Conservatism

"Instead of trying to persuade voters of the wisdom of particular policies, both Democrats and Republicans sought to mobilize the voters who already thought they way they did. . . . But if conservatives expect to fully implement their beliefs, they will need to win the hearts and minds of most Americans." - Veith

"October 19 [was] the birthday of Russell Kirk (1918-1994), whose book The Conservative Mind gave shape and direction to a rebounding transatlantic political and philosophical tradition. Kirk rooted conservatism, not in a political platform, but in a deep-seated respect for tradition, faith, order, morality, and precedent." - Acton

• The Conservative Mind (paid link helps fund SharperIron)

"Preoccupied as they were with political victories and strategies, movement conservatives were not very attentive to how the deeper beliefs and sentiments of people were evolving in the United States. Yet, political power is circumscribed by the culture of voters and what it will make them accept or reject." - W. Examiner

"In Europe, 'liberal'...means free market economics and liberty in general. Which is why the 'Liberal Party' in Australia is actually what Americans would describe as the conservative party. Whereas in the United States, 'liberal' has come to mean progressivism, openness to change of every sort, and left-leaning ideologies.  Including, ironically, support for strong central governments and opposition to free market capitalism." - Veith

"Join a political movement if you like, but don’t confuse it with an intellectual movement. To the extent that you wish to pursue intellectual authenticity in public, you will need to give up on direct political influence." - Daniel Burns

"Conservative legal theory holds that laws need to be interpreted and applied according to their “original” or “textual” meaning. Conservative judges, unlike liberal judges, resist 'making laws,' which they consider to be the role of legislators....they also tend to have a high respect for 'precedent,' for upholding previous court rulings. ...Nevertheless, questions arise about how these justices applied their conservative legal theory." - Veith

"These failures, as noted by Senator Hawley in his speech, can quickly turn into a political liability for a Republican Party that has derived significant power from campaigning on the importance of judicial nominations. Bostock is a wake-up call...of a movement in need of change. In seeking such change, however, the movement should be careful not to make two errors that are currently tempting its loudest critics." - Law & Liberty

"The second fallacy is that before the state takes charge of our morals, it must be morally superior to us, and there’s no evidence it is. Quite the contrary: the record shows that when government takes command of personal morality, both the people and the state end up less moral, not more." - Timothy Sandefur