The Essence of Conservatism

What does it mean to be a conservative?

A few days ago I was texting my friend Victor, and we got to talking about politics. He’s normally not the type to care much about what’s going on in Washington, but when I told him about my blog, he seemed interested. He asked me exactly what it means to be a conservative. I defined a few key issues (namely small government) pretty succinctly, trying to squeeze an explanation into one text message.

But I realized later that I had defined conservatism incorrectly. Here is what I should have said:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

That is the essence of conservatism.

We believe in the principles on which this country was created. The founders, who were ordinary men like us, are perhaps – excepting God – our greatest inspirations. We believe in their vision of a nation free from tyranny.

We believe in the Constitution, the foundation of our country. We believe that it is a set of restrictions on government activity, and that is the way it should be. It is not open to reinterpretation. It is what it is.

We believe in values like diligence, charity, and hard, honest work. We shape our lives by these virtues and strive to do well in all aspects of our lives. We believe that it is our duty to help out others in need – when we can and when we want to, not when the government tells us to.

We believe in life above all. We believe that every life – no matter how young, how weak, or how seemingly insignificant – is a miracle. We fight to preserve it in any way we can.

And while we do not smile on death or war, we believe in a strong military. Only by maintaining our strength can we bring that same strength to others. We will not accept indecisiveness or pandering to our enemies. We believe in the men and women who willingly sacrifice their lives to keep us safe. We pray for them, we cry for them, and we support our soldiers with everything we have.

We believe that all citizens deserve the great opportunities that America can give them. We will stand for neither hatred nor preferential treatment because of skin color. We enjoy the many cultures we are exposed to in this melting pot of a nation, and we hope that people can embrace both their ethnic background and their American citizenship.

We understand that this country was founded mainly by Christian men and mainly upon Christian values. Even if we don’t believe in the same God, we think it’s all right to acknowledge our religious roots. We are grateful that we have the right to practice whatever faith we see fit.

We do not believe that the government should have unlimited spending powers. We do not believe that bailing out those who fail will solve anything. Tax money should be spent responsibly, and the government should not be allowed to accrue $13 trillion in debt. We believe in fiscal sanity, in basic capitalistic principles, in spending only what we can afford.

We believe that the government’s role is to serve and protect its people, not the other way around. We elect our officials in the hopes that they will respect and protect us, not lord over us. When they disappoint us, we show up at the next election to vote them out of office.

We believe that America is the greatest country on this Earth. We believe that all Americans are keepers of freedom, and that somehow we may be able to bring liberty to other nations. We love our country.

To me, at least, that is what being a conservative means.

Viral Politics: Social Media's Role in Upcoming Elections

Many pundits believe that Barack Obama’s effective use of the Internet contributed to his victory. And over the past several months, a few high-profile Republican candidates have made the most of social networking and wormed their way into blue-state offices. Despite its relative youth, social networking has become nearly as influential and dominant in the American consciousness as traditional media outlets. Web users can become friends or fans on Facebook, follow on Twitter, subscribe on YouTube, and share their opinions on a person-to-person level. And that, for politics, is key.

A simple, low-cost form of advertising, social media has already begun to change the election process for two reasons. Politics is no longer local: What began as meetings in the town square has evolved into a massive, virtual platform for dialogue on critical issues. This allows not only virtual contact with potential constituents, but also out-of-state support. Even state, county, and city elections now draw attention from across the country. And politics isn’t just for “old fogies” either. Using social networks helps politicians appear more accessible to younger generations, especially teenagers and young adults, who are usually – and accurately – pegged as the demographic least likely to vote. Simple awareness of a name or a face could spark interest and a desire to vote.

Scott Brown knew how to work the Internet. His special election campaign exemplifies how social media can be used to a politician’s advantage. Since Brown entered the race as the underdog, his campaign relied heavily on advertising and launched a website; Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr accounts; an iPhone app; and a customized Ning network, Brown Brigade. He presented potential voters with frequent updates, pushing for word-of-mouth support. A study by Larry Kim, founder of WordStream Internet Marketing, reveals just how effectively Brown used social media to his advantage. As of January 14, Martha Coakley had acquired only about 9,000 Facebook fans while Brown had 41,050. Coakley had a mere 2,674 Twitter followers; Brown had over 7,000. Also notable is that Brown frequently replied to other users’ tweets, effectively creating a channel of communication with voters. Coakley had just over 24,000 YouTube upload views… and Brown had over 223,000. His online fundraising efforts were wildly successful, with 97 percent of over $15 million in donations coming from individuals and a significant portion from states other than Massachusetts. Alexa, a company that rates Internet usage, reported that Brown had a 10:1 advantage in overall web traffic.

Despite the heavy liberal history weighing him down, Scott Brown managed to stay afloat – and win – in Massachusetts. Politicians who put effort into using social media intelligently, in addition to usual campaign strategies, can achieve an unprecedented level of contact with constituents. Upcoming candidates would do well to take advantage of social media early in the process.

Politics has gone viral. And November is coming.