Rush Limbaugh: Conservatism Is a Way of Life.

Conservatism Is a Way of Life. By Rush Limbaugh. Rush Limbaugh.com, October 10, 2013.

Rush:

Conservatism is not tax cuts. Conservatism is a way of life that is rooted in values and traditions that have contributed to the greatness of this country. Conservatism is the way you live, and that just has to be pointed out to people. To people growing up today, conservatism . . . God, I shudder to think what it is. What is conservatism to somebody that's 18 today? Conservatism is a deranged, lunatic, stupid cowboy, George Bush who wanted to go into Iraq for no reason.

 

What do you think it is? The way the media and the Democrat Party have defined conservatism today is a bastardization of what it is. One of the frustrating things is, the Republican Party has always been the modern day repository for conservatism, but you can’t find anybody there who’s willing to stand up and articulate it ’cause they’re afraid to or they don’t know what it is, or they don’t believe in it, whatever.

 

But Cruz and Mike Lee – and there are a bunch of others, and they are largely from the Tea Party – are willing to do it. Allen West was one. Ben Carson is another. There are all kinds of people standing up out there willing to articulate what it is, and when you listen to ’em, you find out it’s a lifestyle. It’s a value-based lifestyle that's rooted in personal responsibility, achievement, freedom, liberty.

 

Conservatism is not a bunch of policy wonks sitting around writing position papers. Conservatism is simply how happy, content-ful, responsible people live their lives. People who respect others. That’s conservatism, but it’s been so bastardized in the media – it has been so mischaracterized, demonized, you name it – that young skulls full of mush maybe as old as 30 or 35, get asked, “What do you think they think conservatism is?” and there hasn’t been a conservative articulate spokesman in politics for I don't know how long.

 

So the Democrats and the media have been able to define what a conservative is. It’s a racist, sexist, bigot, homophobe, extremist. That’s the furthest thing from the truth. So Cruz and Lee came along, and, in the process of trying to get what they wanted, were articulating conservatism for people. I signed on immediately because, to me, it’s about ideas. But the delay people, I love ’em. I love ’em, too. Same objective. The point was to stop Obamacare. There were arguments about how best to do it.