I am a conservative by nature, by intellect, and by desire. I believe in the four foundations of the conservative movement which I believe most Americans would agree with, fundamentally. Those four cornerstones are: Liberty, Tradition and Order, Rule of Law, and Moral Government. How are these under threat given today’s Republican Party and Donald J. Trump? I believe they are under dire threat.
Liberty means political liberty being able to freely speak your mind on matters of public interest. Liberty means religious liberty to worship as you believe or to not worship at all. Liberty means economic liberty in the pursuit of your own property and participation in a free market society. And Liberty most importantly means freedom from government oppression and arbitrary use of force. However, this also means, as the Founders of our Nation understood, for the common good individuals give some of their “rights” to their government.
Tradition and Order, simply means Conservatives believe society has evolved values over history that have led to an orderly society. These values have been based on human nature, belief that societies have been built that respect human rights and that can repel attacks on these rights. Conservatives’ believe that society changes through evolution over time, not revolutionary actions.
The Rule of Law provides a means to preserve life, liberty, and property. The Rule of Law also evolves over time but provides society with an ordered approach in how to support Liberty, Tradition and Order, and a Moral government. The Rule of Law puts no one above the law, no group, and no individual.
Moral government means for a government to exist it must – to be just, to be valid – the government must be based on a moral foundation. These morals are not unique to any religion but are part of human nature and reflected by cultures around the world. Our Founders spoke of “natural laws”, not religion and certainly not a specific religion. These morals provide guidance in the actions of government – whether that is in the form of legislatures, courts, or executive offices.
Today, the Republican party in many ways fundamentally does not reflect these foundations of Conservatism.
Take each of these cornerstones of modern Conservative thought.
Liberty – today’s Republican party has, and is, censuring any Republican who speaks freely, who speaks truth to power. It is no longer the party of freedom of thought, freedom of speech. Look at the lengthy list of current and former Republicans who have been driven out of the party and out of their roles because they had the temerity to speak their minds. And the one singular thread of being driven out? Their right, their duty to speak their minds on Donald J. Trump and present their critical thoughts on his actions, his words, and his policies. Think of Liz Cheney, one of the most conservative Representatives in the House, number 3 leadership role within the Republican House caucus – driven out of her leadership role and censured from the Republican Party. Think of Adam Kinzinger – a rising star within the Republican Party, Lt. Colonel in the Air Force Reserve – driven out of the Republican party due to his opposition of Trump’s role contributing to the attack January 6 on our Capitol and his participation in the House committee investigation of January 6th. Think of the ten Republican Representatives that voted to impeach Trump after January 6 – Reps. Liz Cheney, David G. Valadao, Adam Kinzinger, Anthony Gonzalez, Peter Meijer, Reps. John Katko, Dan Newhouse, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Fred Upton, Tom Rice. Eight of the ten left their offices, either by losing their primaries, or retiring from office. Only two remain in the House. And look with concern, perhaps more rightfully fear with what is being proposed in Project 2025, and being supported by the just now released 2024 Republican Platform – civil servants must pass a “loyalty” test, pledging their loyalty, essentially to a empowered President, who under the proposals within Project 2025 will take direct control of all of the Civil Service and Federal agencies. Fear that Liberty going forward will not mean “freedom from government oppression and arbitrary use of force.” Under Project 2025, the President’s role rises supreme over the other branches of the government with complete autonomy. Think Liberty is under threat? Yes, the November election represents a threat to Liberty should Donald J. Trump be elected.
Tradition and Order – the foundation is the respect for human rights, that society has evolved over time to support human rights. Yet, within Project 2025 – echoed again by the Republican 2024 Platform – are plans to dismantle civil rights laws and protections. These are focused on removing protections for women and minorities. Title VII protects against discrimination and harassment
based on race, color, national origin, and religion, as well
as sex, while Title IX becomes more specific in prohibiting discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities. Think this concern is overblown? Know that Donald J. Trump has lost many civil suits concerning racial discrimination. That Donald J. Trump to this day still does not condemn, let alone even criticize, white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups. Just this week a march was conducted in Nashville by a group -Patriot Front – who Trump in 2016 called “good people” – shouting “Sieg Heil” (Hail Victory) used by the Nazi’s in Nazi Germany. If Trump is elected society will de-evolve, through extremist, reactionary actions stripping away civil rights that have evolved over decades or longer within our country.
