TDT: Classical Conservatives & Conservatism

 

Source:Fact/Myth- talk about your Classical Conservatives.

"Libertarian conservatism,[1] also referred to as conservative libertarianism[2][3][4] and conservatarianism,[5][6] is a political philosophy that combines conservatism and libertarianism, representing the libertarian wing of conservatism and vice versa.[7]

Libertarian conservatism advocates the greatest possible economic liberty and the least possible government regulation of social life, mirroring laissez-faire classical liberalism, but harnesses this to a belief in a more socially conservative philosophy emphasizing authority and duty.[1] Originating in the United States, libertarian conservatism prioritizes liberty, promoting free expression, freedom of choice and free-market capitalism to achieve conservative ends and rejects liberal social engineering.[8]

Libertarian conservatism can also be understood as promoting civil society through conservative institutions and authority—such as family, country, religion and education—in the libertarian quest to reduce state power." 

From Wikipedia. I don't think this is the best definition of classical conservatism (the real conservatism) but it's in the ballpark about what I'm talking about here. 

"Constitutional conservatism, a form of conservatism bound within the limits provided within the United States Constitution, defending the structures of constitutionalism, and preserving the principles of the United States Constitution.[55] Chief among those principles is the defense of liberty.[56] This form of conservatism coalesced in the Republican Party in the early 20th century, in opposition to progressivism within the party; it can also be seen being influential to the 21st century Tea Party movement.[57][58] Constitutional conservatism has also been associated with judicial originalism." 

Source:Convention of States- as the photo says. 

From Wikipedia. This gives you an excellent idea about the conservatism that I'm talking about here. 

So when I'm talking about Conservatives and conservatism, I'm talking about people and a philosophy in the political and constitutional sense. Not in a religious, theocratic, statist, nationalistic, theocratic, or authoritarian sense. Those versions of conservatism I don't consider to be conservative because what these folks believe in goes against the U.S. Constitution or any other conservative or liberal constitution in the world. 

Not that let's say Nationalists don't have a right to believe in their authoritarian views, but their philosophy is authoritarian. Instead of believing in conserving individual freedom, the rule of law, our individual rights, equal rights, equal justice, etc, there really only interested in conserving their fundamentalist religious and cultural views and even forcing their values onto others, even if that violates their constitutional rights. 

Classical Conservatism  

"The Reform Party of the United States of America (RPUSA), generally known as the Reform Party USA or the Reform Party, is a political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot.

Perot believed Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital issues. After he received 18.9 percent of the popular vote as an independent candidate in the 1992 presidential election, he founded the Reform Party and presented it as a viable alternative to Republicans and Democrats. As the Reform Party candidate, Perot won 8.4 percent of the popular vote in the 1996 presidential election. Although he did not receive a single electoral vote, no other third-party or independent candidate has since managed to receive as high a share of the vote.

The party has nominated other candidates over the years, including Pat Buchanan and Ralph Nader. Its most significant victory came when Jesse Ventura was elected Governor of Minnesota in 1998, although he left the party shortly into his term. Donald Trump was a member of the Reform Party during his 2000 presidential campaign. In around the year 2000, party infighting and scandals led to a major decline in the party's strength. Beginning with Buchanan's poor showing in the 2000 election, no Reform Party presidential candidate has been able to gather 1 percent of the popular vote." 

From Wikipedia 

"In 1995, Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, largely on the strength of the "Contract with America", which recognized and promised to deal with many of the issues Perot's voters had mobilized to support in 1992. However, two of the major provisions (Constitutional amendments for term limits and the balanced budgets) failed to secure the two-thirds congressional majorities required to be submitted to the states.

Dissatisfied, the grassroots organizations that had made Perot's 1992 candidacy possible began to band together to found a third party intended to rival the Republicans and Democrats. For legal reasons, the party ended up being called the "Reform Party" ("Independent Party" was preferred, but already taken, as were several variants on the name). A drive to get the party on the ballot in all fifty states succeeded, although it ended with lawsuits in some regions over state ballot access requirements. In a few areas, minor parties became incorporated as state party organizations." 

From Wikipedia

Independent