"You know, I believe there is such a thing as healthy conservatism, which went out the window about the same time as 'liberal' became a dirty word. I don't believe it's a crime to be concerned with issues of security, caution, limits, preservation of order and tradition -- all fundamental conservative values. Even fiscal responsibility is supposed to be, and was at one time a conservative value, before the Republican Party was high-jacked by criminals and thugs. There needs to be a healthy balance, liberals providing the vision, the enthusiasm, the momentum, conservatives presumably making sure it doesn't all fly off the rails. Bushism is not conservatism; it's just craziness, greed, dishonesty and silliness. A funhouse distortion of conservatism. True conservatism, if it can ever be resuscitated, has some real virtues that provide a necessary complement to those of liberalism. Perhaps included in the definition of liberal should be some mention about respect for one's adversaries, an ability to see and appreciate the other person's point of view." -- ailanthus, 2008-05-21
"The whole conservative small government schtick is not a conservative principle; it is a marketing tactic. The only conservative principle is 'more power for the powerful.'
[...]
"When discussing conservatism, we would do well to distinguish between goals and marketing. Conservatism is what it does, not what it says."
-- miasmo, 2008-05-21
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