The raging, twenty-four-seven political debates that virtually consume social media, many news sites, and entire cable stations is mostly filled with cheap shots, one-liners, bumper sticker slogans, and the same tired, half-truth arguments.
The endless, partisan maneuvering and jockeying for power among the political parties and branches of government often completely masks the fact that the culture and policy wars are not just clashes between squabbling political parties, but often are really basic conflicts between fundamentally different belief systems, world views, and ideological viewpoints. But that is increasingly lost in the world of thirty second sound bites, character assassination, talking heads, opponent bashing and pundit sloganeering as well as in the blaring informational and sensory overload the average American is subjected to on a daily basis.
It is also frustrating that political and ideological labels are thrown so haphazardly around with wild abandon. Neo-Marxists call themselves progressives. Liberals call themselves moderates. Libertarians and Objectivists routinely cloak themselves in the conservative label. And let us not even begin to dwell on the various names they call each other. Rarely does the general populace know, or even care, what anyone actually stands for and believes in. Let alone why.
Ideological instruction for the average person is woefully pathetic, inadequate, or almost completely absent. High School instruction is normally incredibly simplistic and often inaccurate, while college instruction is nearly universally biased beyond any hope of redemption. And the media just adds another layer of confusion and misinformation onto the entire situation. Is it any surprise then that a great number of our fellow citizens have only the foggiest concept of the various belief systems at play and a distorted understanding, at best, of the competing world views and agendas that affect their lives on a daily basis?
To help clear the air just a little I have taken the liberty of compiling what I believe are, and should be, the core principles of the American conservative movement. This list is in no way exhaustive and is designed to be a simple, but effective, articulation of what true conservatives agree are the core beliefs of their chosen ideology. If you veer too far from the principles below you are probably, in reality, not a conservative but a member of one of the many other political philosophies that exist to one degree or another in the body politic.
I would like to hear your comments on the list I have put together below as well as any additions or subtractions you would make to it. I have attempted to boil down what can be, and often are, complex concepts to their most easily understood and basic elements while still getting the point across in an effective manner. While these may seem like fairly common sense policies and reasonable ideals to many, the various isms of the Left oppose nearly all of them both in theory and in practice.
Conservative Principles
• -Honoring our Judeo-Christian Heritage
• -Personal Responsibility
• -Traditional Marriage
• -Two-Parent Family
• -Free Enterprise
• -Corporate Responsibility
• -Rejection of the Nanny State
• -Honesty
• -Good Citizenship
• -Respect for Tradition
• -Patriotism
• -Victory in any War
• -Right to Keep and Bear Arms
• -Fiscal Responsibility
• -Small and Limited Government
• -Limited and Legal Immigration
• -American Exceptionalism
• -Preservation of the Middle Class
• -Adherence to the Constitution
• -Ordered Liberty
• -Justice
• -National Sovereignty
• -Self Reliance
• -Individual Rights
• -Traditional Morals and Values
• -The Right of Self-Defense
• -Common Sense
• -Discerning mind, not an open mind
• -Conservation, not Environmentalism
The most fundamental principles and building blocks of Western Civilization and the Republic deserve to be revered and protected. I believe the conservative ideology to be the political philosophy most dedicated to advocating and preserving the ideals and concepts that are absolutely essential for a strong nation, healthy culture, and successful society. Presenting these basic concepts in such a manner is essential when drawing the distinctions between various ideologies in a way that can be easily understood by the “common man.”
Things are getting so up-ended by the Leftists in politics and media that NBC called having the lifestyle of an adult for a 23-year old an alternate lifestyle!
http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/david-wises-alternative-lifestyle-leads-olympic-gold?ctx=olympic-journey
Olympic gold medal skier David Wise, at 23-years-old, is already a husband and father.
No wonder the terms you listed seem foreign to so many people.
This is the ”mainstream” media.
People actually watch these guys!
@Nanny G: Pretty sad commentary on our future, ain’t it.
DaveTS – This is a great list of Conservative core Principles to live for and to live by…spelled out eloquently. I do not see anything in the list as ‘radical’ or ‘extreme’…
Thank you for compiling it.
@Nanny G: This calls for another #NBCFail moment on twitter.
Dave,
Great list and on the dot. I sum it up as follows: “A return to the bedrock principles this country was founded on!” Kudos!!
I see The Ten Commandments and The Golden Rule in this. Respect, Morality, and the Rule of Law are critical. This list is awesome. Rules for a secure and happy life.
