Stewards of Conservatism

Hugh Hewitt has been taking a hammering from many in the conservative blogshpere for his defense of Harriet Miers and his desire for temperance in the Republican Party. I think Mr. Hewitt has really distinguished himself since the Miers nomination; not that he wasn’t already quite distinguished, but since the Miers nomination, he has persuasively argued for supporting President Bush’s nominee even if disappointed by the nomination. My entry today is an attempt to conceptualize Mr. Hewitt’s and my beliefs regarding the Republican Party.

The Republican Party is the vehicle or method for applying conservative principles to government decisions and actions. The conservative members and leaders of the Republican Party are the stewards of the conservative movement. Without the Republican Party, there is no conservative voice in government.

Ideologues need to understand the difference between advocating a cause, and the implications of advancing the cause in our form of government. There is nothing wrong with a conservative being hard core in their beliefs, but pragmatic in advancing those beliefs inch by inch.

Therefore, we need to care just as much about our vehicle that advances our beliefs, as we do about our beliefs. We need to be stewards of our party, not just ideologues.