The "Conservativism is Tough Minded" myth

This forms the context of Wynton Halls latest article on the difficulty Conservatoids are having picking a new Presidential Candidate.

Think about it. Conservatism is the doctrine of making tough choices and taking responsibility for them. It’s the doctrine of “the strenuous life,” as Teddy Roosevelt once eloquently put it. Pick just about any issue and you will find the same recurring pattern: conservatism demands more from individuals and is therefore harder to market.

OK let's take a few examples.

- Before the war President Bush and his administration were so sure occupying Iraq would be a cakewalk, they refused to do any planning at all for the post war period and in fact silenced those who wanted to do such planning.

- Conservatism has long been the philosophy of tax cuts, regardless of whether they are affordable or make any sense.

- Conservatives do favor demanding more from the middle class and the poor. On the other hand, Conservative promises the wealthy easier lives.

- Conservatives believe you can deregulate industries and trust in their good will to
protect us from the poisons they would inflict upon us; a proposition that right below The Tooth Fairy on the believability scale.

You know, maybe it's just me, but Conservatives don't seem all that tough minded when you look at them.