I start to count the one which have been breach ,
and i gave up, the first 10 have been all broken,
THE ONE JUMPING ON MY MIND MOSTLY: 1, VICTORY IN EVRY WAR, replace by death and lost of limbs by brave warriors unable to wage their war refrained by their own commander in chief,
2, SANCTITY IN LIFE, NOT WITH MANY THOUSANDS ABORTIONS OF AMERICANS, ONE EVERY 94 SECONDS, yes
you read well,
3, THE RIGHT OF SELF DEFENSE BROKEN BECAUSE YOU BECOME A FELON for life rejected from society
and rejected in getting jobs, AFTER YOU HAVE WON YOUR CASE. for killing a black who want to kill you first,
because he was told to hate whites, in school,
4,FREE ENTERPRISE BEING BULLIED BY OBAMA,YOU DID NOT BUILD THAT
BUSINESS, OTHER DID, 5, RESPECT FOR TRADITION IS BROKEN, 6, HONORING OUR JUDEO CHRISTIAN HERITAGE: BUMPED AND A BIG WAY, 7, COMMON SENSES, OUT THE WINDOW, replace by cabalistic incantation from hell,
MORE LIKE:8, DISCERNING MIND, NOT AT AL,BUT SELF SERVING MIND INSTEAD, for profit gain,
9 , CONSERVATION ,NOT ENVIRONMENTALIST,
which has been switch by environmentalist first before conservation
10, TRADITIONAL MORAL AND VALUES, OUT IN THE COLD,
replace by corruptions and speeche full of lies,
11, LIMITED GOVERNMENT, NOT SO, THEY STILL ADD MORE
TO JOIN WITH THE MILLION, UNIONISE, AND RUN BY THE UNIONS, ALSO RUNNING THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES’S NUMBER ADDING MORE BY DAYS,
now figure about the rest,
The list is terrific, but look to ”progressives” to redefine many of these terms and phrases to mean virtually the opposite of their original meaning.
For example…..
Steven Hayward, a lawyer who writes at Powerline Blog, makes an interesting point about feminists’ inability to make any reasonable distinctions between equal and same.
He says of feminism’s beliefs:
The first premise of feminism is that women are the absolute and complete equal of men in every way.
But the second premise is that women are still victims of men—everywhere and always.
No wonder they come after little 6-year-old boys for kissing a girl on the hand!
To them it is sexual harrasment worthy of a lifetime listing as a sexual predator!
I wonder if it would have even made the news if the little girl had kissed the hand of the boy?
Nanny G
THAT IS A GOOD ONE,
I can visalize the teacher telling all the boys to kiss one girl they choose,
and ten tell all the girls to kiss one boy they choose,
and make a case about kissing rights ARE NOT PERMITED IN SCHOOL, being taken of the school rules,
at the least they would have learn something about it, NOT BEING WRONG instead of punishing the little boy,
and replace the love he has in his heart by negative hate feeling, he won”t forget,
ANY TEACHER DOING SIMILAR TO THAT SHOULD BE REMOVED AT ONCE BEFORE THEY DO MORE HARMS TO THE CHILDREN,
@Nanny G:
So while the argument is that women are equal to men in every way, I am wondering when the Obama EEOC will force the NBA to hire 4’11” Asian girls as forwards? Or how about all those female quarterbacks?
But wait a minute, when the government agencies lower the physical requirements for police academies, fire academies, the CIA, FBI and even our military, isn’t that a blatant admission that women are NOT equal in every way?
Your house is on fire and you are overcome by smoke, passing out in your bedroom. A firefighter breaks the bedroom door down and plans on carrying you out of there to safety. Who are you hoping for? A 5’10, 180 lb. man or a 5’1″ 120 lb. woman who can barely carry the pack on her back?
@Nanny G:
Yet New York teachers, who have actually been found to have sexually harassed his students, are put into Rubber Rooms where they can continue to draw their [upwards of $100K/year] salaries until they decide to retire.
retire05
I’LL take a 5/10, 180 LB, TO CARRY ME OUT ANYTIME,
AS OPPOSE TO A WOMAN 5/1 TO DRAGG ME ON THE FLOOR
OUT OF THE BURNING HOUSE,
I TELL YOU, I’ AM A 100 LB FEMALE ,
AND CARRIED MY SICK HUSBAND OF ABOUT 135 LB , FALLING MANY TIMES,
BEFORE HE DIED, I NEVER QUESTION WHERE MY STRENGTH CAME THEN,
I JUST FOUND IT THERE WHEN I NEEDED IT, AND THANK GOD TO HAVE GIVEN ME THAT POWER,
This is an excellent outline for a new Federalist Papers series.
