Stupid is as stupid does and stupidity votes Obama

[Imran Siddiqui]

Render unto God what is God's... ie, just about everything .

[regexcellent]

So now we can all agree that, at a minimum, CMU and Yale don't have a general problem with grade-buying, yes?

[Imran Siddiqui]

This is Apolyton! We don't agree about anything, noob!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Whigs = Christian Right (Con/Con)
Conservatives = fiscal conservatives, social liberals
Democrats = Lib/Lib
Something Else = Lib/Con (Stalinists?

Why exactly are you appropriating the word "Conservative" to define the Libertarian perspective? I'm sure Burke, Oakeschott, Kirk (not that one ) would be horrified to realize "conservative" became akin with social liberal policies.

FWIW, Fiscal Liberals & Social Conservatives are far greater than you think. They are usually considered "Populist" and I'd imagine folks like Huckabee and Santorum would be more there than they would with the Fiscal & Social Conservatives (Huckabee got in trouble with the fiscal conservatives for raising taxes while Governor, claiming his Christian beliefs led him to that policy position).

[snoopy369]

Why exactly are you appropriating the word "Conservative" to define the Libertarian perspective? I'm sure Burke, Oakeschott, Kirk (not that one ) would be horrified to realize "conservative" became akin with social liberal policies.

FWIW, Fiscal Liberals & Social Conservatives are far greater than you think. They are usually considered "Populist" and I'd imagine folks like Huckabee and Santorum would be more there than they would with the Fiscal & Social Conservatives (Huckabee got in trouble with the fiscal conservatives for raising taxes while Governor, claiming his Christian beliefs led him to that policy position).

Because "Libertarian" has negative connotations to a lot of people who otherwise might support the con/lib side, and the hypothetical 'Conservative' party would probably be not nearly as extreme as the proper Libertarian party (for example, it wouldn't necessarily share its foreign policy views).

Yeah, I got too far into my post and forgot about the whole liberal christian thing that started it...

[Imran Siddiqui]

Conservative is an actual intellectual tradition which doesn't mean moderate Libertarian, FWIW.

[snoopy369]

These are names for parties, not philosophical arguments. Do you think that the 'Democrats' primarily in democracy while the Republicans primarily believe in a Republic?

[Imran Siddiqui]

So you are going to name a party the name of another intellectual tradition while trying to claim the positive associations of that intellectual tradtion? Seems intellectually dishonest.

[Jaguar]

Conservative and Liberal have much more to do with modes of thinking than actual policy prescriptions.

[Hauldren Collider]

Which is why the Republican and Democratic parties don't actually map that well to traditional definitions Conservative and Liberal.

In many ways, particularly when it comes to economic policy and spending, the Democrats are simply reactionary.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Conservative and Liberal have much more to do with modes of thinking than actual policy prescriptions.

The funny part is that the current folks who label themselves "Conservative" act like radicals or reactionaries.

[Jaguar]

Frequently, yes. For example, Imran, I think you have very conservative modes of thought. Maybe more so than Kuci, who is far to your right on policy.

[Asher]

In many ways, particularly when it comes to economic policy and spending, the Democrats are simply reactionary.

Well, they have to clean up the economic mess left by the GOP predecessors.

[Jaguar]

I wonder how your brain explains the 1980s to itself.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Frequently, yes. For example, Imran, I think you have very conservative modes of thought. Maybe more so than Kuci, who is far to your right on policy.

So maybe no one gets conservative party - but I think the conservatives (in the mode of Burke, Oakeschott, Kirk) want to conserve their label .

Btw, I believe that at this point this thread has touched on more distinct issues than any other in the history of this site .