Is America only for white people? The question stuck in my mind following yet another e-mail exchange with a friend of mine, regarding my conservatism. For this particular gentleman, being black in America is at odds with conservatism.

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States allows freedom of religion, yet even those who are the most unabashedly religious are capable of openly expressing religious intolerance.

I don’t seek to excuse religious intolerance practiced by some from the political left, but since I’m on the political right, I’m more sensitive to broad-brush criticisms of the political right being dominated by narrow-minded Bible-thumpers. Personally, I don’t think that belief in the Bible makes me or anyone else narrow-minded. I think the perception of narrow-mindedness more likely springs from politically active religious persons who publicly demonize other religious persuasions.

You already know the prime example of what I’m talking about even before I say it, don’t you? In case you don’t, Exhibit A would have to be Christian conservatives that demonize the Muslim religion. A common refrain is that our nation was founded upon Judeo-Christian values. I know that the nation’s founders were religious, and I know that their sense of morals and ethics are the bedrock from which they conceived the framework for our laws and Constitution, but must we frame the nation’s history in such a way as to be exclusionary toward religions that aren’t identified as Jewish or Christian?

During an especially poignant moment, the former slave and abolitionist, Olaudah Equiano, opens his shirt displaying the brand burned into his chest when he reached the West Indies from Africa. In his words it was a mark that let him know that he no longer belonged to God, but to men. This moment in the film is striking not because it affirms the cruelty of slavery. Slavery was/is not evil because of its cruelty, but because it violates the natural state of man by reducing the divine to the profane.

For me this moment eloquently illustrates the seed idea of conservatism—that all men belong to God! Thomas Jefferson was equally eloquent when he said that “some men were not born with saddles on their back and others with boots and spurs to ride them by the grace of God.” Jefferson of course codified this idea into the Keystone document of our Republic.

I am a Conservative because I believe in American Exceptionalism; I believe that Democracy and the rule of law is man’s best hope on Earth and that our way of life must be defended. As President Kennedy said, “we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” I believe that in the absence of American as the defender of Freedom, the world would dissolve into chaos, leaving Totalitarianism to rule the day and enslave the people. I am a Conservative because I believe in Open and Free Market Capitalism, and that Capitalism is the engine for economic growth and a nation’s prosperity, not wealth redistribution.

When I say Capitalism, I mean Laissez-Faire, with little to no government intervention into the private enterprise. I believe and history has shown that it is because of Government intervention, that Economic prosperity evades a nation. It is because of Capitalism and the Free Market that America has remained the envy of the world in terms of our standard of living, which is second to none.

Locke and Burke arguably transformed modern political thought. Before we take an in-depth analysis of the philosophers we must take a look at what is being defined, and how it is interpreted by today’s political scientist as they look to Locke and Burke’s work for answers to some of the problems we face today.

Political Ideology as shaped by John Locke and Edmund Burke has been crucial to western philosophy. Ideology as its commonly understood was first used by Antoine Louis Claude Destutt de Tracy. A true and permanent definition of the word is not clear, for it is still debated by political scientist today, whether ideology is a positive, negative, or neutral feature of modern society.

Governor Palin is an ethnic escapist dream where simple rural girls best slick urban intellectuals.

“Light-skinned” African-American; “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one” is what the accused, US Senator Harry Reid, admitted saying in reference to the current President of the United States. Members of the jury I want it noted that both the senator and the commander-in-chief are members of the political party ( Democrat ) which brands itself as African-Americans secular saviors. I want the record to reflect my shock ( yeah right! ) that a Democrat of such stellar standing would stoop to racist language more fitting a Republican. This imaginary opening statement is from a trial by public opinion envisioned to address these comments. As y’all can see, I’m no fan of racists or Democrats per se.

