Depends On What Conservative You’re Talking About
Too much work to do. But at first glance, this one appears to make the claim that middle of the road (get stuff done) is the new conservative (limited government, accountability, and local control).Â
There at the beginning — and maybe at the end, too
“If you look at my record as a whole, it’s clearly conservative,†Pawlenty said.
Let me just say this for now, and see if I have time after about 8 more hours of work today:Â
As a conservative, the kind Pawlenty and McCain loathe (principled), I am completely offended at how people are trying to redefine conservatism.Â
Conservatism is not something that can morph. It is what it is. You either are or you’re not. That’s fine. You can’t run from the label when running in the general election, then run back to the label when you’re in a primary or VP vetting race, and back and forth.Â
You’re either conservative or you’re not. It isn’t something you take on and off as the polls sway. It isn’t something that you can bring with you to the Capital on even numbered days.Â
You don’t have to be a good conservative to be a good Republican, but just because you are a good Republican doesn’t mean you are a good conservative.Â
It is okay not to be a conservative, but it is completely offensive to try to say a 10% increase in state spending, and the growth in scope and nannystateness of Minnesota in the last 4 or 5 years, is anything but conservatism. Sure this is blue Minnesota, but state wide smoking bans, subsidies for political junk science crap, boondoggle trains, stadiums, and bonding for local non-critical projects is anything but conservative.Â
It transcends state lines. It knows not what the political demographics are, but it does know when you’ve been one or not.Â
On some things Pawlenty is conservative. On others, he is not.Â
I would be much more comfortable with something along the lines of varying shades of conservatism, not such a black and white statement.Â
Everyone is conservative in their own eyes. Anyways, who died and made you Pope to go around telling people whether they are conservative or not?
Not true, Republicans running in general elections in Minnesota often cringe at the label. Democrats loathe conservatism and often oppose sound policies imply because they are of a conservative origin.
More often than not though, conservatism is only paid lip service by Republicans who need it. Of course that is usually when laws and policies are not on the docket.
But I am glad you got the point of my post. Oh wait, you didn’t. As usual.
Andy,
Is it conservative for the US to spend nearly as much as the rest of the world on defense (48% of the planets told military spending)? See attached article.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig9/quinn2.html
Liberty 1st:
To defend the nation?
YES!!!!!!
I haven’t looked lately, but as a % of GDP our defense spending is no where near record high levels.
The political spectrum is a sphere, not a straight line. Pure Libertarianism (on National Defense and foreign policy) is closer to Liberalism than Conservatism.
Andy,
Maybe the U.S. should increase defense spending to 99% of the world’s total? After all it is to defend this nation.
Do you think our foreign policy might be the reason we have to spend so much more than the rest of the world?
How do we continue this lunacy long term?
Have you noticed that we are broke, more than broke we are the largest debtor nation in history.
Your brand of conservatism is bankrupting my children’s future as well as creating enemies for them to fight.
I do not see much difference between you and the liberals, you both destroy the nation with your preferred policies.