It's amazing, for an era in which human beings have more access to political debate, discussion, and analysis than ever before...for an era in which, 24 hours a day, you can turn on several cable channels and watch two people on a split screen debate every hot-button political issue making news...for an era in which there are blogs and websites dedicated to a painstaking breakdown of even the most minute and fringe political positions...there remains one question that is amazingly almost never asked...
Why do Conservatives believe as they do?
Over the next month or so, the focus of this blog will be to answer that very question (or at least, to answer the question of why *this* Conservative believes as he does). I really don't think that too many people (of whatever political stripe) set out in search of a political movement that they can "belong" to, but instead--over time--find that one political philosophy better fits their core values and beliefs much more so than other political philosophies do. The one exception might be Freshman and Sophomore College Girls...some of them seem to be in such need of attention that they sometimes seek out all sorts of "causes" that they really know nothing about, aside from what was printed in a flier that was handed to them in the student union. You then see them in high-traffic areas of most Universities protesting whatever the "cause of the day" is: Freeing Tibet, Saving The Whales, The Clubbing of Baby Seals, Veganism, Global Warming (or back in the 70's, "Global Cooling"), Social Justice, Wage Peace (whatever the Hell that is), Darfur, The Oppression of Being Pressured to Wear Undergarments and Shave Their Legs...the list is virtually endless. The upside to this is that on occasion, some of these girls will disrobe and run through campus naked while trying to raise awareness about whatever their "cause" is this week. Sometimes, they'll even participate in one of those naked PETA protests. The downside is that many of these girls aren't terribly attractive--so much of the nudity is wasted. Nevertheless, within a couple of years, most of these "misery chicks" grow out of this immature political posturing and re-acquaint themselves with the reasons they went to college in the first place...to get a degree, get a good-paying job, and meet a charming future Doctor or Lawyer who has a better-paying job. Those that don't grow out of it...well, they become bitter spinsters who spend their lives working for non-profit organizations, listening to Indigo Girl albums repeatedly, going to Margaret Cho concerts, and constantly complaining about how some sort of "male-dominated power structure" has held them back from doing somethingorother.
...in other words, they become Nancy Pelosi.
But I digress..
Ok, as I was saying before I slightly veered off track--most people don't set out to change their core values to fit some sort of political philosophy, but instead--with the benefit of time and life experience--find a political philosophy that fits the core values and beliefs that they already have. And so it is with me, your friendly neighborhood CWG. For much of my life--up until around my late 20's--I had a passing interest in politics at best. I'd vote in Presidential elections and "bigger" Congressional races, but I rarely thought about what my overall political philosophy was. But all the time, my beliefs of right and wrong, fair and unfair, good and bad, were always fairly consistent. As I got older, more mature, and more reflective, I started to examine the key core values that I brought to the voting booth--and discovered that Conservatism fit these beliefs much better than Liberalism, Libertarianism, or any of the other "isms" that show up on the spectrum of political thought.
As I look back on my life and my political development, I've identified 12 Key Core Values that I bring to my politics--both in my early political experiences (when I mistakenly thought of myself as a...*gasp*...moderate. And you have no idea how ashamed I am to admit that), and in my current place in life where I gladly and proudly proclaim myself as a Conservative. While some Conservatives might not agree with all of these core values, I believe that most modern Conservatives can at least identify with a majority of them. These 12 beliefs are everything that I feel Modern Conservatism--and indeed, America as a whole--should embody. These values do not come from a book, a pundit, or any Political Science course, but instead come from my 30+ years of living in the greatest nation to ever grace the Earth.:
CWG'S 12 KEY CORE VALUES OF CONSERVATISM:
1. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
2. "Equality" and "Fairness" are not synonyms...these terms CANNOT be used interchangeably.
3. Success should be encouraged, not vilified.
4. When I choose to help somebody, it is charity. When the government forces me to "help" somebody, it is theft. Robin Hood was not someone to be admired, he was a thief to be brought to justice.
5. America is, by and large, a pretty good place. American Culture is, far and away, the greatest culture in all of human history.
