Monday, September 8, 2014

The 5 Most Egregious Myths About Conservatism


When it has nothing else to do, the liberal establishment will dip into its bulging bag of clichés. Don't fall for these. - Lee Edwards/The Daily Signal

1. The conservative movement is cracking up.
2. The conservative philosophy is irrelevant and out of date.
3. The three-legged stool of social, economic and national security conservatism is breaking down.
4) The tea party is toxic for conservatism.
5) Conservatism is headed for the ash heap of history unless it makes major changes in its philosophy and politics.

Wrong and wrong. Conservatism is the largest political philosophy in America: 40 percent of Americans describe themselves as conservative, 35 percent as moderate, and just 22 percent liberal. When queried about specific issues, moderates lean more to the right than to the left. The current surge of libertarianism, as seen in Sen. Rand Paul’s pre-presidential candidacy, will widen the appeal of the conservative movement.

Culturally, Fox News continues to dominate the world of cable news, Rush Limbaugh remains the No. 1 talk-show host, Cal Thomas is the most widely syndicated newspaper columnist in America, and The Heritage Foundation, in combination with Heritage Action, is the most-often cited think tank in Washington.

The defeats of 2006, 2008 and 2012 were caused by lackluster political leadership and lip service to conservative principles. The elections of 2014 and 2016 afford conservatives an opportunity to forge a governing coalition stretching from the nation’s capital to the state houses and legislatures of red and blue states. (Read the rest, at the link)