Why I Am Not A Conservative

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Why I Am Not A Conservative
by Robert Spencer

JWHeaderAS3Many years ago,
when I interviewed the great avant-garde saxophonist Charles Gayle, I asked him
about bitter criticism he had received for his tendency to preach a pro-life
message in the middle of his concerts. “Yeah,” he said with some amusement,
“they always call me ‘right-wing.’ Man, I ain’t got no wings!” Neither do I.
And as the events of the past week have shown, I am not “right-wing,” either;
nor am I a conservative.

Throughout my
public career, of course, the mainstream media has insisted that my colleagues and
I are indeed “right-wing,” and often even “far right.” Since the “far right” is
the label generally given to advocates of authoritarian government and racist
discrimination, this label, as common as it is, is a sheer calumny, as we
are not only opponents of both of those things, but foes of a system that advances
both. If working to defend the principles of the freedom of speech, the freedom
of conscience, and the equality of rights of all people before the law is “far
right,” then we should all be “far rightists”; but in reality this label is
just a tool of the enemies of those principles, used to discredit those who defend
them.

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But I am
nonetheless generally considered to be a conservative. It is a label I have
used myself, as a way of distinguishing my position from that of the liberals
and Leftists who have generally sold out to the jihad, so blind in their hatred
of Western civilization and the United States of America that they eagerly cast
their lot with the foremost enemies of both. And on a practical level, that
identification has been easy: Regnery Publishing, a foremost conservative
publishing house, has published six of my twelve books. Many of my books have been
endorsed by the late, lamented Conservative Book Club.

Nonetheless, for
all that, I am not a conservative. You want a conservative? Mitt Romney is a
conservative. He is still a key leader of the Republican Party, the party of
conservatives, and he is addressing the Conservative Political Action
Conference (CPAC) this weekend. But during his presidential campaign, he called
for the creation of a Palestinian state, which I oppose on the grounds that it
will be used as a new base for jihad attacks against an Israel weakened by its
creation. During his third debate with Barack Obama, he kept agreeing with
Obama that the Syrian “rebels” and other forces of “democracy” in the Middle
East had to be aided with our tax dollars – despite the fact that jihadis
dominate the Syrian rebellion and that an Islamic state even more hostile to
the U.S. than the Assad regime is likely to be the result of their victory. He
has said that “jihadism” has nothing to do with Islam, which is just an absurd
statement.

So if Mitt Romney
is a conservative, which he undoubtedly is, then I must not be one. And then
there is Grover Norquist, who is even more of a conservative than Mitt Romney.
Norquist’s conservative bona fides are impeccable: as the leader of Americans
for Tax Reform, he has a huge base of supporters among fiscal conservatives and
the politicians who want their votes. But he also has extensive ties to Islamic
supremacists. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) called Norquist out for this on the
House floor in October 2011, saying
of the anti-tax hero: “Documentation shows that he has deep ties to supporters
of Hamas and other terrorist organizations that are sworn enemies of the United
States and our ally Israel.” He pointed out that “around the years 2000
and 2001, Mr. Norquist’s firm represented Abdurahman Alamoudi, who was
convicted two years later for his role in a terrorist plot and who is presently
serving a 23-year sentence in federal prison.”  

Despite this, however,
Norquist remains such a powerful force among conservatives that he is a feared eminence
gris
at CPAC. Last year, his protege (and another conservative with
extensive ties to Islamic supremacist Muslim Brotherhood groups) Suhail Khan
boasted to me that I had been barred from speaking at CPAC because I dared to
question the Muslim Brotherhood ties of some of its foremost figures.

And just last week,
after my website www.jihadwatch.org overwhelmingly
won a vote for CPAC’s “People’s Choice Blog Award,” John Hawkins of Right Wing
News (whether on his own initiative, as he now claims, or as the errand boy of
shadowy and unnamed higher-ups, as he initially told me over the phone) told me
that I was not to speak about the Muslim Brotherhood ties of Norquist and Khan
when I received the award. Needless to say, I could not accept this gag order,
and will not be receiving the award: the truth is more important than a trophy.

But that was the end of my identification as a conservative.
Grover Norquist is a conservative. Suhail Khan is a conservative. John Hawkins
is a conservative. Thus I must not be one. I am not acceptable either as a speaker
or an award recipient at the nation’s foremost conservative gathering. I must
not be a conservative.

So what am I? I am an advocate of freedom: of the freedom of
speech, of the equal treatment of all people under the law. Consequently, I am
a foe of the global jihad and Islamic supremacism, which are enemies of both
those principles. I know that there are many others like me, but neither party
seems interested in us right now, and neither does the conservative movement,
such as it is.

