So do ‘real’ conservative politicians exist anywhere besides the imagination? I suggest there aren’t many.

That seems to be a slight dilemma for the Republican party. Interestingly, there are very very few people these days who claim to be a Republican. All I get anymore is, “I’m a conservative, not a Republican.”

So, are conservatives, who always vote Republican, Republicans? Logically speaking, I would think not. But as far as elections are concerned, they’re a guaranteed vote, so what’s the real difference?

It kinda leaves

I agree with you. It depends on who you ask.

I was asking Moshe ben David if there were any conservative politicians by the criteria he laid out in post #14. I’m not sure Reagan even meets that standard, so I asked if there really is a “conservative” politician anywhere besides our imaginations.

Without speaking for Moshe, John Boehner, Lindsey Graham, Phil Graham and Tom Delay do not seem to fit his criteria; yet, many consider them good Republicans and/or conservatives.

So do ‘real’ conservative politicians exist anywhere besides the imagination? I suggest there aren’t many.

Do real conservatives exist anywhere besides our imaginations?

The definition of conservative is radically different depending on which conservative you ask.

So for at least 15 years Republicans have not been conservative in the way you describe. This includes James Baker. I get it.

What about Reagan? My recollection of history isn’t perfect, but he expanded government spending enormously while in office. He grew government. If the patron saint of “conservatism” does not fit the bill, then perhaps conservative presidents do not exist in the modern era. Surely nobody thinks of Nixon as conservative.

Do real conservatives exist anywhere besides our imaginations?

The chief of staff for Ronald Reagan
The Treasury Secretary for Ronald Regan
The Secretary of State for G.H.W. Bush
said this:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b3f299a6-0697-11de-ab0f-000077b07658,dwp_uuid=81377dd2-0733-11de-9294-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

What is your response?

You’re asking an essentially irrelevant question. We’re in the realm of politics, not of science or even of political science. You and a thousand other people can argue over what the true, academic definition of “conservatism” is. Just as Marxists will argue Lenin vs. Trotsky vs. Mao and engage in endless scholastic exercises over the “true” Marxism, so conservatives will do.

It doesn’t matter at this point. What matters is that we saw what happened to the USSR and to the PRC and to Cuba. That’s communism, regardless of what some Marxist professor may have to say on the subject.

We saw what happened under Reagan, under Mr. Bush pere, under Newt Gingrich, and under Mr. Bush fils. As a practical political matter that’s conservatism. It has been tried, and it has failed.

From this point you can continue the academic debate. In fact I think it’s an interesting thing to do and might actually be useful somewhere down the road. But right now the conservative brand in politics means: cutting taxes, eliminating regulation, gay-bashing, race-baiting, pro-life, invading more-or-less randomly-chosen countries, and a style of expression that has rage and contempt at its core.

I’m human. So I had to re-read Michael’s post again and catch the problem.

Just Damn. No, Hell No, A thousand times, freaking, NO! This is not a result of conservatism. THAT’s the problem.

You cannot name for me a single thing that has come out of Washington DC since the Reagan Administraion that even remotely is conservative. Point to a law or a policy. Name it.

At the risk of offending some people, I include the “War on Terror” because terror is merely a cowardly tactic. We SHOULD be at war with Islamic Jihad or Wahabism and all it’s adherent’s.

But back to conservatism.

First, I want you to define it. What exactly is conservatism in your mind?

And to help you out, I consider Alexander Hamilton, Ben Franklin, Walter E. Williams and Thomas Sowell to be conservative thinkers. Where do they go wrong? How about you cite a quote from each one and tell us all how their thinking is flawed.

Explicitly name for me the conservative policies that were enacted or enforced since 2000 that brought about the conditions we see today?

I want specifics. Name the bill or law. How it was enforced. Can you demonstrate how it affected the economy?