Constant Conservative

I’ve been working on (well, at least organizing in my head) an extensive article or three on the topic of principle and why it is essential today. It is with this context that I bring you a good teaser on the topic from Jay Reding:

But the problem is that if the choice is between the Democrats and the Democrats-Lite, why not vote for the real thing? If Republicans start advocating for more government control, they lose the conservative and libertarian wings of the party and end up losing anyway.

There has to be room for both. The GOP cannot win by turning its back on its principles, but it has to be able to advocate for those principles. Being the best conservative in the world does absolutely nothing unless the GOP cannot get others to understand the importance of that stand.

As you know, I am not a Republican. Nonetheless, there was a time when that party claimed principles with which I find myself largely in agreement. As a conservative, I definetly

I would add that while Mr. Reding’s entire article is worth reading, it is important to note that more than advocacy is needed (if by advocacy one means “speaking out for”). I can advocate for conservative principles all day long–but unless I can also live those principles, I am become as a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.

This is part of my concern with the Tea Party movement. Many of us can/do/did speak our minds with a message of dissatisfaction with government spending, taxation, fiscal insanity (whatever one wishes to call it) but how many of us who particpated in the Tea Parties are willing to look at our own lives and live those same principles?

UPDATE

PP from the South Dakota War College is thinking similar thoughts with regards to the GOP’s stated intent to re-brand itself:

At the end of the day, I’m not sure we need to “re-brand.”  The GOP got itself into trouble because we failed to practice what we preach – from the White House on down. If we “re-” anything, we need to “re-commit ourselves to doing what we say we’re going to do”