need deal with it--but not by creating a regime that will increase fines, bureaucracy, and litigation and, very likely, do too little to actually solve the problem in question.The ideas that Gingrich voiced were not completely radical or never-before-heard. As my friend Phil Klein at the American Spectator wrote yesterday, "he suggested that the government offer tax credits for the market to develop new technologies, and prizes for the invention of new technologies such as a hydrogen car." Such initiatives would be strikingly similar to some previously suggested, and indeed pushed in major legislation,

With all the anti-conservative standings turning up in comics today, even allegorically, it's probably time to make some notes on that comics may have had some unfavorable leanings against conservatives for longer than one thinks.Now, let's take as an example some of Marvel's 1980s output. Some works, like for example, the time when president Reagan gave the Hulk a presidential pardon in 1982, were probably the most respectable you could find about a conservative in their comics at the time. Some of the stuff on this can be found here on Superhero Universe (and also here). But that's probably the closest you could get to a favorable depiction, as Captain America, on the other hand, took a turn towards featuring an unfavorable stand on Reagan in the mid-80s, which culminated in the story where Steve Rogers was fired and introduced John Walker to replace him, the protagonist who later became USAgent. Most appalling about him at the time was that, while he may not have been racist by

I strive to keep this blog apolitical, which is no easy task considering the extent to which healthcare and related sciences have been politicized in this country - not to mention the incredible level of incompetence and corruption that all Americans have witnessed the past six years. If someone wanted to stage an exhibition of where the Republican party in general - and George W. Bush in particular - has harmed this country and its citizenry in ways that will surely exceed the lifetimes of those responsible (yet strangely unaccountable) there wouldn't be enough letters in the alphabet to label all the entries.So why bring up my disgust and contempt for this man and his cronies now? What was the straw that broke the camel's back? This:The Bush administration on Tuesday asked an appeals court to overturn a ruling that could require a redesign of the nation's currency to help the blind.Justice Department lawyers filed the appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Co