I just got back from visiting a very good friend in Des Moines, and now I'm back in good old East Lansing, Michigan. Now, Des Moines is a nice city, the people there are very nice. But when you're in Michigan, you can drive west for the Lake, or east for a big city, or north for a camping trip in the woods. You can sail, hike, and canoe, but you can also see a symphony, or an opera, or a professional basketball, football, hockey, or baseball game. In Des Moines, there's none of that. Ah, the virtues of my home state. It's a good thing I'm not biased.
Anyway, while I was visiting my good friend (a fellow FredHead, by the way), the South Carolina Republican primary returns came in. While I was not surprised, I was a bit disappointed; John McCain came in first place and Mike Huckabee took second. Together, the two least conservative candidates (excluding, always, Dr. Paul) garnered around two-thirds of the Republican vote in one of the most true-blue conservative states in the Union. The two truest conservatives in the race, to my way of thinking, garnered about one-third of the vote.
Now, after dispiriting election returns, where else can I turn to but talk radio to soothe my ailing conservative heart? Jason Lewis, one of my all-time favorites, asked his listeners what I believe is a very interesting question: what is a conservative? A lot of people seem to think that Huckabee is a genuine conservative; a lot of voters are holding their nose somewhat to vote for John McCain, despite his open disagreements with the conservative base about the Bush tax cuts and illegal immigration.
If anyone would like to comment, I'd love to hear what people think a conservative is. It's a term that's been claimed by many different types of people, so I don't think there's necessarily a wrong answer. But I do think it may be time to clarify just what "conservatism" means, who is and isn't one, and how the Republicans can move forward as a party.
I don't have time right now--school and other duties intrude, I'm sorry to say--but perhaps soon I shall write what I think it means to be a conservative...or at least write about what my beliefs are and are properly classified as, and see where the candidates fall.
Posts
