What Defines Conservatism?

Here is a great article about what defines conservatism by David Limbaugh, in newsmax.com. I am going to do something a little different on this. Usually when I provide snippets from an article I put in the full paragraphs that really stand out. This time I am just going to add some paragraphs and parts of other paragraphs. And like always, link to the article. Credit where credit is due.

What Defines Conservative

Wednesday, February 20, 2008 8:43 AM By: David Limbaugh

Something is missing in all the intramural debates among different stripes of Republicans this primary season. Bigger-government Republicans don't seem fully to appreciate the extent to which the differences between conservative Republicans and liberals are about more than policy. Conservatives and liberals differ not merely over the level of taxation, protection of the unborn, immigration, the war and other issues — though the importance of these disputes cannot easily be overstated. Admittedly, conservatives view these policy differences as matters of great urgency... But at an even more fundamental level, conservatives, being sentimental saps, believe — apparently unlike Michelle Obama — that the United States is not only the greatest nation in the world but also that it owes its greatness largely to its Constitution. Even if liberals were to concede this point, they would probably have different reasons for believing it is so... They're definitely all about the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures — to such an extreme that they would extend it to non-citizen enemy combatants... Conservatives, by contrast, not only champion the Bill of Rights — the complete package — but also believe Americans owe our unique liberties to the scheme of governmental power established in the body of the Constitution. We believe, as did the framers, that the structural limitations on government, like the separation of powers and federalism, are what make possible individual liberties... That's why conservatives get so exercised about appellate judges who refuse to honor the Constitution as written and insist on rewriting its provisions from the bench... ...they understand that expansive government and socialism — no matter how well meaning, in some cases — are ultimately incompatible with individual liberties. Big government Republicans, however, evidently don't have the same distrust of governmental power, believing it is an unstoppable force that can't be beaten and so must be joined and harnessed to "conservative" ends. No matter how smart these intellectuals are, they just don't get it... Conservatives realize that politics (and the preservation of our liberties) ain't beanbag. They don't invest their future in the platitudes of "hope," "bipartisanship," or "kumbaya."... Instead, conservatives believe that government is a necessary evil to establish order and promote the common defense and the like but otherwise must be restrained in order to unleash the power and freedom of the individual. Conservatives should not be underestimated as mere players in a cynical chessboard game of party politics. They believe in the power of ideas and will continue to promote their ideas irrespective of the eventual identity of the respective presidential nominees and regardless of how much they are pressured to be silent about first principles... [more here] Y'all know that I consider myself more of a Conservative than a Republican. This is why I am so passionate about certain issues. I am more of an economic Conservative than anything else. Which would explain why, even though I am pro-life, I am more concerned about immigration issues and welfare reform. While Mr. Limbaugh does talk about pro-life in his article, I left those out because as a member of the "working poor" I am more affected by illegal immigration and welfare than pro-life.