I blog this mostly to keep track of some good descriptions of the history of American Conservatives and Libertarians -- it's a rocky relationship. Conservatives would largely like to maintain strong relations with a "libertarian wing" at least in recent times, Libertarians mostly like to point out that they are NOT conservatives!
I found the summary a bit too obscure, but with some elements of truth:
Conservatism is an ethereal thing rather than a political system. It has no written constitution to rely on in dark times. And while it is not free of ideas, it is, as a positional ideology, resistant to formulation in a simple, fixed credo. As such, it always stands at risk of being exploited by someone who yokes personal ambition to popular passion in the service of a movement that is conservative in name only. And if that happens, the time will come for libertarians to ask, “Who lost the conservatives?”Conservatism isn't a political system or religious dogma, but it does have some basic principles. A respect and firm regard for the mysterious workings of culture and religion, with a strong desire to not abandon either. An appreciation for the limitations of man and his governments, and the wisdom of "First, do no harm!". Civility, manners, restraint, tradition and perspective.
Oh, and the belief that 20 year old Scotch is superior to fresh swill from the still!
There were also a couple of GREAT words in the column, in homage to William Buckley I thought ...
"defenstrated" -- directly "thrown out a window", a more urbane version of "thrown under the bus".
"syncretic" -- combining different, often contradictory beliefs while combining schools of thought. The Catholic Church co-opting pagan holidays like Winter Solstice for Christmas is a great example.
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