Dixie - In Memoriam
New member
One thing that I believe has been missing from the Republican Conservative dialogue, is an articulation of the connection between social conservative values and fiscal conservative policies. I think the left, along with help from so-called moderates, have successfully vilified the 'religious right' or 'the moral majority' in America. It is no longer 'in vogue' to mention 'God' in stump speeches, people like Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin are labeled "religious zealots" and effectively silenced in the 'intellectually serious' public arena of debate. Heaven forbid a politician attend National Prayer Day ceremonies, or be seen with Ralph Reid in public. They may as well be seen with Osama Bin Laden, because that is how ugly the left has become with their anti-religious rhetoric campaign.
In this atmosphere, I look back to Ronald Reagan, and I think... Here is a man who was governor of California, one of the nation's liberal bastions, his wife consorting with psychics, not really all that "religious" in their public life. Reagan certainly wasn't some southern bible-thumping morality preacher, but there was something very special about the Reagan philosophy and message. It did make the connection between social conservative values and fiscally conservative principles, in a way that hasn't been articulated since. Perhaps it was precisely Reagan's background which insulated him somewhat, from the heat of the anti-religious left, or maybe it was during a time when the anti-religious left was still a harmless and ineffective force. But for some reason, Reagan was able to connect the values and beliefs of social conservatives, with the pragmatic and prosperous principles of capitalism and free market economy. In other words, he vulcanized social and fiscal conservatism.
I believe he did so with the following message... I know there have been other constitutions, new ones are being drawn today by newly emerging nations. Most of them, even the one of the Soviet Union, contains many of the same guarantees as our own Constitution, and still there is a difference. The difference is so subtle that we often overlook it, but is is so great that it tells the whole story. Those other constitutions say, “Government grants you these rights” and ours says, “You are born with these rights, they are yours by the grace of God, and no government on earth can take them from you.”
Social Conservatism is the foundational cornerstone of Conservatism. It is through our belief in something greater than mankind, that we can have faith in our constitution, that we can trust individual liberties and free market economies to work, and at the same time, tend to the needs of the less fortunate among us. It is the humanitarianism found in our beliefs, which enable us to promote prosperity and capitalism. When you strip away a conservative's faith in something greater than man, you concede that our liberty and freedom are not 'endowed' by a Creator, rather they are appointed by courts and politicians. You effectively say, you believe in capitalism for the sake of greed and wealth, and nothing more. If our prosperity can't be used for the christian concept of helping those in need, aren't we just greedy capitalists who worship the dollar?
What most "moderate" conservatives don't realize, is how the left has eroded our foundation. Because they don't personally have strong religious faith, it has become easy for them to distance themselves from today's 'social conservative' and proclaim they are not a part of that. Oh, they believe in fiscal conservatism, they just don't go along with the 'religious right' on their issues... but, it is those issues which define what Conservatism is all about. The foundational cornerstone, the basis for all that follows, and without it, there is no compelling basis to support conservatism. It was clever of the left to go after religion, because Socialism works so much better in a Godless society. It's just very disappointing that so many so-called conservatives, can't understand or comprehend what conservatism is about.
In this atmosphere, I look back to Ronald Reagan, and I think... Here is a man who was governor of California, one of the nation's liberal bastions, his wife consorting with psychics, not really all that "religious" in their public life. Reagan certainly wasn't some southern bible-thumping morality preacher, but there was something very special about the Reagan philosophy and message. It did make the connection between social conservative values and fiscally conservative principles, in a way that hasn't been articulated since. Perhaps it was precisely Reagan's background which insulated him somewhat, from the heat of the anti-religious left, or maybe it was during a time when the anti-religious left was still a harmless and ineffective force. But for some reason, Reagan was able to connect the values and beliefs of social conservatives, with the pragmatic and prosperous principles of capitalism and free market economy. In other words, he vulcanized social and fiscal conservatism.
I believe he did so with the following message... I know there have been other constitutions, new ones are being drawn today by newly emerging nations. Most of them, even the one of the Soviet Union, contains many of the same guarantees as our own Constitution, and still there is a difference. The difference is so subtle that we often overlook it, but is is so great that it tells the whole story. Those other constitutions say, “Government grants you these rights” and ours says, “You are born with these rights, they are yours by the grace of God, and no government on earth can take them from you.”
Social Conservatism is the foundational cornerstone of Conservatism. It is through our belief in something greater than mankind, that we can have faith in our constitution, that we can trust individual liberties and free market economies to work, and at the same time, tend to the needs of the less fortunate among us. It is the humanitarianism found in our beliefs, which enable us to promote prosperity and capitalism. When you strip away a conservative's faith in something greater than man, you concede that our liberty and freedom are not 'endowed' by a Creator, rather they are appointed by courts and politicians. You effectively say, you believe in capitalism for the sake of greed and wealth, and nothing more. If our prosperity can't be used for the christian concept of helping those in need, aren't we just greedy capitalists who worship the dollar?
What most "moderate" conservatives don't realize, is how the left has eroded our foundation. Because they don't personally have strong religious faith, it has become easy for them to distance themselves from today's 'social conservative' and proclaim they are not a part of that. Oh, they believe in fiscal conservatism, they just don't go along with the 'religious right' on their issues... but, it is those issues which define what Conservatism is all about. The foundational cornerstone, the basis for all that follows, and without it, there is no compelling basis to support conservatism. It was clever of the left to go after religion, because Socialism works so much better in a Godless society. It's just very disappointing that so many so-called conservatives, can't understand or comprehend what conservatism is about.
