AMERICAN CONSERVATISM IN 2008 AND BEYOND

Started a war Conservatives did not start any wars; but did end and/or try to end wars once started by others.
Lowered taxes This is conservative stuff.
Destroyed our economy - along with many of the developed countries Liberals destroyed our and other economies by encouraging, defending, and subsidizing, submarginal loans.
Increased terrorism around the world Terrorism was increased by terrorists throughout the world.
Created more enemies in the Middle East Conservatives did not create these enemies.
Lost many of our former allies Conservatives did not lose these allies.
Generally left our country in chaos - increasing unemployment and loss of equity for most Americans Conservatives did not do this. This chaos didn't start until 2007. Neither the President or the Congress were conservative when this chaos started in 2007.

Did I miss anything? Yes! You are clearly confused about what conservatives advocate and do.

CONSTITUTIONALISM

Quote:

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=constitutionalism&x=30&y=9
Main Entry: con•sti•tu•tion•al•ism Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: -n l iz m, -n liz m
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
1 : the doctrine or system of government in which the governing power is limited by enforceable rules of law and concentration of power is prevented by various checks and balances so that the basic rights of individuals and groups are protected
2 : adherence to the principles of constitutionalism

CONSERVATISM

Quote:

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=conservatism&x=23&y=8
Main Entry: con•serv•a•tism Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: k n s rv d. iz m, -s v-, -s iv-, -v tiz-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
Etymology: conservative + -ism
1 a : the disposition in politics to preserve what is established <twentieth century politics of New Jersey has continued to be dominated ... by the natural conservatism of the industrial and business interests -- American Guide Series: New Jersey>
b : a political philosophy based on a strong sense of tradition and social stability, stressing the importance of established institutions (as religion, property, the family, and class structure), and preferring gradual development with preservation of the best elements of the past to abrupt change <political conservatism in the United States ... has become identified with the business interests -- Francis Biddle>
2 usually capitalized a : the principles and policies of the Conservative party in the United Kingdom <the fundamental and distinct tenets of Conservatism -- R.A.Butler> b : the Conservative party or its members <whether Conservatism enjoys a long tenure of office -- L.D.Epstein>
3 a : the tendency to accept an existing fact, order, situation, or phenomenon and to be cautious toward or suspicious of change : extreme wariness and caution in outlook <acquired conservatism which normally increases with increasing age and sagacity -- H.G.Armstrong> <conservatism in banking practices> <conservatism in interpreting data> b : strong resistance to innovation : relative freedom from change <the conservatism of the area ... has helped to preserve the evidences of its past -- R.W.Southern>; specifically : the tendency of certain plants or animal groups (as the brachiopods) to remain narrowly adapted to a particular environment and undergo minimal evolutionary change or differentiation
4 : CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM

Make careful note of who it is that has rained nuclear bombs on ANYONE.

ican, Past history is just that; it doesn't apply to contemporary warfare unless you've been living in isolation for over half a century.

http://dfa.meetup.com/boards/thread/1329388/20/
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. The average of the world's greatest civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, and from dependency back to bondage."

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=democratism
Main Entry: de•moc•ra•tism Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: d mäkr tiz m, d -
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
Etymology: democrat + -ism
: the theory, system, or principles of democracy

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=democracy
Main Entry: de•moc•ra•cy Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: d mäkr s , d -, -si
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -es
Etymology: Middle French democratie, from Late Latin democratia, from Greek d mokratia, from d m- dem- + -kratia -cracy
1 a : government by the people : rule of the majority
b (1) : a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly (as in the ancient Greek city-states or the New England town meeting) -- called also direct democracy
(2) : a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them indirectly through a system of representation and delegated authority in which the people choose their officials and representatives at periodically held free elections -- called also representative democracy
2 : a community or state in which the government is controlled by the people; specifically : a state in which the supreme power is held and exercised directly by the people rather than by their elected agents <in a democracy the people meet and exercise their government in person; in a republic, they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents -- James Madison> -- compare REPUBLIC
3 usually capitalized a : the principles and policies of the Democratic party in the United States b : the Democratic party or its members
4 : the common people especially when regarded as the source of government
5 : political, social, or economic equality : the absence or disavowal of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges <democracy stands at a midway point, with personal freedom limited only by another concept -- that of equality -- Louis Wasserman>
6 : a state of society characterized by tolerance toward minorities, freedom of expression, and respect for the essential dignity and worth of the human individual with equal opportunity for each to develop freely to his fullest capacity in a cooperative community
7 : control through representation by the rank and file especially in industry -- see INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=republicanism&x=28&y=10
Main Entry: re•pub•li•can•ism Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: -k niz m
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
Etymology: 1republican + -ism
1 : adherence to or sympathy for a republican form of government : republican practices or spirit : attachment to republican principles or institutions <republicanism, driven underground by the era of reaction, was kept alive -- Times Literary Supplement> <popular democratic sentiment came forth as republicanism -- Alfredo Mendizábal Villalbo>
2 : a republican form of government : the principles or theory of republican government <maintenance of republicanism in Latin America -- Alexander Marchant> <republicanism in the seventeenth century was ... an aristocratic doctrine -- G.H.Sabine>
3 usually capitalized a : the principles, policy, or practices of the Republican party of the U.S. <the leading theorist of modern Republicanism -- Stewart Alsop> b : the Republican party or its members <a rousing battle between midwest Republicanism and Democratic liberalism -- New York Times>

