Jack Hunter: Conservatism & Libertarianism

Source:Young Americans For Liberty featuring conservative blogger Jack Hunter.

"JACK HUNTER: CONSERVATISM WITHOUT LIBERTARIANISM?" 

From Young Americans For Liberty 

"Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology, which seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values.[1][2][3] The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilisation in which it appears.[4] In Western culture, depending on the particular nation, conservatives seek to promote and preserve a range of institutions, such as the nuclear family, organised religion, the military, the nation-state, property rights, rule of law, aristocracy, and monarchy.[5] Conservatives tend to favour institutions and practices that enhance social order and historical continuity." 

From Wikipedia

"Libertarianism (from French: libertaire, itself from the Latin: libertas, lit. 'freedom') is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value.[1][2][3][4] Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, emphasizing equality before the law and civil rights to freedom of association, freedom of speech, freedom of thought and freedom of choice.[4][5] Libertarians are often skeptical of or opposed to authority, state power, warfare, militarism and nationalism, but some libertarians diverge on the scope of their opposition to existing economic and political systems. Various schools of libertarian thought offer a range of views regarding the legitimate functions of state and private power. Different categorizations have been used to distinguish various forms of Libertarianism.[6][7] Scholars distinguish libertarian views on the nature of property and capital, usually along left–right or socialist–capitalist lines.[8] Libertarians of various schools were influenced by liberal ideas." 

From Wikipedia

I'll get into what Jack Hunter said as well. But if you look at the Wikipedia definition of conservatism, that basically looks like the opposite of MAGA. Show me I'm wrong, if you disagree with that. 

Think about it, MAGA and the broader, right-wing national movement, is always talking about blowing up the system and taking down the establishment. Not that different in language from what the New Left Socialists and Communists were talking about in the late 1960s and early 70s. The difference being that the New Left was talking about taking down "The Man" and replacing it with some type of socialist state. 

Whereas MAGA, would take down the U.S. Government (if their militants had their way) and replace it with some type of nationalistic state, where "The Man" or the men would be back in charge, ruling over everyone else.

If you look at conservatism in it's classical sense, you look at the Calvin Coolidge's, the Robert Taft's, the Barry Goldwater's, conservatism is very similar to what Jack Hunter is talking about. Government, especially the national government, should be very limited in what it does and only do what the states, localities, and the people can't do for themselves, or do well enough for themselves. So that's national security, foreign policy, trade, regulating interstate commerce, and interstate law enforcement. With everything else, including education, social welfare, marriage, gambling, entertainment, reproductive rights, being left up to the states or the people themselves. So in that sense I agree with Jack Hunter.

But conservatism in its original form, is about conserving. I mean that's what it means to be a Conservative, you are someone who believes in conserving. Conserving a certain form of government, like our liberal democratic republic, a certain way of life, like our western liberal democratic values, conserving religious freedom, and all of our individual rights. 

And then you look at libertarianism, again in it's classical form, not the Anarcho-Libertarians, or the so-called Libertarian Populists like the Alex Jones's and others, classical Libertarians put the rights of the individual and individual freedom, over everything else, including public safety. Which is why Libertarians believe that all narcotics should be legal, that even drunk driving should be legal. No speed limits, no age requirements when someone should be allowed to smoke and drink alcohol, that sort of thing. 

So I agree with Jack Hunter that Conservatives and Libertarians are very similar when it comes to individual rights, limited government, that government closest to home is the best government, that sort of thing. But Conservatives put limits on individuals when it comes to public health and safety. 

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