Rule of Law – simply to protect us all, equal under the law with no group or individual above the law. Yet look no further than the Supreme Court ruling on Presidential immunity separating immunity under “official acts” versus no immunity for “private” acts. Immediately, Trump and his attorney-initiated pleas that all his actions from 2016 through early 2021 fell under the definition of “official acts”. His attempt to hide his “hush money” payment to a porn star, his actions on January 6th, his attempts to overthrow the election results with the fake electors across numerous states, and his refusal to return government property in the documents case – are now all being plead as “official acts”. Given the Presidential authority and autonomy should Project 2025 proposals be acted on – the President virtually and in reality becomes above the law. The role would have the authority to claim every and any action taken by a President would be “official acts”, not “private acts”. Even assassinating a political opponent could be justified as an “official” act under the Constitution, with the President protecting the country in his role as the head of the military – being Commander in Chief. Think this is farfetched? Think again!
Moral government – the tenant is simple……for a government to be legitimate it must be moral, morals that are grounded across societies and across religions. Not specific to any one religion. How can a government be moral if an immoral, amoral individual is leading it? An individual who is a non-repentant sinner, an individual who believes he has done no wrong. Yet is proven to be a serial adulterer, a serial liar, a philanderer, and womanizer, even found guilty in civil court of sexual abuse (just short of rape), a convicted felon of thirty-four cases of business fraud. I believe given the autonomy and authority under Project 2025 proposals, Donald J. Trump would have the ability to corrupt our Federal government into his own image a government bent on revenge and retribution, a government focused on benefitting only those loyal to Donald J. Trump.
The Republican party, this current version – is no longer a conservative party – it is extremist and reactionary and being corrupted by an individual who would see himself be “king” – who has proven over his lifetime to be immoral and corrupt. Come November, this country has a choice, a clear choice to continue to strive to be as Ronald Reagan said “that shining city on the hill” or do we slide into an critically divided society unable to work for the common good as dreamed by our country’s Founders, driven there by an individual who only seeks to profit himself and his brand, and those pledging total loyalty to him.
Category: philosophy
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Years ago, during my high school years, I read John F. Kennedy’s book “Profiles in Courage”. The book was about eight US Senators who in US history, chronicling instances where they defied the pressures of various forces – their party, their state legislature, their President, but above all their constituents the American people – in a moment of national crisis, enduring insults from all sides.
Senator Kennedy wrote the book in the mid 1950’s while on convalescent leave from back surgery due to injuries during WWII. He had a interest in political courage from his days in college where his senior thesis was on Great Britain’s lack of political courage to rearm and confront the overt efforts of Germany under Adolf Hitler in rebuilding their military.
Why is this book relevant today? In today’s political environment of hyper partisanship the lack of political courage in not just concerning, but frightening. This lack of political courage exists on both sides of the isle, but is glaringly apparent on the right within the Republican Party.
Rather than courage, they express their fear. Kennedy described this as being, in parentheses I add my thoughts:
– pressure to be liked (fear of being disliked)
– pressure to be re-elected (fear of not being re-elected), and
– pressure of the constituency and interest groups (fear of their voters, fear of special interest groups, fear of Political Action Committees).
This fear that permeates the Republican Party today is grounded in their banner bearer, their nominee for President – Donald J. Trump. Men and women within the Republican Party that condemned Trump’s actions after the November election leading up to the January 6th attack on our Capitol and our democracy have succumbed to their fears, abandoned their principles, and violated their oaths to protect and preserve our Constitution and our Republic. And those that did not, they have been driven out of the Republican Party.
