Posted by
JayPeriod on Monday, July 16, 2007 11:42:34 AM
Are you a Conservative or a Republican? For many, these two terms are synonymous. They always have been, right? Shouldn't they be?
With the birth of RINOs, Republicans In Name Only, these two terms seem to have diverged slightly. Republican now seems to be a term some politicians use just so they are not numbered with those on the left. Unfortunately, it's simply because they don't want the stigmatism, not because they don't share ideas.
The recent Conservative movement was ushered in by Ronald Reagan. He brought social and economic conservatism to the forefront and it was widely embraced by people. I have found that when you present the ideas of conservatism to people, apart from the labels, they embrace them wholeheartedly. Politicians know this. Look at the last election cycle and it is clearly visible. Look at where candidates are aligning themselves for the upcoming Presidential election, and it becomes clearly visible.
A good case in point is the recent Senatorial election in Tennessee. Harold Ford, Jr. ran as a Democrat against Republican Bob Corker. Corker was identified as a moderate during the primary, yet because the two strong conservatives couldn't agree which one of them should run, so they both lost. While they combined to garner more votes than the moderate Corker, he won the three way race.
With this fact in hand, both Corker and Ford ran as conservatives during the general election. Corker, in all facets is a moderate, yet he ran ads portraying himself as a staunch conservative. He claimed to support both social and economic conservative principles. Ford, as well, claimed to be the most conservative of the pair. Ford's voting record in Congress clearly showed just the opposite. His voting record showed him to be among the most liberal, comparable to Kennedy, Clinton and Kerry.
My point is, in every election, politicians know that conservative views appeal to the masses. They exploit that and pander to that. Fortunately, conservative principles are easy to view. They can be researched and checked. They are solid.
This leads me back to my comparison. Calling oneself a Republican does not equate with being Conservative. When the microscope is put to the politicians life, the details will shine through. Conservative principles are not something you can jump in and out of to suit the situation or the need. Either you believe that government should be small or you don't. Either you believe that taxes are bad, or you don't. Either you believe that the family is the ultimate institution, requiring the greatest protection, or you don't. It is precisely this that got the Republican party in trouble in the last election, and it will get them in trouble in the next if they do not right the ship and return the their foundation.
I don't believe people put Democrats into office in the last election because America has shifted the the left. I don't think the socialist ideas that pervade the left reflect the beliefs of America. I do believe that a conservative America did not like being conned and deceived, sold a bill of good that went counter to everything they believed. It was not about anti-war sentiment. It was about betrayal.
I hope Republicans take note and return to the roots that Reagan planted. If they will apologize to the American public and truly change direction, returning to conservative principles, not only can they regain power, but American can once again become the great nation we were built to be.