Memo to Black Folks and progressives: You’ve got your share of ideological Klansman too!! They just mask it better than counterparts on the political Right. We should welcome this revelation about the good Senator as proof that prejudice isn’t conveniently confined to White folks with ” R” for Republican after their names. Lest we forget, Southern Democrats met all 20th Century federal civil rights legislation with rhetorical pitch forks jabbing. These jabs were punctuated by police gunfire and billy club blows targeting down South civil rights protesters. Officers in these violent jurisdictions were proud ” yellow dog Democrats ” since that was the only party in the South at that time. I’ve seen too much racism from Dems local and otherwise to fall for their ” Black people’s best friend ” routine. The GOP has set new lows in modern racism itself but at least their racists are up front about it. I respect honesty over patronizing lies any day of the week.

I believe innocent life should be defended at all costs and the guilty should be punished. I believe this country has the right to defend itself preemptively, and I believe for the most part we make an effort to do so as honorably as possible without compromising our safety, and while that may not always meet the standards of international laws it meets the standard of the Constitution and that’s golden by me. I believe the money we earn is ours, and only what is absolutely needed should go into taxes for social programs that we know work or are incentive based. I believe charity should be a product of free will, and its best when it is a product of free will going where the individual intends it, doing what they designate, and going to those they believe deserve it. This is the core of conservatism. It is good. And I choose to live it.

Why don’t black people listen to or produce Rock music?

Apparently, the music died on February 3rd, 1959 when Buddy Holly, Richie Valenz, and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash following a concert. Apparently, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Howlin’ Wolf, and Big Mamma Thornton were also on that plane, if in fact, the music had died. Oh they were not. Then what the Hell was that song about? Oh that song was about the day white music died. Got It.

In short, Black people don’t subscribe to conservatism or listen to rock music because they gave it away. Many of their reasons were valid but for the most part they are outdated. As long as we as a people limit our political perspective and our artistic tastes we’ll lock ourselves out of the mainstream and all the opportunities therein.

Forty years ago, both parties were actually coalitions that contained diverse ideologies. There were conservative Democrats from the South and liberal Republicans from the Northeast. Because there was such diversity, there was choice in some way.

The populist conservative blockbusters of today have one thing in common: Most are written by media figures, either radio or TV hosts, or people who, like Coulter and Malkin, get lots of TV exposure. The built-in marketing advantage is obvious.

I will never vote for a Democrat again. My relationship with the DNC has been troubled from the beginning . Much to the dismay of my family and friends I came out as a conservative in 2008. This shift in my political ideology was more complex than I had anticipated. The strongest challenges relate to my gender and ethnicity such as societal perceptions of what makes a good African American feminist. I had to break free of the labels and look at my values not as a Democrat or a Republican, but as Afrocity.

What is Conservatism? Does it have to do with party alignments? Is it a problem? Why do so many people speak lowly of it? Who are Conservatives? These are not questions that people ask themselves, they are questions that people blindly answer. Followers of other ideologies truly pretend to grasp what conservatism is all about, even though the education is dismal on the subject.

 By  Leette Eaton- White
Every time I hear the term Compassionate Conservative I get a little twitch in the right side of my upper lip that makes me look a bad Elvis impersonator. My first reaction is ‘What’s not compassionate about conservatism?’ But then I realize most folks don’t really get the main ideas behind conservative values and so it seems like we are just religious nutsos with a greedy complex. The beliefs of the average all round conservative are these.
Defend the innocent, punish the guilty. Everyone deserves to have their rights respected and all deserve the equal opportunity to be …

 Political parties are always dealing with the tension between those who are the dogmatists and those who are pragmatists. In the 80s and 90s, the Democrats were fighting amongst themselves, with the New Deal dogmatists on the one side and the New Democrat pragmatists on the other. In the end, the pragmatists were able to win the day and elect one of their own, Bill Clinton, to the presidency.
 

Dennis Sanders
Alex Massie has a wonderful post on how dogmatic the Republican Party has become and ties it to the history of the Conservative Party in the UK after the age of …