Kennedy also wrote about this in his book. He wrote, “In a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, ‘holds office’; every one of us is in a position of responsibility; and, in the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those responsibilities. We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve.”
This fall, the American people will have a choice. From that choice our people will get, as Kennedy said, the government they deserve. And it is not the choice between two bad alternatives, two aged candidates, two political parties.
The choice is about what this country chooses to be as it moves forward. It will be a choice of a vision of a country moving forward, seeking a path forward for all its people, of a country that will seek solutions to the issues it faces, of a country that chooses to continue to be a leader of the free world. Or it will be a choice of a vision of a country that seeks to benefit only those loyal to a single individual, benefiting primarily only those that already sit in a positions of wealth and power, of a country where government will extend its reach into the most private aspects of personal freedoms, of retreating from positions and policies that have secured the nation’s position leading the free world, that have built the world’s strongest economy and kept the world from entering disastrous world wide conflicts for the past eighty years.
This fall it will be up to the American electorate to determine what type of government we chose to have. A government that governs for the common good, or a government that governs only for those that pledge their fealty, their faith and loyalty, to a single individual.
In this time, in this place we need our elected officials to stand to the test of Kennedy’s “Profiles in Courage”. As he wrote, “The true democracy, living and growing and inspiring, puts its faith in the people – faith that the people will not simply elect men who will represent their views ably and faithfully, but also elect men who will exercise their conscientious judgment – faith that the people will not condemn those whose devotion to principle leads them to unpopular courses, but will reward courage, respect honor and ultimately recognize right.”
Today, now, we need our elected officials to put their principles and their country, ahead of their party, ahead of their party’s leader, even ahead of their constituency. They need to govern their actions on what is right, and let the chips fall how they may afterwards.
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I have picked up a couple of books to read, about the founding of our nation, our republic. One book, “First Principles – What America’s Founders learned from the Greeks and Romans and How that shaped our Country” tries to provide the reader with insight into how our first four presidents were impacted by their upbringing, their education and how this shaped our Constitution and our government.
Within just the first few pages something leaped out at me, and struck me with the context of a single word and it’s meaning from the late 1700’s versus how that word is used today.
That word is “virtue”.Today’s definition often centers around morality, for example the “virtue of tolerance” or the “virtue of charity”. Or it may mean a trait of excellence including those of moral, social, or intellectual traits.
But, the word’s meaning in the late 1700’s through the early 1800’s had a different meaning, a different context. Virtue comes from the Latin term “virtus”. It is associated with character, valor, excellence, courage, and worth. Traits associated (rightfully or wrongly) with Roman emperors and leaders. For the people of the late 18th century “virtue” was essential to public life. It meant putting “the common good before one’s own interests”. It was the “lynchpin” of public life at that time.
Why is this important? “Virtue” runs constantly through the recorded words, the public statements of the Founders of our republic. It was repeatedly, in their written documents. As the book states “The word virtue appears over 6,000 times in the collected correspondence of the Founders and other writings of the Revolution’s generation, as compiled in the US National database – Founder’s Online – which includes over 120,000 documents.” The word “virtue” is found more often than the word “freedom”. The practice of “virtue”- of putting the public good ahead of self-interest was paramount in public life then and may explain why George Washington appeared so large in the post-revolutionary era. He was a man of “virtue”.I could not help but think of how that word was essential to public life during the formation of our country and how that word today would ill fit our “leadership” today. Rather than virtue (either that of the late 1700’s or of today’s understanding of the word) far too many in Washington DC misconstrue notoriety with virtue, with social media presence with character, with how they might benefit themselves rather than how they might benefit “the common good”. How have we gone from a society where our candidates asked us to pledge allegiance to our country to pledge allegiance to themselves, where candidates pledged themselves to bring the country together to solve the nations issues, to candidates who say, “Only I can solve these nations problems.”
Sitting In No Man's Land 