The Good, the Bad and Pat Buchanan

When the world is divided into two distinct camps, liberal and conservative, some radically different points of view tend to be lumped together. The Almond Gallery subscribes to a strong conservative belief system that has been defined with help from certain individuals. These "foremost conservatives" must be distinguished from the far less savory "fauxmost conservatives," that is, those who I believe tarnish the reputation of conservatism in general. Here are my lists of those who exemplify each subset:

Foremost Conservatives
#1: Barry Goldwater - Reinvented the Republican party as the party of small government. Fought responsibly against the 20th century's greatest threat: Communism.
#2: Winston Churchill - A champion of freedom during the darkest of times. Took on both worldwide fascism and his country's Labour party with an impeccable wit.
#3: Ayn Rand - Provided a philosophical backing to the principles of individualism and conservatism. Taught us that acquiring wealth is something to be proud of.
#4: George Will - The most consistently readable conservative columnist. His opinions carry a lot of weight with his conservative readers such as myself (see post from Nov. 13, Donations, Nominations..).
#5: William F. Buckley - Despite being referred to by #3 as the most dangerous man in America, his biweekly publication the National Review has been incredibly influential in shaping politics in Washington for the better.

Honorable mentions to: Justice Antonin Scalia, Ronald Reagan and Thomas Sowell
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Fauxmost Conservatives

#1: Mike Huckabee - To quote foremost conservative Winston Churchill, "He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." He holds a backwards philosophy that diametrically opposes Goldwater's conservatism.
#2: George W. Bush - Despite generally good intentions, President Bush has failed to apply conservative principles and has little results to show for his (almost) two terms. Also has fermented general hatred for the Republican party.
#3: Arnold Schwarzenneger - Has disappointed conservatives in his second term with his middle-of-the-road approach to governing and big spending programs.
#4: Pat Buchanan - His protectionist/isolationist ideas are some of the most anti-free-market since the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
#5: Ron Paul - I give Paul credit for his honesty and divergence from typical politicians, however, he fails to distinguish libertarianism from libertarian fetishism. The latter is dangerous in itself and in that it deters voters from looking rationally at reasoned libertarianism.

Honorable mention to: Pat Robertson, James "Mountain Jim" Inhofe and Abraham Lincoln