I met an intelligent conservative. They do exist.

[white_wolf]

I just got back from the G.A. of my occupy Wall Street movement. I stayed there all day and one of the people there was a self-describe conservative. At first I was thinking great another Ron Paulite, but as we talked I realized he's actually very smart and reasonable.

He agreed that the current system is rigged against the 99%. He said capitalism creates winners and losers, but currently it is impossible for anyone to rise up to winner status.

When someone mentioned Sanders he said something like "Sanders make so mad. He's the only socialist in congress and I agree with everything he says." Of course, he did say the reason he agreed with Sanders was because Sanders was correct about all the problems in our country, but he does not agree with Sander's own vision for America. When someone mentioned Marx, he agreed that Marx's criticisms of Capitalism were correct, but he doesn't agree with his solutions.

He also supports Universal health care and fixing our prison system.

I'm sure I don't agree with him on a lot of things, but it was very interesting to talk to him. I also have a few other stories about my day, but I'll save those for the Occupy blog, I just thought this was separate enough to have its own thread.

I mentioned that he isn't like most conservatives and he replied that it is very important to disginus between conservatives and neo-conservatives. He says there was a split in the movement around Nixon's time.

[ClassWarrior]

1. Sounds like a liberal in denial to me.

NGU.

[AverageJoe90]

2. Well, at least he's woken up a little bit.

Yeah, not all conservatives are rabid Teabagging morons or racist dickheads. Hell, I know a few decent ones in my neighborhood.

[The Doctor.]

9. More proof that the teabagging neocon faction is nowhere NEAR the 'center'.

Many, many real conservatives have respectable opinions on policy. Unfortunately, even they are getting sidelined. Fortunately, as the far right rejects more and more traditional conservatives, they augment their own opposition.

[AverageJoe90]

16. Good point!

Perhaps we can get some more of them on our side soon. :)

[bayareamike]

3. Of course they do.

My father is a center-right type fellow and he is incredibly thoughtful and knowledgeable about economics and politics. The discussions that we have are invigorating and the type of left-right back and forth that made this country great. To say that there aren't intelligent conservatives is silly and ignorant.

[Skittles]

4. please

that is a liberal too timid to define himself as a liberal

[bpositive]

5. Paradox

It is perplexing. I work with a number of very intelligent people- at least I believe they are. I would guess that they have very high IQ's yet they are very stupid when it comes to understanding how the politics are being played out in our country. I just don't get it- there are some moments that I think that they are starting to get it but then they fall back into their comfortable conservative positions - very frustrating. I once started discussing current events with an older gentleman and he started spouting out a Bunch of conservative nonsense- I did not back down, I figured that he feels that he had the right to do it so I will do it right back- he got pissed- I thought that it was funny- just questioning a conservative pissed them off- as if it was questioning their authority- as if he could not be wrong. Never talked about politics again in the workplace- though I refuse to let others spew talking points without rebutting them- they have the right (so they think) then so do I.

[Turbineguy]

6. There used to be lots of smart conservatives

back in the day when the Democrats were the party of George Wallace.

[The Doctor.]

7. Then he's not a contemporary conservative.

He's a 'classic' conservative á la Eisenhower.

[JI7]

8. he is not a conservative, Mitt Romney is an intelligent Conservative

it seems like your friend is afraid to be called a liberal, socialist, or even democrat.

on edit,maybe he is socially conservative and opposes abortion rights, wants prayer in school etc and that's how or why he is conservative.

but his positions on economics is not.

[elleng]

10. Good to see, a 'real' conservative.

In the good old days, we ALL could speak with one-another.

[libinnyandia]

11. GOP of today

The Republican Party has gone beyond conservatism. Earned income tax credit, epa, national parks. These and I am sure other things were part of the Republican Party's legacy. Now they are captive to Norquist and other crazies.

[starroute]

12. Perhaps he just believes in free-market solutions

If they only worked, I might too. At its best, the theory of the free market sees the economy as a self-organizing system in which solutions to problems emerge organically -- and that is a lot more attractive that bureaucratic planning and regulations which attempt to think of every last way somebody might attempt to get around the system and preemptively slap it down.

There are a lot of seemingly insurmountable hurdles in the way of implementing a genuine, Adam Smith-type free market economy -- ranging from the existence of natural monopolies to the tendency of human beings to want to rake in the profits while sticking somebody else with the costs. But I can't blame a certain stripe of conservative from wanting to believe that somehow, somewhere, if we just made all the right moves, it might actually work.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

13. Beware ...

That said, I do agree that Marx's solution with using the state to effect revolution was incorrect as established by the Bolshevik reactionary responses to the soviets and their fear that they would not be able to control the revolutionary wave. This was predicted by Mikhail Bakunin, Marx's rival some 50 years prior.

Marx's theory on capital relations, especially those lifted from Pierre-Joseph Proudhon about scientific socialism, are spot on.

[CBHagman]

14. Good for you for getting out there and talking.

Respectful dialogue is possible, and of course you've got to keep the ideas flowing and the mind exercised. You may have made a huge difference in his life (or someone else's) by that conversation, and it's certainly important for your own spirits and perspective.

[pansypoo53219]

15. the fux gnews/limbaugh wing stole his party. there is no rational anymore.

i have a MODERATE vet epal who is really thinking. he goes to church i don't, but i can see how the publikkklans are not christian.