“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroy ourselves” remarked Alan West (R-FL), quoting President Lincoln at the 2011 Conservative Political Action conference. CPAC, the largest annual gathering of conservatives in Washington D.C. each year, is a time for conservatives to gather, reflecting on the exciting events of the past year and looking forward to the year ahead.
However, while a gathering for all conservatives, the CPAC’s crowd is far from homogenous. This year saw a clash in the conservative movement between some extreme social conservative groups and the libertarian wing of the conservative movement. Conservatives must understand that conservatism cannot stand on one leg alone; divided we will fail. If social conservatism separates from fiscal conservatism, if we allow personal liberty to be separated from personal responsibility, we will fail. It is this message that Alan West and others hoped to convey to conservatives at CPAC and across the country.
This year at CPAC, GOProud, a gay conservative coalition, was approved for a booth at the exhibition of organizations, sparking uproar from various social conservative groups. Because GOProud was allowed at the conference, several longtime CPAC sponsors dropped out of the conference. “CWA [Concerned Women for America] has decided not to participate in part because of GOProud,” CWA President Penny Nance stated earlier this year. This behavior cannot go unnoticed. It is time for groups such as The Heritage Foundation, The Family Resource Council, Concerned Women for America, and all other conservative organizations to stand up for real conservative principles, not bigotry.
Simply being gay does not restrict an individual’s ability to contribute to the conservative movement; in fact, gay conservatives strengthen our movement. Speaking to GOProud representatives at the convention, I encountered the same core beliefs that all conservatives hold: a belief in the power of the individual, free markets, civil liberties, and the constitution. While our views may differ on certain issues, and while we may exercise different lifestyles, no conservative principle allows hatred toward another group for any reason. It is time for the conservative movement as a whole to condemn bigotry and stand on our common values, not hateful rhetoric. If we do not, we should prepare for a landslide loss in 2012; and it will be one we deserve.
The issue of GOProud is just one example that stands at the helm of a fundamental split in conservatism nationwide. Across the nation, and even at CPAC (where Senator Orrin Hatch was booed as he spoke), conservatives seem to be divided. On college campuses across the country students refer to themselves as fiscal conservatives, but would never dare to admit to believing in social conservatism. The organizers of CPAC, and many conservative leaders nationwide, recognize this as a grave problem. “You can’t defend the one and give up the other. And they must never be separated,” declared Paul Ryan, referring to the separation of social and economic conservatism.
This is not to say that conservatives should agree on all issues; in fact, open debate and differences within our movement refine our views and make us stronger. Indeed, fiscal conservatives should not turn a blind eye to flawed principles promoted by social conservatives. Equally, social conservatives should not hesitate to pressure policies supported by fiscal conservatives. However, both fiscal and social conservatives must find compromise, work together, and stand unified on the basic principles of conservatism that they share. Most importantly, we cannot afford to live up to the reputation of bigotry that liberals have impressed upon us. We stand at a unique place in history, and conservatism has been given a second chance; in order to succeed, we must stand together.
Photo credit: http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/goproud.JPG