Hey Nashville!

Have you heard?  We’re now the go-to place for conservative pundits and other free thinkers.  Clay Travis and Dave Ramsey call Williamson County home; Candace Owens has settled in the metro area.  Kid Rock gave up on Michigan and is building a palatial home on a hill overlooking Nashville.  Sean Davis of The Federalist is here, so is Tomi Lahren of Fox Nation.  Gary Sinise is moving his foundation to Franklin and conservative Christian activist Kirk Cameron has been reportedly shopping for property around Leipers Fork.  John Rich, the nation’s current number one iTunes song artist lives here too.  As does Matt Walsh, star of the documentary “What is a Woman?”

Walsh’s 94-minute examination of what should be a self-evident question is both entertaining and thought provoking due to the maddening self-assurance many of the interviewees exhibit answering with meaningless word salads.  George Orwell noted how the fictional totalitarian regime in ‘1984’ utilized control of language to control the population.  Thus, creating endemic confusion about the definition of “womanhood” is a vehicle for societal control.

“Woman” is not the only word that is under attack.  In deep red Williamson County, it seems everyone wants to claim they’re “conservative.”  It makes sense, the electorate overwhelmingly supported President Trump in the last election and votes religiously Republican.  But what does that “I’m the conservative candidate in this race” really mean?

Platitudes versus Attitudes

Talk is cheap; it’s at a particularly deep discount for politicians.  While Republican voters expect action, they are frequently disappointed by the people to whom they entrust political power.  GOP politicians have a way of “moderating” in a way their Democrat counterparts do not.  RINO (Republican In Name Only) is the pejorative levied against these turncoats.

Here in Williamson County, there are several politicians who talk a good game, but govern otherwise.  District 6 School Board incumbent Jay Galbreath has stated “I have conservative values, but I’m not pushing a conservative agenda.”[i]  This inaction has been very apparent with his lack of engagement on a toxic curriculum he himself has termed “a little heavy for kids.”  However, he now touts himself as a dedicated conservative as he faces a strong general election challenge.

Joining Galbreath on the current school board is District 10 representative Eric Welch.  Mr. Welch has not only failed to engage meaningfully on the aforementioned curriculum, he called its detractors ignorant.[ii]  Beyond that, he voted to continue masking school children, despite the state lifting the mask mandate.  Welch is running as a Republican, despite having been endorsed by the Democrat Party in 2014 and a far left PAC this election cycle.[iii]  He is also endorsed by the Sargent Legacy Fund PAC, describing Welch as “(exhibiting) the type of leadership the Sargent Legacy PAC supports.”[iv]  Kinda makes you wonder about the Sargent Legacy PAC and their other endorsements, doesn’t it?

But perhaps the most egregious example comes from the county party itself.  What exactly does it stand for?  What is the platform around which its supported candidates can and should rally?  Take a look at their website.  You’ll find no ideas, much less indications of how they intend to translate those non-existent ideas into action.  Just a lot of flags, some references to the national GOP, and of course that ubiquitous word:  “conservative.”

They’re controlling your vote by obfuscating what conservative means.

Reclaiming Conservatism for Conservatives

So what is the definition of “conservative?”

If you ask your typical GOP politician, you’ll probably get something about being business friendly, maybe a comment about small government, perhaps some reference to China or maybe crime.  I would contend this is the equivalent of the word salad offered by the learned “experts” Matt Walsh interviewed when asking what a woman is.

Rather than this scattershot appeal to perceived voter interests, how about getting to the core of the word “conserve?”  Webster defines it as “to keep in a safe or sound state; to prevent from harm.”  The “what” that is conserved is the gift of a republic Benjamin Franklin admonished could be fleeting if it were not continuously tended by an engaged populace.[v]  At its heart, conservatism is about maintaining and perpetuating our inherited republic.  Ok, well, how exactly do we do that?  What are the keys to success in that endeavor?

Our Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution recognizing the inherent worth of the individual American.  Through the Articles that prescribe how our government functions (and more importantly, how to prevent accretion of power in any one of the various segments therein) to the Bill of Rights (that restrain that government from infringing upon our natural law rights), the Constitution should be the prism to which any proposed government action should be held to determine whether good outweighs the bad for the individual.  Furthermore, Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence channeling John Locke’s belief that government exists to preserve and protect the individual’s rights in society.[vi]  It is clear that the individual citizen was the focus of the nascent republic, and therefore should be the concern of anyone seeking to conserve that republic.

Russell Kirk’s 1993 essay “Ten Conservative Principles” is an excellent follow up to the Founder’s vision.[vii]  Kirk’s masterpiece highlights such essential truths as the fallibility of humanity and the need to have brakes on both power and passion, the enduring need for voluntary community and commonality to perpetuate social order, and the linkage of personal freedom with private property ownership.  Again, we see a concern for the value of the individual, a recognition of the tendency towards social consolidation and distillation of power, and the need for free association to bring out the best in human nature.

Translating Academics to Action

Ok, so how does all this fit together when trying to ascertain whether candidate A or candidate B is the “true conservative?”  Perhaps this list will help a frustrated voter decide:

• Acknowledge our shared human fallibility and the temptations we all face. Our Constitution recognizes our natural law rights derive from our Creator and are therefore inviolable.  Challenge anything or anyone that suggest otherwise.
• The individual is the smallest and most important unit of a society; the family is a collection of related individuals that form the smallest community within a society. Families also provide a necessary link between the present and the future vital for preservation of social order.  Society is dependent upon the free association of individuals and communities.  Policies should be prioritized that protect and promote families and the freedom of association needed for social harmony.
• Human nature is toward power accumulation and distillation. This can occur within government, between private entities, or between private entities in association with government.  Challenge any policy that leads to the usurpation of power from the many to the few.  Similarly, question unrestrained passion devoid of rational, methodical, logical discussion.
• Recognize there is a balance between progress and tradition. Avoid opening up a quarrel between the present and the past, lest we lose the future.[viii]
• Prioritize truth, justice, integrity and courage. Eschew those who do not similarly agree.

Of course actions speak louder than words, so review not just an incumbent’s statements, but also their record.  For candidate challengers, review what they’ve done in their private lives and how that comports with their stated vision.  For all candidates, challenge them to articulate a plan to enact conservative policies once in office.

As we Americans collectively navigate an uncertain future, it becomes ever more necessary to have a clear understanding of those to whom we entrust responsibility for our affairs.  Do not accept someone’s word that they are “conservative” without making them prove their values align with the word.  Otherwise, “conservative” becomes just as muddled as “woman” has recently become.

[i] https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=3056127554652865 (scroll to 1:28:50)

[ii] https://tennesseestar.com/2021/05/01/williamson-county-school-board-member-denies-elementary-schools-teach-critical-race-theory/

[iii] https://www.williamsonstrong.org/endorsedcandidates

[iv] https://twitter.com/EricWelchWCS/status/1551969307571134465

[v] https://tennesseestar.com/2017/04/03/the-constitution-a-republic-if-you-can-keep-it/

[vi] http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/6/john-locke-and-the-second-treatise-on-government

[vii] https://kirkcenter.org/conservatism/ten-conservative-principles/

[viii] https://rights.com/2021/10/28/if-we-open-a-quarrel-between-the-past-and-the-present-we/