CONSERVATIVES MUST ACT AS A 4TH FORCE –
NOT AS AN APPENDAGE TO THE GOP OR MAGA
I’ve written extensively over the years about the importance of conservatives acting as a Third Force in American politics.
However, with the arrival in recent years of Donald Trump’s MAGA Movement – the MAGA Movement is now a third force, and the Conservative Movement is a fourth force.
I feel it’s important to alert conservatives, especially conservative leaders like you to the importance of the Conservative Movement being independent of the Republican and Democrat parties, as well as the MAGA Movement.
Recently over coffee one Sunday morning, I was talking with a longtime national conservative activist and key part of the Conservative Movement.
My friend identified himself with MAGA, and I pointed out to him that he and I share many policies, programs, ideas, and beliefs with MAGA as well as the Republican Party – but our heritage comes not from Richard Nixon, George Bush 41, Bush 43, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Donald Trump.
But rather from the principles of our ideological founding fathers Edmund Burke, Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Russell Kirk, Frank Meyer, Brent Bozell Jr., Bill Buckley Jr., Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, etc., etc.
Now we have two polar opposite visions – one of freedom and liberty and one of government supremacy and control.
For most of our history, American politics had two major political forces — Democrat and Republican.
They had disagreements, but they were usually minor by today’s politics — perhaps a matter of personnel, a new government program, more or less taxes, increased or less regulation of business, and of course by how much to increase federal spending.
Mostly what divided them was the "out" party wanted to be the "in" party, and the "in" party wanted to stay the "in" party.
However, one thing was consistent. Whichever party was in power; the government grew.
Both parties’ leaders were not only comfortable with such growth but were eager and anxious to grow government. The bigger the government, the more taxpayer money to divide.
I’ll continue this discussion in next week’s blog post.
