I want to see the conservative party at its best again

I grew up conservative. My parents, my grandparents, my churches (we moved a lot), and at least some of my neighbors were conservative.

A conservative viewpoint is necessary for making sound decisions. Just like you need someone at the table saying, “What about this new idea?” you also need someone to say, “But what are the risks?”

Before changing course, take a shrewd look at the winds. Take small steps before you run. Be ready to roll back a change if it doesn’t work. Dip a toe in the water rather than diving off the board.

I want to see that conservative party again.

Heck, I’d probably join it. I’m a careful person. I worry “what could go wrong here?” I overprepare. We need people like that at all levels of government.

I want to see a conservative party that is diligent. If we do the research and the facts say that a conservative strategy is better, that’s great! For example, one conservative plan I like is that the profits from hunting licenses generally go right back into the environmental efforts for those animals. That’s a system that works.

I want to see three commitments to the facts, from conservatives and liberals alike:

• If research shows a conservative strategy works best, stick with it
• If research shows a liberal strategy is working better, phase it in
• Don’t abandon good policy ideas for short-term politics

That last one has been a real sore point when I think about Republicans.

Voting rights used to be a Republican-championed issue! Remember the Dixiecrats? Why did that change? Isn’t it a conservative issue to hold up enfranchisement laws that have been proven to work for decades?

And it was the Democrats who let the banks off the rails and repealed Glass-Steagall in the 90s, leading to the 2008 Great Recession. We could’ve used some conservatism then, and we could still use it now.

Come back, conservatives. We want you at the table.

—The Polite Liberal