What does conservatism mean? What are some ideas?
80629
Small government, fiscal accountability, limited involvement in foreign  wars, slow acceptance of sweeping fiscal, environmental, social, and cultural changes.  I REAL conservative might be someone like ....Theodore Rosevelt or Grover Cleveland, or Hoover, or Coolidge.  The current occupant is NOT a conservative - not with how the Reagan principals have been betrayed and our nation looted.
268710
liberal conservative?
1037465
Since you asked...my definition of "liberal" is one who believes in government sponsored programs designed to provide benefits such as healthcare, financial aid, and education to individuals in low income brackets.  This is accomplished by high tax rates on the upper level income earners.  They profess a belief in a strong middle class, have an aversion to corporations and "big business" and feel that privacy is the most important thing, other than helping the poor.\n\nConservatives are people who believe in business, big and small and feel that the money they earn should be retained by them, not spent on others.  They believe that since the highest income earners are also usually the ones who employ the middle and lower class, they should get a break because without them, there wouldn't be jobs.  Pro-gun, pro-military, agressive foreign policy (shoot first ask questions later).  They also believe in personal liberty, but often see compromises with that liberty as okay when it's for the good of the country.\n\nMe, I'm a Libertarian.  I am definitely more right than left, but I see that conservatives and liberals both have screwed up the government.  Neither one is in touch with anything except their bank accounts and hate.  I think I can stomach the right more because the views are a little more in line with mine and democrats (I'm gonna say it)...are hypocrites.
754242
After thinking many years about my ideas about liberal and conservative politics. I have come to define liberal politics as those that liberate the many from a power structure that concentrates the wealth of the global culture into the hands of a mercenary, plutocratic, predatory few. I have come to define conservative politics as those that conserve a power structure that concentrates the wealth of the many of our global culture into the hands of a mercenary, plutocratic, predatory few.\n\nWhy should I expect to win a "war on terror" by creating terror in war? Why should I expect to win a war on terror by giving all my gold to a mercenary plutocratic predatory few when it is a mercenary plutocratic predatory few that profit from the demand for protection created by terrorist activity? Terrorist activity creates demand in the market place for the protection services offered by a mercenary plutocratic predatory few. I think, believe and expect a more rational approach to winning the war on terror would be to redistribute of the wealth of the global culture by taking wealth from a mercenary plutocratic predatory few and giving wealth to the many. This would have the dual effect of diminishing the profits derived by a mercenary plutocratic predatory few from operating a global shakedown of epic proportions that some call a war on terror; and enabling the many to protect themselves from terrorist attack as individuals by using wealth acquired through redistribution .
470461
Liberals (Democrats) as they're called in the States are actually not followers of traditional liberalism. Classical liberalism is more closely followed by Libertarians and some factions of the Republican party. Extreme liberalism can be seen in some forms of anarcho-capitalism or anarchy. Just so you know.\n\nAnyway, conservatives are for the protection of a traditional way of life, of the status quo, of stability. Conservatives are therefore against any social upheaval or change. Conservatives feel that too much change is dangerous, destabilizing, and ultimately the death of a society, and that a strong government is needed to protect the people, even if it means restricting freedom somewhat.\n\nModerates see the value in both. They agree that change is necessary and that freedom is important and that both can be beneficial, but that full-blown anarchy is not desirable and that the government can actually help the protection of freedom.
105983
It's just a way of describing two opposites sides, as in wings of a building.\n\nTraditionally, the "left wing" or the "left" describes those who are liberal in philosophy and politics.  The "right wing" or "right" refers to those of a conservative bent.\n\nDuring the time of the Vietnam War, the left and right were known by their views on our involvement--"doves", or anti-war for the left, and "hawks", or pro-war for the right.\n\nHopefully you understand the liberal/conservative difference.  If not, post another question and we'll tackle that for you.
187008
Conservatives are for smaller government. Less taxation and less government intrusion on our lives so.  You can't be a conservative.\n\nUs conservative call them RINOs, Republican In Name Only.\nAKA Neo-conservatives
792300
You'll probably get a couple of different answers such as a former Dem that switched to the republican party. The definition I personally subcribe to is that a neoconservative or the "new" conservative is one that is further right-wing than Reagan, your exclusive, bible thumping, war mongering lunatics that point to what I call "pseudo-patriotism" as the guise for validating their Un-American behavior. The classic example being Bush and his criminal administrtion. So I guess it really depends on which definition you prefer.
1067476
I am conservative, but do not belong to any political party in particular.  Although there are many liberals and liberal organizations in power (NOW, PETA, ACLU) who take the view of the extremes most liberals on the street are suffering from various levels of ignorance about what they are really supporting. \n\nWhen it comes to ordinary everyday people, Liberals tend to be those who think with their hearts when it comes to decisions affecting others.  People who think with their hearts tend to consider how their decisions affect the individuals involved.  They tend to work well with individuals or small groups in helping careers such as teaching and nursing.  This is no reflection of their intelligence, because there are plenty of intelligent liberals out there.  It is only an indication of how they make decisions.  People who think with their hearts may need to put extra effort in learning to look at the logical side of things when making decisions in politics.  Liberals also tend to jump feet first into accepting new ideas hoping that the ideas will work, so that they can be on the ground floor.\n\nOn the other hand, conservatives tend to think with their heads.  They focus on how their decisions affect the group as a whole.  They usually work better in logical fields such as in laboratory science or the law.  This is not a reflection on conservatives ability for compassion, but only on how they make decisions.  People who think with their heads may need to put extra effort into considering how their decisions affect the individuals involved.  Conservatives tend to look before they leap and accepting new ideas only if there is good reason to believe that those ideas will work better than those that are in place.  They are more likely to give up being on the ground floor in favor of caution. \n\nMost people are somewhere in the middle of the road.\n\nThat having been said.  Running the government (as opposed to a local club or group) requires much thinking in terms of the whole group.  There is no way that a federal government over 300 million people or even a town government over 3,000 can meet the needs of every individual in those groups.  The federal government should limit itself to issues affecting the country at large (national defense, disputes between the states, etc).  State governments should limit itself to issues which affect itself as a whole (maintaining state highways, justice systems, etc).  All other issues (schools, county road and park maintenence, zoning laws, etc) should be handled by local governments.  The needs of individuals should be handled by families, churches, and private charities.
