Mike Huckabee sure didn't disappear. After his defeat in the Republican primary, he started HuckPAC and even got his own show on FOX. It's a likely bet his name will be back in the hat for 2012.
He wrote an article for the Washington Post today, talking about the need for Republicans to get back to conservatism... and not just in theory, but in practice.
"Enough already of the hand-wringing and night sweats about the demise of the conservative movement! Conservatives aren't challenged because of the basic principles that define us, but by the failure of the principles being translated into policy and practice. The crisis is not one over the precepts, but the practice. It's not that we've failed in our doctrine, but our 'doing.'"
What is conservatism? That's a question we've sought to answer before here at The Relevant Elephant. And now, a new book has been written trying to answer the same question. It was penned by a fellow young conservative... a really young conservative.
Jonathan Krohn is the 13-year-old author of Define Conservatism. The book was released last fall, and it earned him a speaking spot at the recent conservative convention called CPAC. Here is his two-minute speech:
Bobby Jindal delivered the Republican response to President Obama's speech tonight. We couldn't have picked a better person to represent this new era of conservatism. Although the Governor of Louisiana has some room to grow with his oratorical skills, it was a clear representation of conservatism and set the right tone for the party.
Jindal said that, "In the end, it comes down to an honest and fundamental disagreement about the proper role of government. We oppose the national Democratic view that says the way to strengthen our country is to increase dependence on government. We believe the way to strengthen our country is to restrain spending in Washington, to empower individuals and small businesses to grow our economy and create jobs."
Liberals are personally stingy. A recent NY Times article by a self-proclaimed liberal bemoans the fact that conservatives give 30% more to charity than do liberals. Maybe this is why those leaning left are in favor of government handouts.
I'm sure this comes as a shock to liberals. They have given conservatives a label of not caring for the poor. That's wrong. We just think it's our responsibility as individuals and community members to help them.
If you've watched the news at all this week, chances are you've seen Bill Clinton doing an interview. Why is Bill all over the news? Well, it's not necessarily because Hillary's getting ready for a 2012 run for the White House. The reason you're seeing a lot more of Bill is that the annual meetings of the Clinton Global Initiative are being held this week.
Basically, Clinton brings together a lot of rich or influential people and gets them to donate money to worthy causes. In the first 3 years, CGI has raised $30 billion in commitments, helping 200 million people in 150 countries with such issues as health, education, clean energy, micro loans, etc.
Interestingly, in many of these interviews, Bill has basically been promoting a conservative ideology (in not so many words).
Hurricane Gustav did not cause the damage we all feared. This was partly due to nature, partly due to the great leadership of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.
Bobby was certainly in the news over the past couple days, although he had to miss his keynote speech at the Republican National Convention. He is a rising star within the Republican party, with strong fiscal conservative values.
On Friday, the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Bobby released an article showing how fiscal conservatism helped Louisiana beat Katrina. You can read that article here.
We recently wrapped up an 8-part series on Reclaiming Conservatism which went in-depth on what makes up conservatism. Today, we wanted to give you a summarized (and humorous) version of what conservatism is from Daniel Kurtz' "How to Win a Fight with a Liberal".
Conservatism stands for promoting core American values: a strong defense, free markets, lower taxes, limited government, personal responsibility, family values, and the right to life, liberty, and [the pursuit of happiness].
Yesterday we focused on Bobby Jindal. After giving it some thought, we sensed that Newt might feel a little left out. To help make amends, we are sharing a quote from the former Speaker of the House that illustrates our country's differing political thought.
A conservative is a person who comes to Bentonville, Arkansas, to study Wal-Mart and learn how to fix the post office. A liberal is a person who comes to Bentonville, Arkansas to make Wal-Mart more like the post office.
There’s an old children’s book that says “if you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to want a glass of milk”. The book goes on to say all of the terrible things that will happen once you give said cookie to said mouse, culminating in the mouse requesting another cookie, thereby starting the entire process over. The moral is that you should not—under any circumstances—EVER give a mouse a cookie, lest you live to regret it.
The same thing is kind of true about the federal government. If you give an inch, it’ll take a mile. Then it'll tax you for using the road for that mile and it'll tax the fuel that it takes to drive on it.
