Will the Real Conservative Please Stand Up?
“Yesterday’s liberals are today’s conservatives.” That quote seems to be true as indicated by one survey. A majority of Republicans now support same-sex marriage rights. This includes high profile conservatives like Candace Owens and Andrew Klavan, both prominent members of the Daily Wire. Before Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court case which resulted in nationwide gay marriage rights, it was a common Republican/conservative talking point to oppose homosexuality. While Republicans still consistently oppose radical gender ideology, today’s conservatives are losing their moral roots.
Today, “conservative” simply means: 1) a general capitalistic view 2) some love of country and the constitution 3) opposed to the radical left. These are necessary but insufficient conditions to be considered a conservative in the historic sense. For the purposes of this article, historic conservative or philosophical conservative will refer to one who holds a conservative position that goes beyond the basic three listed above. Weak conservative will refer to those who call themselves conservative today but are more liberal when compared with yesteryear. Republican will simply mean a member of the GOP.
To begin, what is conservativism in the historic (and especially American) sense? Conservatism is often thought to have its roots in the works and writings of Edmund Burke, an Irish statesman who was active during the American and French revolutions. While Burke did not support the American independence movement outright, he was sympathetic regarding the colonists’ calls for fair representation. The French Revolution he wholly decried. Russel Kirk is largely hailed as the Father of American Conservatism. Kirk’s influence helped distinguish between traditional conservatives, neoconservatives, conservative libertarians, and classical liberals. In today’s America, all the aforementioned groups oppose the radical Left (and usually the Democratic party) to different extents. Indeed, all these groups disdain the collectivism yet relativism of the Left.
Unfortunately, because of the onslaught of Marxism, socialism, critical race theory, and gender ideology, the differences between broadly the conservative positions have been forgotten by laymen. While it is crucial that these groups work together to defeat the plague of leftism, the differences cannot be forgot, for each group envisions a different America.
Western Conservatism is firmly based in the Judeo-Christian worldview. While one can be Christian and not be a conservative, one cannot be a traditional conservative and divorce himself from Judeo-Christian values and the God of Abraham.
The writer suggests three cornerstones of true, philosophical conservatism. (1) A value of tradition, (2) The belief that change happens slowly, and (3) Transcendent moral values based on the biblical worldview and natural law, which may be uniquely expressed in different time periods and cultures. Most who would call themselves conservative would agree with number three. Even so, there are differences as to how or when morals should be enforced by the state or federal government.
One recent example will serve to illustrate sufficiently for this brief article. Just yesterday (04/06/2021), Arkansas became the first state in the nation to outlaw gender transition surgery for minors. This is a hugely important step to protect children and to combat crazy gender theory. However, this bill was not passed without resistance from Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. Hutchinson, who is a Republican, vetoed the bill and said that the it would make “new standards of legislative interference with physicians and parents as they deal with some of the most complex and sensitive matters dealing with young people.” Hutchinson decided to be roadblock to the protection of children in the name of a right to privacy. Most believe that there is some constitutional right to privacy. However, such a right was definitely not the Founders’ intentions. In fact, the so-called right to privacy is lifted from the Fourteenth Amendment. Even then, it is not explicitly laid out. It is an inference that has been used to justify countless harm to America especially in the form of abortion rights.
The writer is not an expert on Gov. Hutchinson’s political philosophy, so this is not to be taken as the final word on the matter. A law student the writer talked to described Hutchinson’s move as “libertarian virtue signaling.” Indeed, he strongly decried libertarianism as a “plague upon the Republican Party.” While plague may be a strong word, it has become in vogue to be against any and all regulation in the name of free-market capitalism and [weak] “conservatism.”
A similar incident, Republican governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem vetoed a bill that would protect women’s sports from transgenderism. While Noem initially expressed support the bill, she vetoed. To be fair, it is unclear if Gov. Noem caved to the pressure of transgender supporting groups like the NCAA. She maintains that the bill would have invited easy legal challenges.
It appears that conservatives have been weak in the areas of gender and sexuality. Brandi Love, a popular pornstar, is a self-described conservative and Trump supporter. In fact, she even writes for The Federalist, a popular source of conservative media and news. Now, Love may be against the Left and support a capitalistic economy, but under what definition can Love be said to be conservative? Certainly not a historic definition.
What’s the point of writing all of this? Those who would call themselves conservative need to do the research and figure out what it is they actually believe. You oppose the radical Left? Good! But what do you stand for?Free-market principles and lack of government regulation won’t save America. While good things in general, America can only be saved if it continues to be America, a nation deeply rooted in the Western tradition and Christian values.
Mitchell D. Cochran is a family life educator, a financial coach, and a board certified biblical counselor. He is the cofounder of Hope Initiative Consulting, LLC. and is currently attending Calvary University for his M.A. in biblical counseling. Mitchell is active in local politics in Lubbock, TX, where he lives with his wife, Katherine.
