What is driving today's conservatives?

[Trapper John]

I have identified as a conservative since the formative years of my 'political awakening' during the Goldwater era. My thinking was driven largely by the likes of Ayn Rand and William Buckley. As is my habit of periodically reviewing and questioning the basis for my beliefs, I have had a nagging sense that "something else" was driving me. I don't think I am alone in this and perhaps other conservatives are as well.

I recently came across the following: A brilliant Twitter thread by Andrea Widburg perfectly explains what drives today's conservatives in one of my favorite publications - American Thinker

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog...u_RHKupq8_KMbI

[mark46th]

Thomas Sowell, Milton Friedman, Thomas Jefferson to name a few.

[Box]

"Today's conservatives" is a wildly undefined topic.

Who exactly are we speaking of when we talk about "Today's conservatives" ??

It isn't me. My views are still pretty much the same as they were thedaybeforeyesteryearsago.

Is Milt Romulan an example of "Today's conservatives" ??
What about Wick Rilson and his fellow Biden/Harris supporters over at the Lincoln Project - maybe THEY are what we mean when we talk about "Today's conservatives"
Maybe the self righteous better-than-thou crowd at the Republican Voters Against Trump (RVAT) are considered "Today's conservatives"

Bush - Graham - Kasich - Pataki; all of these "conservative" presidential candidates demanded that the republican field sign a pledge to support the party nominee because they all thought it would be a good bludgeon to use on donald Trump when he DIDNT get the nomination and tried to run as an independant.

These men are ALL supposed to be good examples of "Today's conservatives" - men of honor and integrity and yet, every last one of them refused to "honor" their pledge when donald trump became the Republican presidential nominee.
Men of honor - pfft
Pledge - pfft
Of course, it does help explain why so many of them are SO bad at upholding their oath of office - because pledges mean NOTHING to these empty hollow flesh sacks.
"Today's conservatives" my big ole butt.


"Today's conservatives"
No such thing anymore.

[JGC2]

Originally Posted by mark46th

Thomas Sowell, Milton Friedman, Thomas Jefferson to name a few.

Unfortunately there's nothing conservative about so-called free market capitalism, as it's what's been used to whore out our nation to foreign interests while actually conserving zero traditions or customs handed to us from our ancestors. Milton Friedman enthusiastically endorsed Leo Melamed's establishment of speculative finance in Chicago because free market capitalism can find no fault with inventing profit from thin air, and ever since then we've watched speculative finance in an unbacked economy working at the behest of a private sector money printing factory called the Federal Reserve drive domestic and foreign policy, and not in a good way, since the 1970s (check out David Stockman's The Great Deformation for a great takedown of our entire post-WW2 system; and stay tuned for Mel Gibson's The Rothchilds if you want to really know who's behind it). Sowell is strikingly correct in many of his economic, social, and even many racial observations, but he mostly identifies problems and insane left-wing hypocrisies without outright naming the hard solutions that aren't uncontroversial fiscally conservative positions, i.e. taxes are bad. In that sense he is much like Charles Murray, who can write 500 pages on the merits of European achievement, but would never dare defend inherently European values. Jefferson was quite prescriptive but no conservative today really wants to adopt actual Jeffersonian ideals lest they be branded a white supremacist. Instead, they seem entirely content with using Jefferson as some sort of weird justification for milquetoast civic nationalism and Constitutional pearl clutching, forgetting that Jefferson was in France in 1789 and basically wrote Madison several letters saying "wtf are y'all doing bro." A decade later Jefferson created an entire political party whose sole purpose was to destroy the emergence of a ruling elite that was mostly bankers who were plundering agrarian workers and pushing for perpetual military adventurism, and after failing he wrote in 1820 "I regret that I am now to die in the belief that the useless sacrifice of themselves by the generation of 1776, to acquire self-government and happiness of their country, is to be thrown away by the unwise and unworthy passions of their sons, and that my only consolation is to be that I live not to weep over it."

Basically mainstream conservatism today is just liberalism from 10 years ago. In 2025 conservatives will be making impassioned defenses of tranny rights so long as they don't [insert thing that conservatives will be okay with in 2035]. Just look at the present allowable conservative positions on Christianity, gay rights, feminism, and even BLM. This is why a third position will either emerge to save our nation just in time or from its ashes after it's too late.

