THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume XIV, Issue # 7, January 12, 2012
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
DEBUNKING THE MYTH OF SANTORUM'S "BIG GOVERNMENT CONSERVATISM"
By Christopher G. Adamo
THE CRITICS OF RICK SANTORUM'S VERSION OF AMERICAN CONSERVATISM: THE CRITICS' HORRIBLY DISTORTED VIEW OF AMERICA & WHAT MADE IT
GREAT -- SANTORUM'S VIEW OF THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN SOCIETY & IN THE LIFE OF THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBER OF SOCIETY -- HIS PURPOSE IN SEEKING
TO INVOLVE GOVERNMENT IN SUCH ISSUES AS THE RIGHT TO LIFE OF THE UNBORN
FULL STORY:
The most often quoted passage from the Declaration of Independence is its proclamation of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as self-evident and unalienable
rights. Sadly, in modern day America, only a comparative few have any knowledge whatsoever of the sentence immediately following: “That to secure these rights,
governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Without a thorough understanding of the premise embedded in
this statement, and its vital importance to what the Founders were attempting, the entire American experiment would have been rendered wholly unfeasible.
That so many people no longer recognize this principle or, worse yet, choose to pretend it never existed, is evidenced by the ludicrous versions of the American ideal
being promoted, even by some self-described “Conservatives,” during the current election cycle. In particular, the accusations currently being leveled against former
Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Rick Santorum reveal a horribly jaundiced view of America and what made it great. In the wake of his outstanding showing in the Iowa
caucuses he has become the target of a contrived defamation campaign based on this thoroughly flawed premise.
With so much of the American nation’s foundation under assault, a failure to immediately reclaim those basic truths on which it was established, or the blind
acceptance of a perverted substitute in their place, will only ensure the continuation of its orchestrated decline. And, while certain elements within its culture would
rejoice at this fate, others would be thoroughly shocked at such an outcome, though they have unwittingly but diligently lent their assistance to the ensuing disaster.
It is extremely telling that the post-Iowa assault on Santorum came first from the Leftist media, but was then immediately picked up by supporters of Texas
Congressman Ron Paul. In a manner disturbingly reminiscent of congressional Democrats who, in the midst of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, jubilantly echoed the
propagandists of al-Qa'ida and other Islamist organizations in their criticism of American policy, Ron Paul’s minions were quick to repeat and magnify the disparaging
commentary from the Liberal Leftist punditry. So much for their incessant claims of being in the camp of the “only true Conservative.”
The essence of the attack on Santorum is that he cannot claim to be truly Conservative, since he recognizes the responsibilities of a just government in the protection
of the unborn, and in maintaining such time-honored cornerstones of our society, and civilization in general, as traditional marriage. This sorry episode unmasks the
bogus notion that Ron Paul supporters are interested in restoring the greatness of America. Rather, they promote a philosophy that would supplant traditional
America with their “enlightened” Libertarian, or anarchist, version of how they believe society should operate.
It is intellectually dishonest to deny that Rick Santorum would take the nation in a drastically different direction than that in which it is currently heading under Barack
Obama. Nevertheless, Santorum does understand that government is vested with certain responsibilities to intervene in the lives of the citizenry, particularly on behalf
of those who are the most helpless. In sharp contrast to the misrepresentations coming from his critics, be they professing Liberals or Ron Paul “Conservatives,”
Santorum upholds the indispensible need for government to perform specific functions, and these he fiercely advocates. So how does this square with the nation’s
founding documents?
Referring once again to the Declaration of Independence, government was not intended to become a metastasizing tumor, leaching from the citizenry in order to enrich
and enlarge itself. And, admittedly, this is its current condition. Yet, neither was it rendered wholly impotent and inconsequential. Rather, it was recognized as
absolutely essential to the implementation and enforcement of certain standards, thereby enabling it “to ensure these rights” that are so cherished by the citizenry and
so essential to a free and prosperous society.
In this role, it has specific and very legitimate functions. Santorum’s purpose for involving government in such “controversial” issues as the right to life of the unborn
is simple and inarguable. He understands that, if the rights of any one segment of society can be arbitrarily ignored or trampled, the rights of everyone are in jeopardy.
Justice must be meted out to all, or it ceases to be justice. Thus, the horrific indifference shown to the unborn since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its Roe v.
Wade decision in 1972, if not corrected, could be fully expected to leach into the rest of society. And has that not been its exact effect on life in America during the
past four decades?
Few would seriously argue that the timeline of eroding rights and freedoms in this nation has paralleled the institutionalized abandonment of traditional morality by
federal, state, and local governments. In the name of “freedom” from the moral restraints of the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage, the people are increasingly subjected
to a new and onerous “morality,” devoid of compassion or mutual respect for the plight of common folk. Such quaint concepts have been thoroughly supplanted by
the insidious encroachment of a secularist “nanny state,” dictating every aspect of life from the amount of water per toilet flush to the kind of light bulb deemed
“acceptable” by the state.
If one citizen’s right to life can be nullified at the convenience of another, should we be surprised that “liberty,” “the pursuit of happiness,” “property,” or any other
venerated component of the American ideal will eventually be consigned to a similar fate? Any objective assessment of human history, and the unalterable nature of
the human condition, provides ample proof that this is indeed the case.
Rick Santorum is no advocate of the “big government” that confiscates private property and redistributes it in the name of “social justice.” Yet, he understands that
government must be “big enough” to fulfill its constitutional role, if the nation is to survive and flourish. Many of his critics are wailing and gnashing teeth over the
dismal path the nation has recently taken. Yet they stubbornly refuse to admit that no shortcuts exist by which it can be restored.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
American Politics, Political Competition, & the Control of
Public Policy: Elections, Political Parties, Political Factions,
Ideologies, & Special Interest Groups
American Government & the U.S. Presidency:
Presidential Politics & National Leadership
The American Political System:
Politics & Government in the U.S.A.
The American Political & Cultural Left:
Liberals, Statists, Socialists, Marxists, & Other Leftists:
The Democratic Party, Academia, & the Mainstream Media
Liberalism Versus Conservatism in American Politics
-------------------------
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY & POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES:
COMPETING SYSTEMS OF POLITICAL THOUGHT
Conservatism
Traditional Conservatism: Questions & Answers
Conservatism: Attitudes, Types, & Present Status
Constitutional Conservatism: American & British
Liberalism
Classical Liberalism: Intellectual Foundations
Classical Liberalism: Conservative Liberalism
Manchester Liberalism & Social Darwinism
Modern Social "Liberalism": Statist "Liberalism"
Radical & Totalitarian Ideologies
Radicalism, Utopianism, & Totalitarianism
Christopher G. Adamo is a resident of southeastern Wyoming. He has been involved in politics at the local and state level for many years. His archives and contact
information can be found at www.chrisadamo.com
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
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Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity