Cross-Posted from DaleGlading.com
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Winston Churchill allegedly said that “If you are not a liberal at twenty, you have no heart. If you are not a conservative at forty, you have no brain.” Whether Sir Winston actually uttered those words is inconsequential because, simply put, they are demonstrably true no matter who said them.
After all, most 20-year-olds are idealistic and deservedly so. The world is their oyster, and in the words of songwriters Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler, they have “the world by a string” and are “sitting on a rainbow.” By the way, the Frank Sinatra recording from 1953, arranged by Nelson Riddle, is the definitive version of that song.
On the flip side, 40-year-olds have been tempered by marriage, mortgages, midnight feedings, and messy diapers. Life at that age is as much about survival as it is about setting and achieving lofty goals. In other words, a sense of realism sets in, making for a wiser, more focused, more productive, and more well-rounded person. You learn to pick your battles and to decide which hills you are willing to die on.
And so, in this political season when every amateur political analyst with a keyboard and a blog (like me) aspires to be the next William F. Buckley, I thought it best to define some of the terms being thrown around so haphazardly these days.
“You’re a RINO!”
“Oh yeah, well you’re a globalist.”
“Well, at least I’m not a neocon like you!”
Enough already, people.
In this brief but riveting dissertation (Pulitzer voters, are you paying attention?), I will try my best to define what a true conservative is… and just as importantly, what a true conservative is not. Ready?
To me – after all, I am a self-appointed expert on such matters – the most important characteristic of a true conservative is that he or she believes in personal freedoms and personal responsibility. In other words, conservatives are determined to make their own way in the world without government help or hindrance. Just give them a fair and even playing field… and then get the heck out of their way. By God’s grace and the sweat of their brow, they will provide for their needs and those of their family, thank you very much.
As a conservative, I will also spend less than I make, and I expect my government to do the same. Paying high interest rates on massive debt is a surefire path to financial ruin. Uncle Sam, please take note!
I know it sounds old-fashioned, but conservatives also believe in what used to be called the Protestant Work Ethic. Basically, it says that if you are willing to work hard enough and long enough (and smart enough), you will eventually succeed. No government subsidies needed, just a willingness to “roll up your sleeves” and work your butt off.
Conservatives also believe in limited government. In fact, the smaller, the better. All they want, need, and expect from the folks in Washington D.C. is a strong national defense, secure borders, a well-maintained infrastructure – including highways, bridges, and ports – and a safe food and water supply. Beyond that, government has overstepped its bounds… and unjustly taxed us for the privilege.
As Ronald Reagan so eloquently (and humorously) put it, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’”
Speaking of the Gipper, if you are looking for someone to be the poster child for 20th century conservatism, think Ronald Reagan and his favorite president, Calvin Coolidge. Need a treatise on the subject? Try reading Reagan’s seminal speech, “A Time for Choosing,” which he delivered at the 1964 Republican convention in support of Barry Goldwater. That’s Goldwater, circa 1964; not the quasi-conservative, quasi-liberal of the 1980s and 90s. The aforementioned William F. Buckley and his younger brother James are also classic examples of conservative thought… as was Jack Kemp, a Reagan protégé who would have made an outstanding president. And for the record, both Thomas Sowell and Victor Davis Hanson are national treasures whose images should be carved on a conservative Mount Rushmore.
Back to “Cool Cal” for a minute. He was famous for saying that “The business of America is business,” but the real quote in its full context is: “After all, the chief business of the American people is business. They are profoundly concerned with producing, buying, selling, investing, and prospering in the world.” In other words, conservatives are capitalists, period… and they/we believe in the free market system.
Dare I quote Ronald Reagan again? “A rising tide lifts all boats,” he said, stealing the line from the last true Democrat, John F. Kennedy. By the way, if JFK were alive today, I am willing to bet that he would be a center-right leaning Republican.
So, now that we have defined what a conservative is and what he is not, how about liberals? In days gone by, liberals were free-thinkers, open to new ideas. They also believed in an individual’s right to self-expression, no matter how unpopular it was.
Today, groupthink has overtaken the liberal left, so much so that non-adherents are shadow banned and publicly shamed. If you are not willing to walk in lockstep with the rest of the progressive jackbooters, you will be ostracized and exiled to the political hinterlands… never to be heard from again.
Don’t believe me? Try walking in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s shoes for a few miles.
So, there you have it, folks, a Reader’s Digest version of today’s political landscape. I’ll save the RINO, globalist, and neocon labels for another time. After all, there is bound to be an organic and overwhelming public demand for a sequel.