[WarriorDiplomat]

Originally Posted by JGC2

Unfortunately there's nothing conservative about so-called free market capitalism, as it's what's been used to whore out our nation to foreign interests while actually conserving zero traditions or customs handed to us from our ancestors. Milton Friedman enthusiastically endorsed Leo Melamed's establishment of speculative finance in Chicago because free market capitalism can find no fault with inventing profit from thin air, and ever since then we've watched speculative finance in an unbacked economy working at the behest of a private sector money printing factory called the Federal Reserve drive domestic and foreign policy, and not in a good way, since the 1970s (check out David Stockman's The Great Deformation for a great takedown of our entire post-WW2 system; and stay tuned for Mel Gibson's The Rothchilds if you want to really know who's behind it). Sowell is strikingly correct in many of his economic, social, and even many racial observations, but he mostly identifies problems and insane left-wing hypocrisies without outright naming the hard solutions that aren't uncontroversial fiscally conservative positions, i.e. taxes are bad. In that sense he is much like Charles Murray, who can write 500 pages on the merits of European achievement, but would never dare defend inherently European values. Jefferson was quite prescriptive but no conservative today really wants to adopt actual Jeffersonian ideals lest they be branded a white supremacist. Instead, they seem entirely content with using Jefferson as some sort of weird justification for milquetoast civic nationalism and Constitutional pearl clutching, forgetting that Jefferson was in France in 1789 and basically wrote Madison several letters saying "wtf are y'all doing bro." A decade later Jefferson created an entire political party whose sole purpose was to destroy the emergence of a ruling elite that was mostly bankers who were plundering agrarian workers and pushing for perpetual military adventurism, and after failing he wrote in 1820 "I regret that I am now to die in the belief that the useless sacrifice of themselves by the generation of 1776, to acquire self-government and happiness of their country, is to be thrown away by the unwise and unworthy passions of their sons, and that my only consolation is to be that I live not to weep over it."

Basically mainstream conservatism today is just liberalism from 10 years ago. In 2025 conservatives will be making impassioned defenses of tranny rights so long as they don't [insert thing that conservatives will be okay with in 2035]. Just look at the present allowable conservative positions on Christianity, gay rights, feminism, and even BLM. This is why a third position will either emerge to save our nation just in time or from its ashes after it's too late.

Agreed, government is a giant slow moving Tsunami that starts center goes right then slowly transitions left as it gains momentum. The more people the faster it moves

[pcfixer]

Originally Posted by mark46th

Thomas Sowell, Milton Friedman, Thomas Jefferson to name a few.

Also John Locke and CS Lewis to the list

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by Trapper John

I recently came across the following: A brilliant Twitter thread by Andrea Widburg perfectly explains what drives today's conservatives in one of my favorite publications

That thread was a multipart one done by Darryl Cooper, AKA MartyrMade.
It was also read, nearly in its entirety, a few nights ago by none other than Tucker Carlson.
Here's one link that won't give you-know-who another click. Carlson does a pretty good job with it and reinforces the sourcing with screens of the actual text.

[Trapper John]

Thank you Badger 52! Tucker Carlson put a lot of clarification on this topic. My apologies to Box and the Boxen. This wasn't about Conservatives at all.

I am not really sure what Conservatism is anymore, let alone who Conservatives are?

Using the list Mark46th put forth as exemplars, I agree with that list by the way, then "Today's conservatives" is an oxymoron! Won't make that mistake again.

[Paslode]

Originally Posted by Trapper John

I am not really sure what Conservatism is anymore, let alone who Conservatives are?

Conservatives and conservatism are pretty much extinct in political circles, what passes as conservative and conservatism are self serving bloviating whores who have sold their souls to the highest bidder. Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney, Trey Gowdy, Lindsey Graham, Darrell Isa, Asa Hutchins, Kristi Noam all come to mind, but there aren't many (if any) "conservative" politicians in recent history that are Conservative.

How many politicians in general fight for American values and the US Constitution which EVERY Federal employee, Representative, Senator, judge, political appointee, and the President and Vice President of the United States swears to support and defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic?

Not too damn many.


Conservatives and Conservatism can be easily found outside every major city in the US and in the 70+ million US citizens that General Milley (and the DC Beltway) considers Nazi's and a former President he considers Adolf Hitler-esque.

BTW....

In a new book Gen. Milley, in regards to a coup, is credited with stating:

"You can't do this without the military. You can't do this without the CIA and the FBI. We're the guys with the guns."

Esper, Milley, Vindman, Comey, Clapper, Brennan

Things make you go hmmmmmm...

[Box]

I have far more in common with Victorian era Classic Liberalism than any of the Millennial "conservative" politicians that are defrauding US citizens out of their hard earned "tax" money.

...a political philosophy and ideology that places emphasis on securing the freedom of the individual by limiting the power of the government, civil liberties under the rule of law, economic freedom, private property, and a robust participation in laissez-faire style capitalism.

I dont know WHAT in the fuck these modern day hucksters are selling but I'm not buying any of it.

[Pete]

Frustration with the GOPe "leadership".

They put the capital "U" in Uniparty.