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=republican&x=26&y=9
Main Entry: 1re•pub•li•can Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: r p bl k n, r p-, -l k-
Function: adjective
Etymology: modification (influenced by English -an, adjective suffix) of French républicain, from Middle French republicain, from republique
1 a : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a republic : having the form or based on the principles of a republic <the United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government -- U.S. Constitution> <the success of republican institutions in So. American countries -- John Dewey> b : favoring, supporting, or advocating a republic <so little republican and so much aristocratic sentiment -- Philip Marsh> <a republican party> c : held to belong to or be appropriate for one living in or supporting a republic <our republican and artistic simplicity -- Nathaniel Hawthorne> <a republican indifference to the majesty of office -- H.S.G.Saunders>
2 usually capitalized a : of, relating to, or constituting the Democratic-Republican party b : of, relating to, or constituting one of the two major political parties in the United States evolving in the mid-19th century from the Whigs, Free-Soilers, and Democrats primarily for the purpose of opposing the extension of slavery and becoming usually associated with business, financial, and some agricultural interests and with favoring a restricted governmental role in social and economic life -- compare DEMOCRATIC 2, LIBERAL REPUBLICAN, NATIONAL REPUBLICAN
3 : living, nesting, or breeding in large flocks or communities

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=conservatism&x=23&y=8
Main Entry: con•serv•a•tism Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: k n s rv d. iz m, -s v-, -s iv-, -v tiz-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
Etymology: conservative + -ism
1 a : the disposition in politics to preserve what is established <twentieth century politics of New Jersey has continued to be dominated ... by the natural conservatism of the industrial and business interests -- American Guide Series: New Jersey>
b : a political philosophy based on a strong sense of tradition and social stability, stressing the importance of established institutions (as religion, property, the family, and class structure), and preferring gradual development with preservation of the best elements of the past to abrupt change <political conservatism in the United States ... has become identified with the business interests -- Francis Biddle>
2 usually capitalized a : the principles and policies of the Conservative party in the United Kingdom <the fundamental and distinct tenets of Conservatism -- R.A.Butler> b : the Conservative party or its members <whether Conservatism enjoys a long tenure of office -- L.D.Epstein>
3 a : the tendency to accept an existing fact, order, situation, or phenomenon and to be cautious toward or suspicious of change : extreme wariness and caution in outlook <acquired conservatism which normally increases with increasing age and sagacity -- H.G.Armstrong> <conservatism in banking practices> <conservatism in interpreting data> b : strong resistance to innovation : relative freedom from change <the conservatism of the area ... has helped to preserve the evidences of its past -- R.W.Southern>; specifically : the tendency of certain plants or animal groups (as the brachiopods) to remain narrowly adapted to a particular environment and undergo minimal evolutionary change or differentiation
4 : CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=liberalism&x=21&y=9
Main Entry: lib•er•al•ism Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: lib( )r liz m
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
1 : the quality or state of being liberal : as a : lack of strictness or rigor <treats his children with a certain liberalism>
b : BROAD-MINDEDNESS, OPEN-MINDEDNESS <an outlook marked by liberalism and tolerance>
2 : principles, theories, or actions that are liberal : as a often capitalized : a movement in modern Protestantism emphasizing intellectual liberty and the spiritual and ethical content of Christianity <nineteenth century Liberalism ... introduced historical method in the interpretation of the gospels -- C.H.Moehlman> -- compare FUNDAMENTALISM, MODERNISM
b : a theory in economics emphasizing individual freedom from restraint especially by government regulation in all economic activity and usually based upon free competition, the self-regulating market, and the gold standard <the decline of mercantilism produced a period characterized notably by the ideas and policy of liberalism> -- called also economic liberalism; compare CAPITALISM, COLLECTIVISM, FREE ENTERPRISE, INDIVIDUALISM, LAISSEZ-FAIRE, MERCANTILISM, SOCIALISM
c : a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of man, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for tolerance and freedom for the individual from arbitrary authority in all spheres of life especially by the protection of political and civil liberties and for government under law with the consent of the governed <the touchstone that enables us to recognize liberalism is the question of toleration -- M.R.Cohen> <the classic liberalism ... derived from French rationalism and Benthamite utilitarianism -- C.H.Driver> <liberalism had always claimed to stand for the greatest social good -- G.H.Sabine> -- compare CATHOLICISM 4, COMMUNISM 2, CONSERVATISM 1b, FASCISM 2a, INDIVIDUALISM, SOCIALISM d usually capitalized : the principles or policies of a Liberal party <the individualism of British Liberalism -- L.D.Epstein> <nonconformist religion ... was traditionally associated with political Liberalism -- G.D.H.Cole> e : an attitude or philosophy favoring individual freedom for self-development and self-expression <a positive and noble impulse ... of intellectual liberalism was its immanent zeal for truth -- F.C.Sell>