6. You are your own Leader.
7. Politicians are human too--which is exactly why limited government is preferable.
8. I don't care what you do in your bedroom--but I do care when you expose my kids to it.
9. The Needs, Goals, and Desires of the individual are infinitely more important than the Needs, Goals, and Desires of any perceived "Community".
10. The truth hurts...but is beneficial for us in the long run (which is why Political Correctness is extremely destructive)
11. War is Hell...and it is also very necessary at key points in history.
12. It takes a village to raise an idiot--it takes a family to raise a child.
There they are--the 12 Core Values that shaped my political beliefs (as well as many of my beliefs on life in general). I believe that many of these values are shared by Modern Conservatives, as well. To that end, I will be taking the month of August to go through these values, one by one, and illustrate how each relates to Conservatism...and how each of these Core values are ideas that will stand our nation (and ourselves as individuals) in good stead as we move forward through history.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
So...um...what's with that next to last word in your blog title?
...that has been the main question I've gotten since starting my foray into political punditry.
The feedback I've received has ranged anywhere from "Why do you feel the need to point out that you're white?" all the way to "Conservative White Guy? Isn't that phrase a bit redundant?" It's certainly gotten people to start talking, and I suppose that was the intent. It seems that almost everyone who I've spoken with who has seen the blog up to this point has wondered: "Just where in the Hell are you coming from with this thing?"
Well, for starters, let me make one thing perfectly clear--I believe that my race (or for that matter, anybody else's race) is about the most insignificant factor that you can look at when it comes to judging somebody or forming an opinion about them. I don't look at being "white" as a positive or a negative characteristic...for lack of a better term, it just "is". Neither good, bad, or indifferent. To me, being a "Conservative White Guy" should be no different that a "Conservative Black Guy", a "Conservative Latina Girl", a "Conservative Asian Chick", or a "Conservative Alaskan Mama Grizzly"--the only important word in those descriptions is "Conservative"--all the other words in those descriptions should be considered completely meaningless.
But if that's the case--if that next to last word really is irrelevant, then why did I bother to use the "W word" in the title?
It is because many on the Left actually DO consider the "W word" to be a massively important part of the description. By no means is it uncommon to hear references in pop culture (or even the mainstream news media) to terms like "Conservative White Guys", "Conservative White Males", "Old, Rich, White, Republicans", "Angry White Men", etc. And these references are generally quite negative in nature--do this quick exercise: google the term "Conservative White Guy". Notice how many of the results paint CWG's in a very negative, even angry, light. (Two of my favorites: "Why fat White Men are Conservative" and "Glenn Beck gets to ask dumb-white guy questions to a room full of black Conservatives"). Not exactly a treasure trove of unity and color-blindness coming from the Left in those results!
And in the run-up to the 2008 Presidential Election, how many people (famous or otherwise) do you remember hearing say that they wouldn't vote for John McCain "because he's another old, rich, white guy"? (Be honest)
So because there is--for whatever reason--some sort of negative connotation assigned to Conservatism because of those of us who happen to be White, I figured I'd be up front about it and admit, "Yes, I'm white." I don't think that fact has any significance, but for some reason, many on the Left seem to think that it does. If the Left wants to play the race card with myself and other Conservatives, then I think it's high time that we engaged them on the topic rather than running away from it. You'll notice, if you pay any attention to current events whatsoever, that it's the Left who always brings race into the conversation-- it's very rarely the Right. Perhaps they think that whenever they bring up race, that Conservatives will run for higher ground and stop discussing the issues (and to be fair, for the second half of the 20th Century, that's exactly what most Conservatives did...we would very rarely engage the Left on this type of issue, and I think that's been one of the biggest mistakes that we as a movement have made). Perhaps by actually engaging the Left in this type of discussion. we will finally bring to light one of the best-kept secrets in all of American Politics...
...that when it comes to bigotry, hatred, and closed-mindedness, nobody can hold a candle to the American Left.
Coming Soon: My 12 Key Concepts of Conservatism
The feedback I've received has ranged anywhere from "Why do you feel the need to point out that you're white?" all the way to "Conservative White Guy? Isn't that phrase a bit redundant?" It's certainly gotten people to start talking, and I suppose that was the intent. It seems that almost everyone who I've spoken with who has seen the blog up to this point has wondered: "Just where in the Hell are you coming from with this thing?"
