Previous generations of my family were proud Democrats. Both of my grandfathers were factory union members, both were captivated by John Kennedy, and both found their identity in working class values. Those roots were deep in my family, and yet the mold was broken with my father and his children, all Conservative Republicans.
Two people motivated my father’s political change: Ronald Reagan and Rush Limbaugh.
My father grew up in a nation that was deeply divided. He was a kid during the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, and lived through the assassinations of JFK, MLK and RFK. He attended High School in the 70’s, joined the military, and returned home from Germany to a country in economic turmoil. President Reagan’s message of “morning in America” resonated with my father because the nation desperately needed a vision of hope and a reason to be optimistic. Reagan rallied the West against a common enemy, Communism, and made the case why limiting the reach of our federal government at home, while expanding our ideals abroad, would result in more liberty and peace for all Americans – and my father believed him.
Rush Limbaugh emerged in the late 80’s and 90’s. He used the radio to continue advocating for principles that my father now believed in, and the common enemy changed from communism to Big Government Liberalism, in which Reagan Conservatives and Rush’s Dittoheads gladly followed in lockstep. I remember riding with my dad in the car, listening to Rush on the radio, and then pulling up to his bowling alley where he proudly hosted “Rush N Bowl” during the lunch hour with the talk show playing loudly over the center’s sound system.
These were my influences as a kid.
As an adult, I have chosen this worldview for myself.
There is a lot that draws me to Conservatism as a political, social and intellectual movement. For the last 20 years I’ve studied the likes of Edmund Burke, Russell Kirk, William Buckley, Willmoore Kendall and Frank Meyer, and I’ve maintained a long-standing subscription to National Review. I’m inspired by these Conservative philosophers and thinkers, but what holds me tight to the Right is that the movement isn’t governed by an individual or a singular issue. Conservatism doesn’t change with polling and it doesn’t bend to trends. Conservatism is governed by a set of principles – a consistent, stable, and pragmatic lens through which we see the world.
I have come to call these foundational beliefs the First Principles of Conservatism and they serve as a strategic framework that helps guide the movement. The following are the five principles that I believe make up traditional Conservatism:
[1] The Primary Role of Government is to protect rights and liberties, and the best design for our government to fulfill its role is limited and local. We contend for State’s Rights and a robust federalism that pushes decision making closest to the citizen. Government is not the appropriate catalyst for economic growth and when government continually expands it’s reach and role, there emerges a deep concern for the level of taxation needed to perform the public services.
[2] The Concept of Human Nature begins with a premise that man is not inherently good. History demonstrates that mankind is bent towards actions that are self-serving, and society will naturally deteriorate without a recognition of basic moral guardrails.
[3] The Most Important Institutions are the family and the faith communities in society. We advocate for a secular government, but a religious a theistic society that understands the value behind moral order. These institutions must be protected from the over-reach of government.
[4] The American Founding Documents serve as the compass for our nation. In these documents we derive rights from our Creator, not our government, and we are shown the mechanisms for change as well as the role of each branch of government. This system of checks and balances provides a necessary tension that limits the role of the Executive while promoting the individual liberties of the People.
[5] The Right to Life is fundamental to a moral society. There is value and worth to all humans and should be defended with few exceptions.
I believe that Conservatism has always been about conserving what is true, good, and beautiful – and fighting for these First Principles when they’ve come under attack. Conservatism has never been the popular or appealing path, nor does it revel in novelty or illusions of progress, but because Conservatism exists to promote and protect the enduring truths – what Russell Kirk called “the permanent things” – it will always find a home with people who care about the reality of human nature, the goodness of ordered liberty, and the beauty of an ordinary life lived well before God.
I was raised a Conservative because of my Father.
I remain a Conservative because I believe in these principles.
My hope is that we find a new generation of leaders that will agree.