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| − | ==Hall of Shame== | + | ==Hall of Fame== |
| | + | Conservative scholar Clinton Rossiter<ref> Rossiter, "The Giants of American Conservatism," ''American Heritage'' 1955 6(6): 56-59, 94-96, online in [[EBSCO]]</ref> names [[Alexander Hamilton]], [[John Adams]], [[John Marshall]], [[Daniel Webster]], [[John C. Calhoun]], [[Elihu Root]], and [[Theodore Roosevelt]] to the "Conservative's Hall of Fame,"'' with John Adams as the greatest of American conservatives. |
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| − | Ignorance and racism at its finest
| + | ===Presidents=== |
| | + | Periodically a conservative has been elected president of the United States. The most prominent conservative presidents include: |
| | + | *[[George Washington]] (1789-1797) |
| | + | *[[James Monroe]] (1817-1825) |
| | + | *[[Grover Cleveland]] (1885-1889, 1893-1897) |
| | + | *[[Warren G. Harding]] (1921-1923) |
| | + | *[[Calvin Coolidge]] (1923-1929) |
| | + | *[[Ronald Reagan]] (1981-1989) |
| | + | *[[George W. Bush]] (2001-2009) (with respect to taxes, Supreme Court nominations, and national security) |
| | + | |
| | + | The most prominent conservative Congresses have been: |
| | + | |
| | + | *The 80th Congress (elected in 1946) |
| | + | *The 104th Congress (elected in 1994) |
| | + | |
| | + | ===Movement=== |
| | + | [[Movement conservatives]] are those who accept the logic of conservatism across-the-board, and stand up for its powerful principles despite liberal ridicule. Movement conservative activists include: |
| | + | *[[Phyllis Schlafly]], opposed [[ERA]] |
| | + | *[[Larry McDonald]], Congressman, on board [[KAL 007]] when shot down by the Soviets near [[Moneron Island]]. |
| | + | *[[Jesse Helms]], Senator, specialist in foreign policy |
| | + | *[[Pat Buchanan]], TV commentator |
| | + | *[[Jerry Falwell]], religion |
| | + | *[[Michele Bachmann]], columnist |
| | + | *[[Ann Coulter]], columnist |
| | + | *[[Rush Limbaugh]], radio |
| | + | *[[Michelle Malkin]], commentator |
| | + | *[[Glenn Beck]], TV commentator |
| | + | |
| | + | ===Key leaders=== |
| | + | *[[Barry Goldwater]] - 1964 Republican candidate, lost to liberal Democrat [[Lyndon Johnson]] but revived the conservative movement inside the GOP |
| | + | *[[Russell Kirk]] - Theorist & intellectual |
| | + | *[[Irving Kristol|Irving]] and [[William Kristol]] - Notable [[neoconservatives]] |
| | + | *[[Margaret Thatcher]] - British prime minister between 1979 and 1990, held views similar to Reagan's |
| | + | *[[Milton Friedman]] - Chicago-school [[libertarian]] [[economist]], influential during Reagan administration; leader of the [[Chicago School of Economics]] |
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| | ==US Voters== | | ==US Voters== |
| − | I
| + | In America, most conservatives support the [[Republican Party]], but not exclusively so. In the 2008 election, 35% of the voters identified themselves as conservatives. Of them, 78% voted for McCain and 20% for Obama, with the 20% accounting for Obama's margin of victory. Only 22% of the voters were liberal; they favored Obama 89%-10%. In the middle were 44% who called themselves moderates. They split for Obama by 60%-39%. (Minor candidates won 2% of the vote.)<ref> See [http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#USP00p1 Presidential 2008 Exit Poll]</ref> |
| | + | [[File:Conservative-republican-brain.jpg|thumb|350px]] |
| | + | ===Religious differences between political conservatives and political liberals=== |
| | + | The Barna poll conducted in November 2008 shows significant differences between the 32% of Americans who called themselves as “mostly conservative” on social and political matters; and the 17% who called themselves “mostly liberal” on social and political matters. The others --50%--were moderates with positions somewhere in-between.<ref> See [http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/258-survey-shows-how-liberals-and-conservatives-differ-on-matters-of-faith on line results] </ref> |
| | + | |
| | + | Some findings: |
| | + | Political liberals are less than half as likely as political conservatives to firmly believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches (27% versus 63%, respectively); to strongly believe that Satan is real (17% versus 36%); and to firmly contend that they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs with others (23% versus 48%). |
| | + | |
| | + | [Note: "Liberal" and "conservative" in this survey are based on politics] |
| | + | |
| | + | Liberals are also far less likely than conservatives to strongly believe each of the following: |
| | + | *their religious faith is very important in their life (54% of liberals vs. 82% of conservatives); |
| | + | *a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by doing good deeds or being a good person (23% vs. 37%); |
| | + | *their faith is becoming an increasingly important moral guide in their life (38% vs. 70%); |
| | + | *the church they currently attend is very important in helping them find direction and fulfillment in life (37% vs. 62%); |
| | + | *their primary purpose in life is to love God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul (43% vs. 76%); |
| | + | |
| | + | political conservatives were more likely than liberals to: |
| | + | *read the Bible, other than at church events, during the past week (57% vs. 33%, respectively) |
| | + | *attend a religious service during the past week (62% vs. 35%) |
| | + | *pray to God, other than at a religious service, during the past week (91% vs. 76%) |
| | + | *share their religious beliefs with others, during the past year (56% vs. 39%, among the born again Christians interviewed from each segment) |
| | + | *have ever participated in a short-term missions trip, either within the U.S. or in another country (12% vs. 6%) |
| | + | |
| | + | *2% of conservatives and 11% of liberals were atheist or agnostic |
| | + | *15% of conservatives and 2% of liberals were Christian evangelicals |
| | + | *conservatives were twice as likely as liberals to be categorized as born again, based on their theological views about salvation (63% vs. 32%) |
| | + | *21% of conservatives were associated with the Catholic church, compared to 30% among the liberals. |
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| | == Barack Obama and American Conservatism Backlash == | | == Barack Obama and American Conservatism Backlash == |