In order to reclaim conservatism it is important, I believe, that a certain hierarchy is observed: Principles, Policies, and then People.

One of the reasons that the Republican party (I hate the concept of “brand”) has fallen into such disarray is due to the mis-ordering of those three “Ps”. For this discussion let’s look at these items in reverse order.

When people are the first priority, without the foundation of conservative principles and principle based policies, we fall in to the trap of voting for the “R” beside someone’s name. That’s not to say there isn’t a time for a fourth “P” — Pragmatism. It would be naive to think that any candidate or office-holder would reach perfection, still it is important to start and strive for a proper foundation.

Perhaps even less effective than a focus on people is a singular look at policy to be the answer to all our problems. This gives rise to the often popular but seldom effective (long-term) single issue voters. I understand that individuals will have a passion for a particular cause that drives them, but to ignore other basic principles in order to promote that one cause tends to be ineffective, at best.

Which brings us to the core — principles. Even here it is difficult to get all people to agree. The disagreements, however, tend to occur when a discussion of principles morphs into a policy argument. In future posts I intend to explore those principles as I see them. I invite you to join in the discussion, either in the comments or the Reclaim Conservatism Forum.

As we move toward the elections of 2010 and 2012 we must rely on our core conservative principles to guide us as we formulate policies and identify candidates that will champion our cause. I look forward to the discussion.

Cross Posted from Reclaim Conservatism.