What type of Conservative are you

Yesterday's slug fest ... I mean debate on the politics of sex got me thinking about the different factions in the Conservative party.  So I started doing some research and it appears that others have put a great deal of thought into this. 

Here's what I found from Justin Quinn,

There is wide debate within the conservative movement over how differing ideologies can fall under one common category. Certain conservatives may doubt the legitimacy of others, but there are arguments for each view. The following list attempts to clarify the discussion, focusing on conservative politics in the US. Some may feel the list falls short because conservatives can find themselves divided when attempting to describe themselves using these definitions. Admittedly, categories and definitions are subjective, but these are the most widely accepted.



1. Crunchy Conservative


National Review commentator Rod Dreher first coined the term "crunchy conservative" in 2006 to describe his personal ideology, according to NPR.org. Dreher says "crunchy cons" are conservatives “who stand outside the conservative mainstream,” and tend to focus more on family-oriented, culturally conservative concepts such as being good stewards of the natural world and avoiding materialism in everyday life. Dreher describes crunchy cons as those “who embrace a counter-cultural, yet traditional conservative lifestyle." On his blog, Dreher says crunchy cons are as mistrustful of big business as they are big government.


2. Cultural Conservative



Politically, cultural conservatism is often confused with social conservatism. In the US, the term often incorrectly describes members of the religious right because the two share ideologies on social issues. Christian conservatives tend to like being described as cultural conservatives, because it implies that America is a Christian nation. True cultural conservatives worry less about religion in government and more about using politics to prevent fundamental changes to US culture. The goal of cultural conservatives is to preserve and maintain the American way-of-life both at home and abroad.


3. Fiscal Conservative


Libertarians and Constitutionalists are natural fiscal conservatives due to their desire to reduce government spending, pay off the national debt and shrink the size and scope of government. Nevertheless, the Republican Party is most often credited with creating the fiscal conservative ideal, despite the big-spending tendencies of the most recent GOP administrations. Fiscal conservatives seek to deregulate the economy and lower taxes. Fiscal conservative politics has little or nothing to do with social issues, and it is therefore not uncommon for other conservatives to identify themselves as fiscal conservatives.


4. Neoconservative


The neoconservative movement sprouted in the 1960s in response to the counter-culture movement. It was later bolstered by disillusioned liberal intellectuals of the 1970s. Neoconservatives believe in a diplomatic foreign policy, stimulating economic growth by lowering taxes and finding alternative ways to deliver public welfare services. Culturally, neoconservatives tend to identify with traditional conservatives, but stop short of providing guidance on social issues. Irving Kristol, co-founder of Encounter magazine is largely credited with founding the neoconservative movement.


5. Paleoconservative


As the name suggests, paleoconservatives emphasize a connection with the past. Like neoconservatives, paleoconservatives tend to be family-oriented, religious-minded and opposed to the vulgarity permeating modern culture. They are also opposed to mass immigration and believe in the complete withdrawal of US military troops from foreign countries. Paleoconservatives claim author Russell Kirk as their own, as well as political ideologues Edmund Burke and William F. Buckley Jr. Paleoconservatives believe they are the true heirs to the US conservative movement and are critical of other "brands" of conservatism.


6. Social Conservative


Social conservatives adhere strictly to a moral ideology based on family-values and religious traditions. For US social conservatives, Christianity -- often Evangelical Christianity -- guides all political positions on social issues. US social conservatives are mostly right-wing and hold firmly to a pro-life, pro-family and pro-religion agenda. Thus, abortion and gay rights are often lightning rod issues for social conservatives. Social conservatives are the most recognized group of conservatives on this list due to their strong ties to the Republican Party.

So this is obviously written with an American take but I think it is pretty easy to project this on Canadians as well. 

But I would like to add another group!

7.  Closeted Conservative (or the CloCon) - A CloCon is an average sort of Canadian who really doesn't get very involved in politics - they are not ideologues.  They are just folk who want to keep more of their pay cheques, keep criminals off their streets, make sure that kids are fed and the roads are safe.  They have solid Conservative values but they are kind of embarrassed to admit they have conservative values because they are afraid that their friends will think that they are religious fanatics or cold heartless SOBs.  

I know many CloCons.  Acquaintances who come up to me after a dinner party or some other gathering and tell me that they agree with me but could never say what I say because of the backlash they would get with their other friends or coworkers.

Seriously.

I think that is one of the reasons I spend a lot of time criticizing SoCons when it comes to matters of abortion, gay marriage, sex education, contraception and prostitution.  SoCons are driven by religious zealotism.  A CloCon is not.  They tend to be live and let live sorts. Follow the rules of society and mind your manners.

I think there are more CloCons than any other group.  In fact I am pretty sure of it.  Take a look at membership numbers in each of the EDAs.  At election time the CPC candidate always gets more votes than there are official members in the EDA.  What does that tell you?

It tells me that many conservatives are only willing to admit their political allegiance behind a sheet of corrugated cardboard on a sheet of paper that is folded and can't be traced back to them.

Classic CloCon behaviour.

So what kind of conservative are you?