Unfortunately, they don’t always want it or appreciate it!
There probably isn’t such a thing as a 100% conservative… at least by my definition. Everyone will slip or fall short at times. I remember well a vote I cast in the South Dakota Senate. A conservative friend reminded me in a very heated rebuke… both privately and publicly. I won’t forget that bad vote. It’s a vote I would take back if I could. I am sure I don’t always live up to my own definition of Conservatism. But how do we help our friends when they wander from conservative principles?
Simply stated, we must hold them accountable. If that bothers them or alienates them, it is just part of the price we have to pay. We can’t allow them to skate by and give them a pass just because we believe they are “conservative”.
A Legislative friend of mine was VERY unhappy with me because the Life and Liberty Group gave him a 50% rating on conservative issues. At heart, I believe he is a conservative. What business then, would he have supporting over $100 Million dollars in annual tax increases? When I confronted him on the issue, he assured me he had NOT supported these tax increases. I checked. He had. He was surprised to learn that he voted FOR the increases. If we had not challenged him he would have probably just continued thinking he had represented conservative fiscal positions.
He needed to be challenged and confronted.
Ronald Reagan said “When you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat”.
Sometimes, approaching a leader privately can cause them to re-think their position. More often, it simply produces an argument that goes nowhere because they choose to justify the position they have taken. When they are challenged publicly and other conservatives begin to add some “heat”, our friends are reminded of their conservative roots. If they are really conservative at heart, they will come back to earth. If they are not, they will attack and defend their position even when it flies in the face of conservative reason.
Our conservative friends will never be perfect, but we have a responsibility to help them be as good as they can be.
***Gordon Howie is a nationally syndicated author, host of Liberty Today TV and CEO of Life and Liberty Media***
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Interesting post. Over here on the left we are always wrestling with the same question. One could debate budget policy and strategy endlessly and not find clear lines of demarcation. I wonder whether there are any certain 100% binding litmus tests that conservatives must pass. What issues are negotiable and what not?
On the conservative side… the Republican Party platform provides a good start. It obviously isn’t a 100% litmus test, but provides a clear guidline to principles. There are some non-negotiables… different for me than they would be for others.