Mere Conservatism

During World War II, C. S. Lewis gave a series of lectures about the essential doctrines of Christianity that united Christians. These lectures laid the groundwork for his famous book, Mere Christianity. Today, we are in the midst of a new war, a cultural war. And, although they fight against a common enemy, Republicans are divided. They need a Mere Conservatism.

The radical left has become a cult of perversion, mutilation, and death. They have one goal: destroy America. The old libertarian-conservative attitude of the Republican establishment has failed to stop the left and conserve America. As the left mobilizes to destroy the foundations of the American republic, Republicans need a new conservative platform that consolidates conservatives against the left and for a common cause.

I propose a mere conservative platform that unites a wide variety of conservatives around policies and attitudes essential to conserve America in an age where the opposition party seeks to destroy it. There are 6 main points of a mere conservative platform, and these are: upholding traditional justice, abolishing abortion, protecting societal institutions, supporting the working class, promoting American nationalism, and preserving our history.

Republicans must be the party of justice. James Madison said that “Justice is the end of government.” Without justice, there is no liberty. While the Democrats are the party of injustice, chaos, and tyranny, Republicans should stand for justice, order, and liberty.

The most prevalent injustice today is abortion, which has become a sacrament of the left. They cheer for the murder of babies and have made it a central part of their party platform. Since Roe v Wade, abortion has taken about six times as many lives as the Holocaust. Republicans should remember Thomas Jefferson's words on injustice, “Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever.” The Republican Party abolished slavery in its founding. In its renaissance, it must abolish an even greater evil, abortion.

Mere conservatism protects the fundamental institutions of society. The three most important societal institutions are the family, the church, and the school. Family is the backbone of society. Republicans must protect this institution against the left's attacks of fatherless homes, polygamy, and transgenderism. The left’s most horrific attack on the family is their advocacy of transgender operations on children. This mutilation of children is worshiped by the left. The left has replaced the God of the Bible with the idol of individualism. Gone is the liberal church of reason, the left has replaced it with the church of death, race, and class. Republicans must continue supporting the Christian church. John Adams noted the importance of traditional religion saying, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” The final key institution of society is the school. K-12 education must be purged of radical leftists. Classical liberal arts education is essential to carrying on the Republic to the next generation.

Republicans must be the pro-worker and pro-business party. One that protects private property, defends the free market, and promotes a diverse economy. Republicans should support trade policies that protect our national security and help the working class. While the left seeks to enslave the American people through socialism, Republicans should seek to unleash the American imagination through economic liberty. We are the party of the American dream.

American nationalism is another aspect of mere conservatism. Republicans must incorporate nationalism into their platform out of love of and loyalty to America and its ideals. American nationalism unifies Americans of every ethnicity and class around a common American culture, tradition, and law by embracing the motto “E Pluribus Unum,” out of many, one. It asserts that there is only one race, the human race, and that all men and women are created equal. This stands in stark contrast to the multiculturalist left which divides people into races, classes, and genders, demanding that these groups be treated differently. American nationalism rejects open borders and holds that proper limits on immigration are prudent. In an age where the left seeks to transfer America’s sovereignty to international globalist institutions, preserving American nationalism is vital.

Finally, mere conservatism preserves American history. Conservatives conserve what is true, good, and beautiful about society. Republicans ought to be proud of their history. We are the party that freed the slaves, won the Civil War, fought for civil rights, and won the Cold War, often despite Democrat opposition. Democrats wish to tear down the nation's history. Republicans must defend all statues and monuments against the leftist mobs. Likewise, Republicans must preserve the constitution against the left's attempts to fundamentally transform it.

At a recent campaign rally, Donald Trump summed up a mere conservative platform, “Republicans are the party of Liberty, Equality, and Justice for all. We are the party of Abraham Lincoln and we are the Party of Law and Order.” Because the left’s primary objective is to tear down our history, Republicans should make preserving American history the center of its mere conservative platform. The old Republican establishment has largely failed to conserve what is great about America. Classical conservatives should become the new Republican establishment and promote a mere conservative platform.

While the left envisions America as evil, we must paint an alternative picture which can lead to a grand American revival. The left has regressed themselves to tribalism. They celebrate the murder of babies. They praise the mutilation of children. They seek to enslave We The People to a tyrannical government. The leftist vision is increasingly resembling hell rather than a progressive utopia. And yet, despite this, they still dominate the culture.

C. S. Lewis sought to unite divided Christians around the essential elements of Christianity, to help them when a war. Today, conservatives should unite around a mere conservative platform to conserve what is great about America. As the radical left continues their goal of progressing the nation towards the gates of hell, Republicans must endeavor to protect and defend our Grand Republic.