re: Why is Massie in the Republican Party?

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You are missing the point.



You're missing the facts.

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No he isn't. Massie voted for 4.7 trillion in debt. Yet he could not vote for the policies his own constituents voted to have. You know, the people in his district who voted to put Trump in.

Massie was the only Republican in the House to vote NO on the Republican budget blueprint aimed at advancing Trump’s tax-cuts, border security, defense, and energy priorities.

July 2025, Massie was one of only two House Republicans to vote against this signature Trump agenda bill (which bundled tax cuts with spending and debt priorities), because he believed it increased the deficit. Yet the Deficit has dropped in 2025.

Because you have been shown, you go to whataboutisms.

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Today's conservatism and classical liberalism overlap.


Wrong.

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Bless your uneducated heart.

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No. try actually looking it up Frog.

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Like I said, lots of overlap.

Classical liberalism is a political philosophy emphasizing individual rights (life, liberty, property), limited government, free markets (laissez-faire), rule of law, and civil liberties like free speech, originating in the 17th-18th centuries with thinkers like John Locke and Adam Smith, differing from modern liberalism by opposing state intervention in social/economic affairs and advocating for minimal government to protect freedom from "the all-devouring state".
Core Principles
Individualism: Focuses on the autonomy and inherent rights of the individual.
Limited Government: The state's primary role is to protect natural rights, with its power restricted by constitutions and law.
Free Markets: Advocates for laissez-faire economics, minimal regulation, and private property.
Rule of Law: Everyone, including the government, is subject to the law; emphasizes equality before the law.
Civil Liberties: Strong support for freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly.

Conservatism is a political and social philosophy valuing tradition, established institutions, and gradual change, emphasizing order, personal responsibility, limited government, strong defense, and free markets, though specific tenets vary by culture and era, often opposing radical shifts seen since the Enlightenment. Core beliefs include preserving societal structures, respecting authority, promoting individual liberty within traditional frameworks, and a cautious approach to reform, with modern forms often seen in the U.S. Republican Party and U.K. Conservative Party.
Core Tenets & Beliefs
Tradition & Order: Values historical wisdom, established customs, and existing societal structures.
Limited Government: Advocates for less government intervention in the economy and personal lives, favoring individual freedom and private enterprise.
Strong National Defense: Supports robust military power and security.
Fiscal Prudence: Emphasizes lower taxes, balanced budgets, and free markets.
Individual Responsibility: Focuses on self-reliance and personal accountability.
Rule of Law: Belief in established legal frameworks and constitutionalism.

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I'm not confusing anything

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Your stupid arse was thinking it was bad that Rog called himself a classical liberal.

What a fricking clown you are.

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Thank you for finally admitted you are also a libtard

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Perfect. As vapid a response as anyone expected from you.

You are welcome. Finally you are honest

Its a good start for 26

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Absolutely

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Thank you libtard

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Community notes unnecessary

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True, but sometimes the obvious is just too much to pass up.

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I'm not confusing anything



Your stupid arse was thinking it was bad that Rog called himself a classical liberal.

What a fricking clown you are.

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Why do you keep shifting away from it? Just answer the question. Do you need help finding the details?

Here ... let me help.

One difference is in trade. You stated they are the same, and it's simply not true.

Markets & Intervention:

CL Advocates for strict laissez-faire.

Conservatives: Strongly supports the free market economy. However, may support some state intervention to maintain social order or national interests (e.g., defense spending, infrastructure).

Trade

CL: Free Trade is an absolute principle. Protectionism (tariffs, quotas) is opposed as a market interference.

vs

Conservatism: Generally supportive of free trade, but may be more willing to endorse protectionist measures if they are believed to protect domestic industry, national security, or traditional community stability.


Another is the classical liberal seeks a state that is neutral on questions of "the good life,"(lead us to trans issues and the decay of social norms) whereas the conservative believes the state has a role in protecting traditional morality.

Moral Legislation

CL: Advocates for state neutrality based on the Harm Principle (individuals are free to act unless they harm others). Generally opposes laws enforcing traditional morality.

Cons: Believes the state has a role in upholding traditional morality and established social institutions (like the family or church), viewing them as essential bulwarks against social breakdown.

ETC etc..


Now do you want to dig deeper or would you like to be more spoon fed?

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CL Advocates for strict laissez-faire.

Conservatives: Strongly supports the free market economy. However, may support some state intervention to maintain social order or national interests (e.g., defense spending, infrastructure).

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Support for a laissez-faire economy has never meant “no state,” only no central economic planning. Adam Smith — a foundational figure in classical liberalism who likewise is often credited with popularizing laissez-faire economics — acknowledged the existence of the need for public goods such as national defense, law enforcement, etc...

Classical liberals and conservatives thus agree on this core insight: free markets are the most effective and moral economic system because they respect property rights, voluntary exchange, limited government, etc... That is the heart of conservatism, not an exception to it.

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CL: Free Trade is an absolute principle. Protectionism (tariffs, quotas) is opposed as a market interference.

vs

Conservatism: Generally supportive of free trade, but may be more willing to endorse protectionist measures if they are believed to protect domestic industry, national security, or traditional community stability.

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While a classical liberal might argue that tariffs are a form of taxation and are often captured by special interests, both classical liberals and conservatives generally agree that free trade is presumptively correct because it promotes prosperity, competition, peace and limits state power.

Thus both camps believe that free markets should be the default setting. So while classical liberals and conservatives may disagree on whether that default allows exceptions, this distinction is a quibble on the margins of the debate, not a fundamental ideological disagreement.

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CL: Advocates for state neutrality based on the Harm Principle (individuals are free to act unless they harm others). Generally opposes laws enforcing traditional morality.

Cons: Believes the state has a role in upholding traditional morality and established social institutions (like the family or church), viewing them as essential bulwarks against social breakdown.

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Classical liberalism does not reject traditional morality in law per se; it instead rejects state enforcement of morality absent demonstrable harm. Where classical liberalism may differ from some strands of conservatism is not over the value of institutions like the family, marriage, or religion —classical liberals generally regard these foundational institutions as predating the state — but over whether a powerful centralized state should actively enforce these moral norms.

Classic liberals thus argue instead for subsidiarity over centralized control: families, churches and communities should take precedence over state control. These principles are the heart of Federalism: local variation is preferred over centralized mandates.

So while a distinction between classical liberalism and conservatism in enforcing morality exists in theory, in practice there is significant convergence — particularly around support for decentralization, the power of institutional pluralism, and skepticism of distance centralized power. The genius of Federalism is that it offers important points of overlap that both classical liberals and traditional conservatives can support in maintaining the moral frameworks needed to maintain a functioning civil society.