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...that being "There is no intellectual debate about whether or not someone can be called a conservative, they don't care how they are seen. They just act on what they believe."
Problem is, conservatism is morally bankrupt. It stands for greed and imposing one's will on others - through war or law - both of which are not founding principles of this country, and are genuinely loathesome to most sane individuals.
Second problem is, conservatism is intellectually bankrupt. Smaller government in a world of $5 Trillion GDPs and globe-spanning corporations is not the answer, because smaller government will get trampled and ignored (and eventually subsumed) by competing interests who have no concern for the citizenry. Something else conservatives mistake: religion is fantasy, not reality, and fundamentalist/literalist interpretations of any religion has no place in government of a real-world society. As Matt Damon paraphrased me, "Anyone ignorant enough to believe dinosaurs walked the earth next to man four thousand years ago has no business being in the same room as launch codes, never mind being in possession of them."
About the only thing left is "personal responsibility," which isn't part of conservatism any more - as demonstrated by the fervent conservative support of the Bush administration, to the point of criticising anyone who suggested accountability for the various and massively lethal blunders and crimes of that administration.
The issue with the remaining moderates and liberals about what to call themselves is something that most thinking individuals consider at any given time. How do they/we wish to be perceived? Languages aren't static elements, and words change over time. The debate here focuses on whether or not a certain word still holds the appropriate meaning for the group to consider it representative of their purpose.
If it isn't, they move to a new term. If it is, or if it can be re-modified to work again, they'll stay with it.
It's not rocket science, Max. Grow some brains.
T