Well, for starters, let me make one thing perfectly clear--I believe that my race (or for that matter, anybody else's race) is about the most insignificant factor that you can look at when it comes to judging somebody or forming an opinion about them. I don't look at being "white" as a positive or a negative characteristic...for lack of a better term, it just "is". Neither good, bad, or indifferent. To me, being a "Conservative White Guy" should be no different that a "Conservative Black Guy", a "Conservative Latina Girl", a "Conservative Asian Chick", or a "Conservative Alaskan Mama Grizzly"--the only important word in those descriptions is "Conservative"--all the other words in those descriptions should be considered completely meaningless.
But if that's the case--if that next to last word really is irrelevant, then why did I bother to use the "W word" in the title?
It is because many on the Left actually DO consider the "W word" to be a massively important part of the description. By no means is it uncommon to hear references in pop culture (or even the mainstream news media) to terms like "Conservative White Guys", "Conservative White Males", "Old, Rich, White, Republicans", "Angry White Men", etc. And these references are generally quite negative in nature--do this quick exercise: google the term "Conservative White Guy". Notice how many of the results paint CWG's in a very negative, even angry, light. (Two of my favorites: "Why fat White Men are Conservative" and "Glenn Beck gets to ask dumb-white guy questions to a room full of black Conservatives"). Not exactly a treasure trove of unity and color-blindness coming from the Left in those results!
And in the run-up to the 2008 Presidential Election, how many people (famous or otherwise) do you remember hearing say that they wouldn't vote for John McCain "because he's another old, rich, white guy"? (Be honest)
So because there is--for whatever reason--some sort of negative connotation assigned to Conservatism because of those of us who happen to be White, I figured I'd be up front about it and admit, "Yes, I'm white." I don't think that fact has any significance, but for some reason, many on the Left seem to think that it does. If the Left wants to play the race card with myself and other Conservatives, then I think it's high time that we engaged them on the topic rather than running away from it. You'll notice, if you pay any attention to current events whatsoever, that it's the Left who always brings race into the conversation-- it's very rarely the Right. Perhaps they think that whenever they bring up race, that Conservatives will run for higher ground and stop discussing the issues (and to be fair, for the second half of the 20th Century, that's exactly what most Conservatives did...we would very rarely engage the Left on this type of issue, and I think that's been one of the biggest mistakes that we as a movement have made). Perhaps by actually engaging the Left in this type of discussion. we will finally bring to light one of the best-kept secrets in all of American Politics...
...that when it comes to bigotry, hatred, and closed-mindedness, nobody can hold a candle to the American Left.
Coming Soon: My 12 Key Concepts of Conservatism
Sunday, July 18, 2010
One guy inserts his foot in his mouth, and CWG's will be defending themselves for the next week...
Humor is a bit like a rocket launcher--it looks easy enough to use, and in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, can be remarkably effective. However, if an untrained civilian tries to pick one up and use it, they usually find that it's not quite as easy to use as they thought...and problems and unintended consequences are bound to ensue.
By now, most of you have likely read the (rather uncomfortable) Mark Williams piece that has generated some controversy around the Tea Party movement over the weekend. Williams initially defended the piece as "satire" before clamming up and stating that he will make no further comment to the media to defend it. Meanwhile, pretty much everybody who is anybody in the Tea Party movements, the Conservative movement, the Republican Party, or Western Civilization has disassociated themselves from Williams.
I read the Williams piece as well, and I did recognize it as satire...really bad, unclear, and shitty satire, but satire nonetheless. I get (or at least, I think I get) the point that Williams tried to make--that the polcies advocated by the NAACP and the Democratic Party thorugh the 20th Century have done much more harm than good to underprivledged Americans of all races, including African-Americans. Unfortunately, Williams did a God-awful job of trying to make this point. What resulted was a piece that was almost sure to be fertile ground for those who are unable (or unwilling) to see the subtext of such a satrical piece without having it spoon-fed to them. It ended up like the literary equivelant to an SNL skit that is supposed to be funny, but just ends up being an 8-minute trainwreck of unfunny overkill that you just wish would end. Yep..."Copier Guy" has just come back to life...