Challenge to conservative candidates (at all levels): expound on these points.
Give your understanding of each one, and tell how you would put the point into practice.
Fact: the progressive beliefs FAIL. I note in the internet today that ordinary Cubans never get beef; it all goes to the elite and to tourists. I read yesterday about North Korea’s 30 classifications, into which one is born (like India, I guess). Progressives are about taking away. Conservatives should be about getting out of the way.
The minimum wage is an example of a progessive idea which hurts all persons. First, the mw will contribute to inflation. Inflation is the progressive way of stealing assets; when the money is devalued, the money that one has saved is autmatically worth less. Second, the mw is not a living wage. Prices will escalate and the mw folks will be as bad off as they were before.
Hold your candidates to the test: where do they stand on these bedrock principles?
mathman
yes that should work better than the viscious bashing of the candidates,
when they stand in front of the people, getting questions not from the people but from the other candidats
out to embarrass them to eliminate them, but the most vicious, is one from
HARRY REID ON MITT ROMNEY TAX ESCAPE ATTACK, AND SOME FROM DEMOCRATS VISUAL
OLD WOMAN BEING PUSH DOWN THE CLIFF, THEY PAY THOSE WITH THE PEOPLE’S MONEY,
BECAUSE THEY ARE IN POWER TO TAKE IT, IT SHOW HOW THEY TREAT THE PEOPLE’S MONEY,
THAT ON EVERYTHING THEY SPEND IN GOVERNMENT, HELL IT’S ONLY HARD WORKERS” S MONEY.
BUT THE CONSERVATIVES DON’T HAVE UNLIMITED ACCES TO PAY THAT MUCH, SO IT’S UNFAIR
TO THE MAXIMUM
stupid medias also trying to put their democrat WHO PAY THEM FOR ADDS in place send lies which are seen by the public as truth, MATHIEW HAS TINGLE ON HIS LEGS AND EJACULATE IN HIS PANTS,
BY ATTACKING THE REPUBLICANS
which the recipient of such attack haven’t had the time to confront it, it was hell at the 2012 pre election
for the candidats who I can say showed, after it was done that they can take anything,
bring them on said once the president bush, targetted by the bully democrats, WHO WOULD NOT HAVE THE GUTTS TO BE THE RECIPIENT OF THE TRASH THEY SWING TO REPUBLICAN CONSERVATIVES AND TEA-PARTY, THEY LIKE TO INSULT BUT
THEY ARE SCARE OF THE RIGHT WING THEY CALL IT.
CURT, the post had turned white background
and different THINGS, NOTHING ON SIDES
JUST SO YOU KNOW,
BEST TO YOU
CURT
I click on post comment on the previous and it came back normal,
are you playing WITH IT?
JUST KIDDING, I LIKE BETTER THIS ONE
BYE
UKRAINE POOR UKRAINE, YOU ALSO BRAVE AND HARD HEAD LIKE THE CONSERVATIVES,
YOU DO WANT FREEDOM TO CHOOSE BETWEEN EUROPE AND PUTIN,
because you have tasted the RUSSIAN IMPOSITION BEFORE, AND YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT IT REPRESENT,
YOU WILL DIE FOR WHAT YOU WANT, THEY CANNOT CHANGE YOUR MIND,
the leader should have listen at the begining, NOW THEY ARE KILLING YOU PEOPLE, BUT MANY WILL SURVIVE TO TELL, AND THEY CANNOT FORCE A PEOPLE WHO HAVE SURVIVE THE HELL. NOW TO the LEADER OF UKRAINE you have no more choice than to give the PROUD UKRAINIANS
WHAT THEY WANT AND GIVE IT TO THEM NOW, THIS IS UKRAINE NOT RUSSIA, IT DOESN’T BELONG TO RUSSIA, TELL THEM TO BACK UP NOW, AND SAVE THE PEOPLE YOU ARE LEADER FOR UKRAINE NOT THE PAWN OF RUSSIA, OR GET OUT BACK TO RUSSIA,
MUST MAKE THE CHOICE , IS IT GOING TO BE THE GREAT PEOPLE OF UKRAINE OR RUSSIA EMPIRE,
DON'T WAIT OR YOU WILL DIE AS THE PEOPLE YOU ARE KILLING,
Absolutely a great effort!
Thanks.