The Red Stater and Shaun Kenney both point out this post over at Virginia Centrist, which asks
But this still begs the question: Why are Virginia's conservative bloggers more socially libertarian than the rest of the state? I'm not trying to claim that they support gay marriage or abortion rights. I'm just saying that for most VA Conservative bloggers, social issues are not at the forefront of their focus. They usually say "live and let die."
CR UVA (Red Stater) offers this in VC's comments
I have found that socially conservative people generally vary widely in how they work. I am sure you are aware that I am a social conservative, as well as an economic conservative and a strong supporter of our military. A number of other social conservatives are as well, but many that I know can be a bit more liberal in their economic views, as well as more pacifistic and more concerned with the environment. Yet, many of those social conservatives stay out of politics, feeling either that it is too divisive or it does not include them (I have told them many times that I do not feel that a third party can be successful, at least not in this decade). For that matter, many of those social conservatives spend most of their time in the leadership of religious groups. This is just speculation, but perhaps this may be common among many other social conservatives.
And Shaun lists the three hot points of pro-life issues, gay marriage, and prayer in school (excellent commentary, BTW, you ought to read it) and then says this
So why haven't we been addressing them? I think it's a question of first things. Note that not a single one of the solutions I have proffered involves the interference of big government. In fact, they subsist in the de-evolution of functions traditionally held by society and confiscated by socialist-minded government-cures-all types.
VC posed a very good question, and certainly received excellent responses.
As for me, well, I suppose my reasoning is pretty self-serving, I'm ashamed to say. Most of the people I associate with on-line tend to focus on politics and current affairs with only the occasional dip into these issues, and I usually follow along. It's what we discuss, rant about, and rally around - and there is certainly no shortage of topics and headlines!
Secondly, I confess to a sort of cowardice: pro-life issues in particular are very near and dear to my heart, and it is sometimes hard to post on the subject and have some serious leftist nutcase come on over and spew all over my comment section. I've been blogging for over a year, now, and I'm far better than I was about stuff like this, but I admit to still having a fairly thin skin on some issues. Not exactly a great public image to have, I agree, but - hey, it's an honest assessment. Maybe 2006 will be the year I work on that.
Finally, there are some issues - like gay marriage, for instance - with which I profoundly disagree, and which I'll campaign against. But in the end, if it is properly voted on by the people (e.g. not forced upon the citizens by an activist court) and passed, well, fair's fair. I don't have much problem with people doing whatever in private, so long as it doesn't reach out and disrupt the whole community and harm my family. Keep it off the streets, and out of my eyesight (and no, I'm not planning on peeking in your windows), and I'm pretty laid back about a whole host of issues.
Is that somewhat contradictory? Yeahsureyoubetcha! Welcome to my life. And, I suppose that it makes me some odd, esoteric mix of an evangelical social libertarian conservative Republican, but - trust me - it doesn't even come close to a split personality.
Except when it does.
I don't think your point of view is contradictory at all. I think it speaks for a lot of conservatives who are tolerant, open minded, but feel strongly about some issues that others want to cram down America's throat.
And if you really are a "esoteric mix of an evangelical social libertarian conservative Republican," than I would say you have the best of all worlds!
Enjoy!
Rick
Posted by: superhawk | January 05, 2006 at 02:33 PM