The result? Some raw meat for the Mainstream Media and MSNBC (and they've been in dire need of some red meat as of late, considering that the President they "smoke and mirrored" into office is becoming more and more unpopular and less trusted by the American people every day--in fact, some recent polling shows that Obama currently trails most potential GOP Presidential canidates for 2012, and is tied with Sarah Palin: http://hotair.com/archives/2010/07/15/ppp-obama-palin-tied-4646-in-2012-polling/ ). Now, for about the next week, the MSM will have ample opportunity to focus the narrative of discussion exactly where they want--on the "rampant" (read: overblown, over-reported, and virtually non-existant) racism within the Tea Party movement. Now we're going to have to hear about the "racial epithet that never was" on Capitol Hill during Obamacare weekend all over again. We'll be spending the next week being questioned (again) about the isolated racist signs at a couple of rallies over two years ago. Not to mention that Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton will have yet another opportunity to tag team the MSM with their "America is racist, unfair, horrible, and icky-poo" rhetoric (which at least has to give Cleveland Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert a sigh of relief...), all while Rachel Maddow, Anderson Cooper, Keith Olbermann, or whomever sits on the other side of the desk while nodding their heads and looking "concerned".
Meanwhile, we're going broke, many of us are out of work, our borders are unsecure, and Militant Muslims are trying to kill every last one of us at every opportunity...but instead of focusing on these real issues, the MSM will be spending the next week focusing on an ill-concieved and horribly executed piece of satire that could almost, kind of, sort of, nearly, but probably not really be considered "racist" (and even then, only if you were brain dead enough to take the piece at face value).
All because Mark Williams tried to step out of his element and attempt to be a humorist.
Memo to any future Mark Williams' out there--leave the parody and satire to Rush Limbaugh and Paul Shanklin (or, might I humbly suggest, yours truly)...they're much better at it than you are. Remember, the Left in America has no collective sense of humor--so it's generally not a good idea to use humor to communicate with them. They generally won't understand it, and as we've seen this weekend, the results can be disasterous.
By now, most of you have likely read the (rather uncomfortable) Mark Williams piece that has generated some controversy around the Tea Party movement over the weekend. Williams initially defended the piece as "satire" before clamming up and stating that he will make no further comment to the media to defend it. Meanwhile, pretty much everybody who is anybody in the Tea Party movements, the Conservative movement, the Republican Party, or Western Civilization has disassociated themselves from Williams.
I read the Williams piece as well, and I did recognize it as satire...really bad, unclear, and shitty satire, but satire nonetheless. I get (or at least, I think I get) the point that Williams tried to make--that the polcies advocated by the NAACP and the Democratic Party thorugh the 20th Century have done much more harm than good to underprivledged Americans of all races, including African-Americans. Unfortunately, Williams did a God-awful job of trying to make this point. What resulted was a piece that was almost sure to be fertile ground for those who are unable (or unwilling) to see the subtext of such a satrical piece without having it spoon-fed to them. It ended up like the literary equivelant to an SNL skit that is supposed to be funny, but just ends up being an 8-minute trainwreck of unfunny overkill that you just wish would end. Yep..."Copier Guy" has just come back to life...
The result? Some raw meat for the Mainstream Media and MSNBC (and they've been in dire need of some red meat as of late, considering that the President they "smoke and mirrored" into office is becoming more and more unpopular and less trusted by the American people every day--in fact, some recent polling shows that Obama currently trails most potential GOP Presidential canidates for 2012, and is tied with Sarah Palin: http://hotair.com/archives/2010/07/15/ppp-obama-palin-tied-4646-in-2012-polling/ ). Now, for about the next week, the MSM will have ample opportunity to focus the narrative of discussion exactly where they want--on the "rampant" (read: overblown, over-reported, and virtually non-existant) racism within the Tea Party movement. Now we're going to have to hear about the "racial epithet that never was" on Capitol Hill during Obamacare weekend all over again. We'll be spending the next week being questioned (again) about the isolated racist signs at a couple of rallies over two years ago. Not to mention that Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton will have yet another opportunity to tag team the MSM with their "America is racist, unfair, horrible, and icky-poo" rhetoric (which at least has to give Cleveland Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert a sigh of relief...), all while Rachel Maddow, Anderson Cooper, Keith Olbermann, or whomever sits on the other side of the desk while nodding their heads and looking "concerned".
