This article is not meant to be a full dissertation on each individual topic, but simply a list to provoke thought.
Six things conservatives get wrong, and consequently advance Leftism.
1. Big Government is Big Government.
As Thomas Jefferson acutely noted, "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground".
Virtue plays an important role in both society and human development, but can it, or should it be legislated? My answer is that unless something causes you harm, it does not pertain to law.
Let's look at internet gambling as an example. There may be a moral case against gambling, and yes, it can certainly be destructive to the individual engaging in it, but does that give you the right to use government force against it?
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act has turned ordinary adults into criminals while setting a precedent that can easily extend into censorship of religious and political topics as well. Also, it has turned banks and internet providers into quasi-government institutions by requiring internet providers to identify gamblers, and for banks to block all transactions with gambling websites.
You may be against gambling, so then don't gamble. When you start telling others how to act, it can (and most likely will) come back to haunt you.
2. Allowing the Left to Control the Agenda.
Just this morning, I read a story about McCain responding to a video Madonna used on stage during her current tour. Yes, it's insulting ... but more importantly, it's childish and irrelevant! The real story here is two-fold. First, Madonna displayed her complete lack of intellect. Second, Madonna just got a whole bunch of publicity for her tour!
Conservatives need to talk about what matters to them, not about what they disagree with in others. Take a position of confidence! It's about what you believe! It's not about them.
3. Confusing Conservative with Republican.
Over the past 8 years, George W. Bush (with the help of Congress) has increased the size and scope of government at a pace rivaled only by FDR. I think Jonah Goldberg sums up both points 2 and 3 best when he said:
Republicans and conservatives aren't the same thing. This distinction seems lost on lots of people, including cable television bark-show bookers and partisan Democrats and Republicans alike. To a principled conservative, it is bad news when the Democrats lurch to the left, even if it makes the Democrats less likely to win elections. Why? Because when the Democrats move left, so do the Republicans.
In American politics, when one party moves left or right, the political center of gravity moves that way too.
4. The Abortion Debate.
The Left has successfully turned this into a religious debate, when in fact, it's not a religious debate at all. I'm not dismissing theological arguments against abortion, but ... like it or not, theology doesn't matter in regards to this legal debate.
All you have to do is read the Declaration of Independence to understand what I'm getting at. Our founders made a point to declare the immutable fact that simply by being, we have certain rights that are inseparable from us, and among these inseparable rights is "the right to life". This avoids the straw man argument that being pro-life is specifically religious.
5. The Bi-partisan Myth.
You either believe in something or you don't. Bi-partisanship can only bring one result: more of what you don't want.
6. Forgetting the Virtues Federalism.
The United States Constitution provides for a federal system of government. In other words, government authority is divided between the states and the national government. The national (federal) government does not have unlimited authority to override the laws of the individual states. This in effect, allows us to agree to disagree, and provides that more people in America can be satisfied, instead of the one-size-fits-all Washington "solutions".
Think carefully about the authorities in which you extend to Washington. You may be a Drug War hawk that supports the federal government raiding and arresting people for possession of marijuana (a plant that grows in the ground), in disregard of the laws of the state that protect them, but ... will you feel the same way when the Left overrides your state protected gun rights? Or some other key issue of yours?
Giving government more authority will always come back to haunt you. Understand philosophy. Vote for ideas not politicians. And always remember why it was so important to our founders that government be LIMITED!
