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When did conservatism, a creed once synonymous with individual freedom, devolve into a doctrine of control? Today’s GOP has traded the banner of individual rights for one of government overreach, betraying the very principles conservatives once held dear. The word “conservative” is thrown around as if it’s synonymous with “Republican,” yet one can’t help but notice the irony. How has a party that once championed limited government come to assert itself over the most personal dimensions of American life?
True conservatism is rooted in the belief that individuals should have the liberty to lead their lives without excessive government interference. Barry Goldwater, an icon of modern conservatism, put it plainly: “Our purpose is to protect freedom, not restrict it.” But today’s GOP has drifted from this path, wielding its power not to uphold freedom but to impose a narrow set of beliefs—regulating family planning, healthcare, and intimate choices.
These aren’t decisions for the state to dictate. Yet, for the GOP, they’ve become ammunition for an all-out culture war. The goal here isn’t freedom; it’s uniformity.
Does micromanaging family planning and healthcare respect the conservative conviction of limited government? What happened to the belief that rights belong to the individual, not the state? At its best, conservatism holds that society is best served when people are empowered to make their own choices, with the government’s role limited to safeguarding that liberty. Ronald Reagan, revered by conservatives, captured this perfectly: “If there’s any political spectrum that reflects what conservatism is, it’s the rights of the individual.” Yet, in the name of “defending values,” today’s GOP seems increasingly focused on restricting personal freedoms—targeting decisions conservatives once vowed to defend.
This isn’t conservatism; it’s control.
And what happened to respecting privacy—the right of Americans to mind their own business? Conservatism once demanded that the government stay out of people’s personal lives. Today’s GOP, however, appears far more interested in overseeing others’ choices than respecting their right to decide. Reproductive health, relationships, identity—these have all become targets in the GOP’s moral crusade.
Barry Goldwater’s words resonate louder now than ever: “I don’t have any respect for the Religious Right… If you disagree with these people, they’re out to destroy you.” Conservatives of old would have recognized this as the worst kind of government intrusion.
Where’s the compassion? Conservatives once understood that freedom is most powerful when it respects the autonomy of others. True conservatism sees people as they are, not as a rigid moral ideal. Compassionate governance honors that citizens have a right to live as they choose, without state interference. Though today’s GOP seems to have replaced compassion with control, imposing restrictions on those most in need of understanding.
This isn’t principled leadership; it’s moral policing.
In its fervor to “defend” traditional values, today’s GOP has become a champion of government overreach. Edmund Burke, the philosophical forefather of conservatism, warned of such encroachment, saying, “The true danger is when liberty is nibbled away, for expedients, and by parts.” Rather than supporting individual rights, the GOP now enforces its own sense of morality, using state power to impose it.
How, in any real sense, is this conservative? How can a party claim to champion freedom while deciding which citizens are “worthy” of it?
When a party weaponizes government power to enforce its morality, it loses the very soul of conservatism — the right of individuals to choose. Freedom, compassion, and the right to make one’s own personal choices should be at the core of any conservative movement. Friedrich Hayek reminds us: “The more the state ‘plans,’ the more difficult planning becomes for the individual.” When a party uses government power to enforce conformity and restrict personal freedom, it loses the right to call itself conservative. Because, in truth, it isn’t.
