Opinion | Is today’s Republican Party really conservative?

Is the GOP still conservative, or has it morphed into something true conservatives wouldn’t recognize? The word “conservative” has become almost synonymous with “Republican,” but today’s GOP bears little resemblance to timeless conservative values. Instead of guided principles, we see a populist frenzy—a growing disdain for the checks and balances conservatives once cherished. What we witness today is less a conservative movement and more of an experiment, one that risks discarding the foundational values that have guided societies through the ages.

True conservatism isn’t trendy, nor is it built on impulse. It rests on enduring beliefs about human nature and society: ambition must be channeled, not unchecked; we can’t endlessly spend without a reckoning; and power, divided across institutions, is less likely to corrupt. Government functions best when it’s local, close to the people, and change should be pursued cautiously, with respect for both the future and the past. These principles have shaped conservative thought for generations, advocating prudence over passion.

But today’s GOP reveals a stark departure from these bedrock values. Take fiscal responsibility, once the crown jewel of conservatism. Traditional conservatives understood that debt would saddle future generations with burdens they didn’t ask for. Yet here we are with GOP-led “spend-and-borrow” policies—cutting taxes without cutting spending, racking up deficits like we’ll never pay the bill. This isn’t fiscal conservatism; it’s fiscal negligence, wrapped in campaign slogans.

Or consider foreign policy. True conservatism valued caution and pragmatism in international relations, using power sparingly. Leaders like Eisenhower and Reagan understood that reckless actions abroad could imperil us at home. Yet modern GOP rhetoric leans isolationist, questioning long-standing alliances like NATO and waving the banner of “America First.” Appealing? Perhaps. Conservative? Hardly.

Then there’s character—once essential to conservative leadership. Figures like Barry Goldwater and William F. Buckley Jr. knew that without principled leaders, policies are just empty words. Today’s GOP seems all too willing to overlook character flaws in its leaders as long as they’re loyal to the party line. This tolerance for behavior that conservative minds would once dismiss corrodes the ethical foundation the party once claimed, swapping principles for power.

And what about free-market economics? The GOP, once a bastion of capitalism, now dabbles in protectionism, tariffs, and market interference. For a movement that prided itself on minimal government involvement, this is a sharp departure from its economic roots.

Finally, let’s talk about federalism—the idea that government should stay close to the people. The GOP still speaks of “states’ rights” when politically convenient, yet increasingly favors federal intervention when it aligns with partisan aims. Selective federalism isn’t conservatism; it’s pure opportunism.

It’s time to admit that the GOP may not be the bastion of conservatism it claims to be. Yes, there’s room for new ideas, but when those ideas abandon prudence, discipline, and the stability of institutions, they lose the right to be called conservative. Perhaps it’s time for true conservatives to reclaim what conservatism stands for—before the GOP drifts any further from the values that once defined it.

Today’s GOP has traded traditional conservatism for political convenience, morphing core principles into mere talking points that shift with the winds of electoral strategy. Fiscal responsibility, federalism, and ethical leadership—once non-negotiable pillars—have become tools of convenience rather than conviction. What was once a party of steady ideals now seems to dance to the tune of momentary gains, favoring policies that appeal to base instincts over those that endure through time.

Where is the stirring appeal for a return to principles? Where are the leaders who will stand boldly and say, “Enough”? A party that bends with every wind of change no longer has the right to call itself conservative and will, in time, be found incompetent to govern, ultimately relegated to the trash heap of history.

There is a choice to be made. But who will stand?