Party or Principle?

I recently had a conversation with a colleague that really got me thinking. He shared an insight I had never considered before. Now, I'm not a young guy by any means, but most of my real political experience has happened since just before the Reagan Revolution. That fact has shaped my beliefs and assumptions about the Republican Party.

My parents were on opposite sides of the political spectrum. My dad was a WWII vet and a dyed in the wool Democrat. My mom on the other hand opted for the Republicans. There was one year when we had political signs in our yard of opposing candidates. One thing you can say is that they each had passion.

So, when it was my turn to enter the voting world and choose a party, who did I follow? My dad. Well, it does make some sense, I was a guy. Most guys were Democrats... right? Not long after I cast a vote for McGovern. However, when he lost badly, I felt like a loser. And whenever I lost in my youth, it wasn't unusual for me to quit. So, I quit politics... for a while. Then one day, I was introduced to Ronald Reagan. No, not personally. He was on TV sharing his reasons for opposing abortion. Something rang true about this man. Was it his warmth? His sincerity? He just made sense.

From that time on, I watched Reagan rise to the top of the Republican world. He brought a conservative message to the US political landscape that made sense. It drew me into the Republican Party, engaged my interest and political energy, and fired my hopes and political passion. And I wasn't alone. From Reagan on, I've assumed that republicanism was synonymous with conservatism.

So, now, back to my colleague. Tom Valletta (http://vallettapapers.blogtownhall.com/) has a similar political genealogy as mine... only he was very involved in the political process. He actually worked on McGovern's campaign. One day I expressed my frustration with the state of the Republican Party. Our ship was adrift and has left its political moorings. It was filled with politicians who have forgotten conservative principles and have done little to offset the growth of big government, entitlements, and debt.

Can you imagine how surprised I was when Tom pointed out that the party was simply returning to what it once was... the Grand Ole Party. I asked him to explain. He said, "Conservatism is a political movement or philosophy. With the rise of Reagan, conservatism hijacked the Republican Party, and has had a good run of influencing the direction of political affairs. Conservatism has simply lost its hold on the party."

We talked for a few minutes longer. It all made sense. My own history with the party was mostly a conservative history. I had never known the party to be any thing different. So, what am I? Am I a Republican or a conservative? A conservative Republican, I suppose. If the Republican Party turns its back on conservative principles (which in some ways, Bush has been guilty of this very thing), then what am I? I'm still a conservative. Basically speaking, I'm an American first, a conservative second, and party member third. Nothing else makes sense to me. And I owe it all to my colleague.