Reagan Republicans?

There are 2 kinds of political conservatives in the United States. There are religiously motivated conservatives. I keep searching for a word to describe them, because they are not all evangelical Christians, but they all share the same moral values. For them, being conservative seems to mean conserving the institutionalization of their value system. I think Social Conservative may be the best description. This group is well meaning, but they seek to enforce their value system through a system of laws. This is a dangerous idea. Your interpretation of morality may be the right one, and the world my be a better place if we all lived by moral laws, as you understand them. But what happens when somebody else is in power who has a different value system. The proper way to promulgate morality is through religion and philosophy. It is not through force or threat of punishment that we change peoples hearts and behavior, it is through understanding and insight. It is through conversion.

Then there are the Libertarian Conservatives. Although Ronald Reagan had a deep sense of Christian faith, he fell more into this camp. Although, he was also socially conservative in many ways, he believed that the less government was involved in people's lives the better it was for everybody.

Reagan left office with a very high popularity rating, he rejuvenated the Republican Party, re-started the American economy, brought inflation under control, re-built the U.S. military and was crucial (some would argue the cause) to the end of the cold war.

The result is that now, everybody running on the Republican ticket claims to be Reagan Republicans. They are not. I haven't seen one since 1989. We need one.

Thesis

For several years I have lamented the divisiveness of American politics. Talk radio seems to appeal to the juvenile in us rather than the problem solvers in us. Politicians seem to treat political office more like a team sport to be won rather than the responsible governing of the people by statesmanship and compromise. I look in vain for thoughtful people who are speaking up for the American people.

Edmond Burke said, "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing". I felt that if I wasn't seeing what I believed to be a responsible approach to government and politics, I could at least let my voice be heard. If you happen to stumble upon this blog and believe it to be worthy of your time, tell somebody else about it. Perhaps, if there are enough people out there that want to solve problems instead of win the game of politics, we can make a difference.