969847
Conservative - Less gov't interferance in economy, more in social issues\n\nLiberal - opposite of Con definition\n\nLibertarian - less gov't interferance in both
445747
The main problem is that these "WORDS" are tossed around and used incorrectly! \n\nLiberal (Left Wing) should mean a free thinker, open minded, ect...\n\nConservatives (Right Wing) are people who should save, protect, or carefully use assets or make choices that require unclouded thinking.\n\nIn the end it's all a bunch of bull shit! The so called conservatives are ignorant minions of the wealthy and powerful. The GOP (grand over-class party) is a great example of this. They spend our money on bull shit like there's no tommorrow and try and oppress those who oppose them. They suck at social justice. (We are a Christian Nation yet we treat our poor and powerless like shit by cutting funding to important social programs and education). And they are great at filling their own pockets and the pockets of their masters with our hard earned tax dollars. This all goes against the saying "they will know we are Christian by our love".\n\nThe left wingers don't want people telling them how to live or what kind of choices they can make. BUT there are some things that shouldn't happen like a federal recongized homosexual marriage. The people need to vote on stuff like that. There are so many more important social and legal issues that need to be fixed before jumping onto a sword like that! \n\nIt all comes down to money and power. Right wingers leaders lie just as well if not better than left wingers. Don't let the left or right wing control your mind. Don't use these "Words" to lable yourself or others because these words are not used for what they mean. \n\nEducate yourself on the issues not by Watching FOX NEWS or CNN but by opening up a book and your mind.
846812
It means that it's a "poll on conservative values".  Meaning that the outcome of the election will tell us whether the American public is favoring or opposing neo-conservative values.
381861
I THINK it means go to the middle.  In other words, be a moderate and not a leftist or rightest.  Extremes are never good in politics.\n\nI would have this verified by other posts.\n\nIt can also mean get to the center of an issue.  It depends upon the content of your question.
287247
I am a Conservative because I agree with a lot of Conservative idealogies.\n\nI believe in God\n\nI believe in Jesus as my Savior.\n\nI support the Military\n\nI believe in the Right to Keep and Bear Arms\n\nI support the Death Penalty for the crimes of Murder, Rape, Molestation, and Treason\n\nI oppose Abortion except for Threat to a Mother's Life.\n\nI believe in the right to pray to whoever you wanna pray to, if ya don't wanna pray that is fine with me but don't deny the right to those who wish to pray.\n\nI believe that those who are able to work Full Time should be working a job instead of being on Welfare (only Widows, War Veterans and Disabled persons should be allowed to get Money from the Government, and a good amount of our injured War eterans would be getting the Money due to them for their service if it weren't for Lazy people who can work being on Welfare instead of working).\n\nLiberal use to have a different meaning that it does today, for instance there are soem Viewpoints I hold that would have deemed me Liberal in Lincoln's time (Lincoln was Liberal according to the standards of hsi time but according to today's standards he was pretty Conservative).\n\nMuslim Clerics would deem me Liberal because I am opposed to forcing a Woman to wear a Veil (I have no problem with the Veils themselves but im against forcing a Woman to wear it).
1125475
I couldn't have said it better myself. You are so right. the Neo-Cons should be asamed of themselves for even using the term "conservative." Conservatism essentially means small government, which they clearly do not believe in, though they say they do. "Marriage = Man+Woman," they say. To coin a phrase... "Only a SITH deals in absoloutes."
905646
everything\n\ngenerally, liberal stances vs. conservative stances\n\nthe liberal ideal:\n\nBroadly speaking, liberalism emphasizes individual rights. It seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on power, especially of government and religion, the rule of law, free public education, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports relatively free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government in which the rights of all citizens are protected.[2] In modern society, liberals favor a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law and an equal opportunity to succeed.[3]\n\nthe republican ideal:\n\nClassical or institutional conservatism - Opposition to rapid change in governmental and societal institutions. This kind of conservatism is anti-ideological insofar as it emphasizes process (slow change) over product (any particular form of government). To the classical conservative, whether one arrives at a right- or left-leaning government is less important than whether change is effected through rule of law rather than through revolution and sudden innovation.
219883
Look at the words Liberal and Conservative ... and their roots.\n\nAt 22, the idea of conserving seems crazy. The idea of freedom and liberartion to someone young and full of ideas seems the way to go. I consider myself to be moderate. I see the advantage to both ideals and the idea of oppostion. \n\nIt's great to have ideas on how we should proceed. Just remember that the opposite side of the aisle has their ideas too and that you need not disgrace the other side. Both sides have merit.