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=socialism&x=26&y=8
Main Entry: so•cial•ism Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: s sh liz m
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
1 : any of various theories or social and political movements advocating or aiming at collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and control of the distribution of goods: as a : FOURIERISM b : GUILD SOCIALISM c : MARXISM d : OWENISM
2 a : a system or condition of society or group living in which there is no private property <trace the remains of pure socialism that marked the first phase of the Christian community -- W.E.H.Lecky> -- compare INDIVIDUALISM
b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state -- compare CAPITALISM, LIBERALISM c : a stage of society that in Marxist theory is transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and payments to individuals according to their work

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=communism&x=26&y=8
Main Entry: com•mu•nism Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: kämy niz m, chiefly in substand speech -m n-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
Etymology: French communisme, from commun common + -isme -ism -- more at COMMON
1 a : a theory advocating elimination of private ownership of property or capital b : a system or condition real or imagined in which goods are owned commonly rather than privately and are available as needed to each one in a unified group sometimes limited, sometimes inclusive, and often composed of members living and working together : a similar system preventing amassing of privately owned goods and assuring equalitarian returns to those working <Plato's aristocratic communism> <the communism of the early church groups> <the communism obtaining among the early colonists>
2 often capitalized [Russian & German; Russian kommunizm, from German kommunismus, from French communisme] a : a social and political doctrine or movement based upon revolutionary Marxian socialism that interprets history as a relentless class war eventually to result everywhere in the victory of the proletariat and the social ownership of the means of production with relative social and economic equality for all and ultimately to lead to a classless society b : BOLSHEVISM c : a totalitarian system of government in which the state as owner of the major industries and acting through the medium of a single authoritarian party controls in large measure the economic, social, and cultural life of the society
3 often capitalized : strong left-wing activity or inclination that is subversive or revolutionary
4 biology : COMMENSALISM

http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=fascism&x=29&y=8
Main Entry: fas•cism Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: fa] shiz m, faa], fai] also ] si- sometimes fä] or f ]
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
Etymology: Italian fascismo, from fascio bundle, political group + -ismo -ism
1 often capitalized : the principles of the Fascisti; also : the movement or governmental regime embodying their principles
2 a : any program for setting up a centralized autocratic national regime with severely nationalistic policies, exercising regimentation of industry, commerce, and finance, rigid censorship, and forcible suppression of opposition
b : any tendency toward or actual exercise of severe autocratic or dictatorial control (as over others within an organization) <the nascent fascism of a detective who is not content merely to do his duty -- George Nobbe> <early instances of army fascism and brutality -- J.W.Aldridge> <a kind of personal fascism, a dictatorship of the ego over the more generous elements of the soul -- Edmond Taylor>

Hi Debra!

My day is going great! It continues to have its ups and downs as long as ican fly.

It's nice to see you too! How's your day going?

. . . Conservative is not nessarily the same thing as Republican

Foxfyre wrote:

. . . Conservative is not nessarily the same thing as Republican

How does this explain your ardent support of President Bush whom you described as "the most socially liberal Republican president elected ever"? Obviously, you didn't support him because of his "conservative" credentials. So your support must have been because he was Republican. You're not so idealistic as you are partisan.

A person can hold liberal views on one issue while holding conservative views on another issue. It is actually possible to be a composite of both within our political ideology.

What’s worse than a liberal? A RINO (Republican In Name Only). For those that don’t know, these Republicans are no more conservative than the sky is yellow. They galavant around as donkeys in elephants’ clothing for various reasons; probably because they are ashamed of their liberal views. Heck, if I was one of those spineless whack-jobs I’d do the same! But anyway, the good people at Human Events have compiled a list of the Top 10 Senate RINOs so we can all be on the look out for these phonies.

Only a few of the most tunnel visioned, brain washed, or totally unthinking types will be a true fundamentalist in any ideology and there are also differing degrees of emphasis or importance that any of us might place on any single issue.

Foxfyre wrote:

Only a few of the most tunnel visioned, brain washed, or totally unthinking types will be a true fundamentalist in any ideology and there are also differing degrees of emphasis or importance that any of us might place on any single issue.

Assuming you don't characterize yourself as a "most tunnel visioned, brain washed, or totally unthinking type" - which liberal views do you hold?

This should be interesting, particularly because you state at the same time that you supported Bush only in his conservatism, and opposed his liberalism....