The Relevant Elephant recently presented ideas from Mickey Edwards about how the conservative principle of restraint should apply to the United States’ foreign policy. He claimed that Americans should champion liberty and justice, not necessarily democracy.
In the most recent edition of Foreign Affairs, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended the US’s foreign policy, including the spread of democracy and the war on terror. Today, we’ll provide a summary of her defense for spreading democracy.
The spread of democracy is a high calling, and a responsibility of the United States. Democratic development is not only an effective path to wealth and power for other countries; it’s also the best way to ensure that these benefits are shared justly across entire societies, without exclusion, repression, or violence. For the United States, promoting democratic development must remain a top priority.
Democracy is like grape jelly: you can spread it wherever you want, but it’s not likely to stay there on its own. Tilt it the wrong way and it’s bound to slide off in one big lump and land on the floor, ruined.
It seems as though the United States hasn’t always got that memo, though.
Oftentimes, when conservatives talk about restraint, it refers to spending. Being responsible with taxpayer dollars and cutting wasteful government spending is one of the core values of the conservative ideology. Restraint, however, can also be applied to foreign policy.
Let’s be honest. Judge Judy is a justice machine. Between the lace-draped robe, the finger pointing, and the screaming, she is a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, it is a scientific fact that Judge Judy has more jurisdiction in one finger than the entire Marvel Comics Justice League combined.
But what is justice? For one thing, it’s a buzzword. From Judge Judy to Law & Order to Guantanamo, it’s hard to turn on the TV without seeing or hearing about a crime, a judge, or a jury.
They say that laws are like sausages: you may like the end product, but you wouldn’t want to see one being made. The political process can get messy, but if we don’t take time to look behind the scenes, we won’t know if the process is being carried out correctly—or if the end product is safe for consumption. For the fifth entry in our series, we’re looking at the importance of the rule of law in conservatism.
We all know that American society is based on law and order. As a people, we decide what rules to establish and the consequences for breaking those rules. When people break the law, they’re punished. When they don’t, they’re not. It’s pretty simple.
“Imagine no possessions / I wonder if you can / No need for greed or hunger / a brotherhood of man”
This bit of lyrical genius, penned by the late John Lennon, comes from the song “Imagine”. Ironically, it also comes from a man who drove a $200,000 Rolls-Royce equipped with a television, phone, and refrigerator (not bad for 1965). This is the same John Lennon who once bought out the entire first-class section of a plane so that his son could play with his model train set on the floor during the trip. But who are we to judge? Maybe the kid just needed some space to help him “imagine no possessions”.
Until the recent economic downturn, the war in Iraq dominated the spotlight on American media and the presidential campaign trail. It has proven to be a polarizing political issue, one that is complicated by emotion on every side—the fear of a real terrorist threat and the grief that naturally accompanies the loss or injury of any American soldier. Against this landscape, many liberals have painted themselves as lovers of peace, and conservatives as the enemies of it.
In fact, to hear some people talk, you might think that conservatives are die-hard warmongers, big bad bullies looking for a fight with anyone, anywhere and anytime. The reality, though, is that peace is a central value of American conservatism.
In 2003, when France openly rebuked the United States for going to war with Iraq, we struck back with a vengeance. No, we didn’t use military force; nor did we initiate a trade embargo. Rather, in an act of swift justice and retribution, we changed the name of our beloved grease-soaked potato strips from French Fries to Freedom Fries, that the name of France might forever be blotted from greasy diner menus across these United States. If a move that bold doesn’t show the world how seriously we take our freedom, nothing will.
From old men and oil companies to the religious right, pundits are quick to label conservatives. But conservatism is bigger than people groups and public policy. It’s the overarching political philosophy that seeks to preserve the best in society.
What comes to your mind when you think of conservatism? Whatever you’re thinking, it’s important to move past labels to get a grasp on what conservatism really is before making a decision to love it or leave it.
Between the lace-draped robe, the finger pointing, and the screaming, she is a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, it is a scientific fact that Judge Judy has more jurisdiction in one finger than the entire Marvel Comics Justice League combined.