TCL is a journal of conservative thoughts and ideals. It launched on Blogger in 2007 and later moved to WordPress. After a hiatus, the blog returned in response to the Gestapo-like invasion of former president Trump's Mar-a-Lago home on August 8, 2022. The blatant violation of the 4th Amendment should be a cause of concern for every freedom-loving American citizen.
TCL is not an organ of any political party or organization; and has been especially critical of the Republican Party in recent years.
The GOP has had to deal with both Democrats and members of their own party who vote like Democrats. The Reagan coalition was effectively purged with the election of George H.W. Bush in 1988.
Reagan's appeal crossed party lines. He was able to attract what the media called Reagan Democrats, those who held to conservative traditions and values. In 1964, he delivered a landmark speech to the Republican national convention where he clearly defined a platform of conservative principles and ideals:
"We know our ideas are better and we do not compromise them."
He identified with the conservative wing of the Republican Party, but the liberal members controlled party politics; and while Reagan was strongly supported at the grassroots level, he could not overcome the liberals in power. That is where his great communication skills came into play. He went directly to the people and told them that they held all the power in Washington not the politicians. Reagan's message resonated with the public. Government was the problem, not the solution.
Conservatism came of age during tumultuous times -- assassinations, civil rights, Vietnam, Woodstock, Watergate and the resignation of a president. The nation endured very dark days and a constitutional crisis.
In such times, people need to feel grounded. Many will turn to excesses while others seek the comfort of traditional values and ideals. Liberalism permits you to choose the former with no sense of liability or morality. Conservatism, on the other hand, adheres to absolutes -- that people have an obligation to be responsible for themselves and their family.
William F. Buckley noted that conservatism "embodies essential virtues, high purpose, intelligence, decency, humility, and the passion for freedom."
The Founding Fathers believed that absent morality, democracy could not survive. John Adams wrote:
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
Conservatives inherently understand this.
(01/10/2026)
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