Meanwhile, we're going broke, many of us are out of work, our borders are unsecure, and Militant Muslims are trying to kill every last one of us at every opportunity...but instead of focusing on these real issues, the MSM will be spending the next week focusing on an ill-concieved and horribly executed piece of satire that could almost, kind of, sort of, nearly, but probably not really be considered "racist" (and even then, only if you were brain dead enough to take the piece at face value).
All because Mark Williams tried to step out of his element and attempt to be a humorist.
Memo to any future Mark Williams' out there--leave the parody and satire to Rush Limbaugh and Paul Shanklin (or, might I humbly suggest, yours truly)...they're much better at it than you are. Remember, the Left in America has no collective sense of humor--so it's generally not a good idea to use humor to communicate with them. They generally won't understand it, and as we've seen this weekend, the results can be disasterous.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
So here goes!
Here it is...the first post in what Tony Schiavone might call "The most important blog in the history of our sport". Many of you have likely heard people in your lives blame "Conservative White Guys" for every problem, scandal, evil, and miscue in the history of the World. But have you ever wondered to yourself, "Are Conservative White Guys really responsible for every little thing that's ever gone wrong on this planet?" Have you been raised to hate Conservative White Guys...but when you really think about it, you don't know *why* your supposed to hate us? Then this is the blog for you! Upon subscribing to this blog, you will have the opportunity to ask a genuine, honest-to-God, CWG all of those questions you've ever had about Conservatism.
Questions like: "Did CWG's vote against Barack Obama because they're all racists?" Answer: No--we voted against him because his political viewpoints and policies are a 180 degree switch from what America is supposed to be all about. Race has zero to do with why we will not accept his vision for our nation--the fact that he's a radical leftist who holds contempt for Capitalism, Traditional American Values, and the concept of "American Exceptionalism" has everything to do with our opposition. "
Are all CWG's filty rich bastards who have no connection with the working man?" Answer: No, many of us are actually not wealthy at all--but rest assured we're working on it! We definitely feel a connection with those in the working class who wish to work hard, better themselves, and provide for themselves and their families (because many of us are in the same boat ourselves, or have been at some point in the past). We do not, however, feel any connection with those in the working class who only wish to blame others for their position in life, and do not wish to take the responsibility for bettering themselves.
"Are all CWG's horrible dancers?" Answer: Sadly, yes...every last one of us is a God-awful dancer
So there it is--feel free to ask away. All those questions you've had about Conservatism, politics, culture, greasy fried foods, or the beauty of the Bowl Championship Series are just waiting to be answered! Who's first?
Questions like: "Did CWG's vote against Barack Obama because they're all racists?" Answer: No--we voted against him because his political viewpoints and policies are a 180 degree switch from what America is supposed to be all about. Race has zero to do with why we will not accept his vision for our nation--the fact that he's a radical leftist who holds contempt for Capitalism, Traditional American Values, and the concept of "American Exceptionalism" has everything to do with our opposition. "
Are all CWG's filty rich bastards who have no connection with the working man?" Answer: No, many of us are actually not wealthy at all--but rest assured we're working on it! We definitely feel a connection with those in the working class who wish to work hard, better themselves, and provide for themselves and their families (because many of us are in the same boat ourselves, or have been at some point in the past). We do not, however, feel any connection with those in the working class who only wish to blame others for their position in life, and do not wish to take the responsibility for bettering themselves.
"Are all CWG's horrible dancers?" Answer: Sadly, yes...every last one of us is a God-awful dancer
So there it is--feel free to ask away. All those questions you've had about Conservatism, politics, culture, greasy fried foods, or the beauty of the Bowl Championship Series are just waiting to be answered! Who's first?
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