If there is one word that conjures up images of stuffy white grandfathers counting their money and yelling at children, it’s “conservative.”
The term plays a prevalent role today to both sides of the spectrum. Right-wingers clutch it like they clutch their guns; left-wingers spit it out like venom.
And yet, the term has been thrown around so carelessly that it has lost any semblance of meaning or substance. Further, it is so easily susceptible to exploitation by the left that you cannot even blame them for doing it.
In its very definition, the word “conservative” indicates one who is resistant to change. We have all heard this description before — it is the one liberals employ to bash their political adversaries. Democrats flash the label proudly, reminding their supporters just how close-minded the GOP is; after all, it is clear that anyone who adamantly refuses change is someone who is in complete denial.
But, inexplicably, Republicans claim the brand just as readily. For them, it is a part of their identity and platform; it is as much an integral aspect of the party as the elephant or the color red.
Yet, the modern GOP has proved itself not to be the party of conservatism at all. Novel ideas and approaches to public policy from the desks of Republican lawmakers have surged in recent years.
The GOP is the party of school choice and the voucher system, innovative approaches that seek to transform the education sector into a free market system.
It is the party of health savings accounts, in which governments seek to grant Medicaid recipients more autonomy and responsibility in their cash benefits. It is the party that advocates the privatizing of Social Security in order to address severe budget shortages. The list marches on.
Why, then, does the GOP undermine its ingenuity by calling itself “conservative?” A Republican rebranding would take the stigma away from an easily misconstrued and politicized pragmatic agenda. Further, it would render those on the far right who are opposed to all change obsolete, forcing them to assimilate to a party that appropriately adjusts to a rapidly changing political culture.
If you have ever seen a call to action, this is certainly one: Stop using the term “conservative” if you seek to promote the ideals of the Republican Party. It is insulting, counterproductive and, frankly, incorrect. I, personally, plan on fasting from it for good. Perhaps you can convince your grandfather to do the same.
Julia Grant is a public policy leadership and journalism major from Gulfport.
