In discussing America's two-party system, it should be noted that the political parties are merely houses with people inside of them battling for control of each house. These people within each house are either ideological (holding a recognizable pattern of positions) or non-ideological (not holding a recognizable pattern of positions).
Though every so-called political conservative may not hold to all the same positions in the pattern, or to each position in the same exact degree, the following is a general description of his or her profile:
Against big government
for individual initiative
against a government-controlled
economy
for peace through strength
for the perception of communism
as "evil"
against increased taxes
for a reduction of government
spending
for a return to traditional
values
against abortion on demand
against increased gay rights
for prayer in school
for freedom of speech and of
the press,
when it is balanced by responsibility
to the community
for capital punishment involving
capital offenses
for limitations imposed upon
pornographers.
Anyone who becomes somewhat queasy or sick to the stomach after reading this conservative ideological profile can rest assured you have little or no conservative blood running through your veins. You may even be looking forward to the 1992 elections if political conservatives abandon the Republican Party, leaving it divided and weakened.
The current blowing winds also reveal that many conservatives are ready to repeat what the "Bull Moose" ticket did in 1912, when it fielded an Independent candidate named Theodore Roosevelt, who had walked out on the GOP.
I know moderate Republicans, who do not hold very strongly to the conservative profile I have presented here, are smiling right now because we conservatives have threatened to leave and split their political playhouse before. To answer their snickers, I say "Bully for you in '92."
We have less than two years to find our Teddy and, win or lose, at least we can say we voted for our principles. As a conservative, I would rather be proud of our loser than be ashamed of our winner.
---Kenneth J. Wolf #12 (12/5/90)