It is time for a new movement, a genuine movement of
freedom, one that is not compromised, not beholden, and not corrupted. Are
there enough free Americans left to mount such a movement? That I do not know.
But I do know that if there aren’t, all is lost, and the denouement will come
quickly – more quickly than most people expect.

Robert Spencer is
the director of
Jihad Watch
and author of the New York Times bestsellers
The
Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)
and The
Truth About Muhammad
. His upcoming book, Not Peace But A Sword:
The Great Chasm Between Christianity and Islam
, will be available
March 25.

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Madeleine
Madeleine
11 years ago

Great words Robert. I actually never embraced the label “Tea party” either. It sounded hokey and comical. Not to be taken seriously, although very serious people were behind it. The FFAA party should be started. Freedom For All in America party. I would love to join that party, it excludes no one, it includes everyone who cherishes their G-d given freedoms, no exceptions.
The only agenda of this party is to provide a place for people of every stripe, color, religion, and orientation in a battle to safeguard
their freedoms of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, no guarantees, just the pursuit, and to find shelter in our
rights granted to us under the constitution drawn up by our founding fathers. Amen. How soon can we get started?

VLParker
VLParker
11 years ago

All of these labels are just tools the media uses to manipulate people. And let’s face it, many people are easily manipulated.
The characterization of communism and fascism as polar opposites is ridiculous. They are just two different (not by much) manifestations of totalitarian socialism. Also, they both kill people with whom they disagree.
The two, true polar opposites are totalitarianism and anarchy. While I don’t want to give you a false label,it sounds to me, Robert, like you are a classic liberal. You stand for individual liberty for all people. That is where I would categorize myself. We fall somewhere in the middle of the socialist-anarchist line, although closer to anarchy than socialism. Libertarians fall closer to anarchy.
Romney, with his Romneycare and support of a Palestinian state of sharia, is farther to the totalitarian side. Since they support Islamic supremacism, and thus universal sharia law, Norquist and Kahn are complete totalitarians masquerading as conservatives.
There is no fun, or freedom, in Islam.

S. Klein
S. Klein
11 years ago

I don’t know that I am ready to reject the label conservative. I still consider myself a conservative with some “classical liberal” leanings such as the ones R. Spencer describes. Namely, freedom of speech, the equal treatment of all (I would add, “decent”) people under the rule of law, limited government, etc.
Because some self-professed conservatives such as John Hawkins of Right Wing News, Al Cardenas, Mitt Romney, even George W. Bush, betray conservative principle, it does not make Spencer any less a conservative than it would make him a non-Christian because some or many Christians forsake fundamentals contained in the Bible.
Conservatives like Congressman Frank Wolf, Congresswoman Michele Bauchmann and others cling to conservative principles at least with respect to this fundamental issue. Why should we hold up Suhail Khan, Grover Norquist and their supporters as exemplary conservatives?

On The Mark
On The Mark
11 years ago

You seem very Conservative to me. I know for certain that Romney, Norquist, and Khan are not Conservatives.

The Drinking Gourd
The Drinking Gourd
11 years ago

“So what am I? I am an advocate of freedom: of the freedom of speech, of the equal treatment of all people under the law. Consequently, I am a foe of the global jihad and Islamic supremacism, which are enemies of both those principles.”
I agree. Labels are now being used, not to define, but to confuse and control.
WE the PEOPLE. Important concept.

Sarah
Sarah
11 years ago

In answer to the question of whether there are enough free Americans, I would say, sure, there are plenty of free Americans, in as much as we really are “free” anymore. The question is, are there enough free Americans who understand what it means to be free, what it means to be an American, and what one must do to protect all of that. In answer to those questions, I would have to place myself in the Mark Steyn camp and sadly say, no, there are not enough of us. We are existing on a sinking ship. Our numbers are too few and every level of society has been contaminated with poisonous lies and “ideas.” I see no great leaders and few ordinary citizens willing to do the clean up and the restoration.

Florida Infidel
Florida Infidel
11 years ago

I am an American Christian conservative, and there are many, many millions just like me. The “conservatives” named by Robert in this article certainly do NOT qualify as conservatives in any form. I am happy and proud to be a Christian and a conservative.
Christian conservatives: Love Israel and the Jewish people
Stand strong against Islam and all other demon-worship
Defend our Constitution and Bill of Rights
Defend all innocent human life
Stand strong for our G-d-given right to self-defense
Put our faith in G-d, not government
Love G-d and His Word, the Bible
While the forces of evil (masquerading as conservatives) have certainly made great inroads into the power structure of our country, that does not mean that conservatives have “sold out”. All it means is that people who call themselves conservatives, who never were to begin with, are sellouts to the forces of wickedness. The rest of us are standing strong.

InfidelForLife
InfidelForLife
11 years ago

Brilliant words by mr. Spencer – honest, clear, to-the-point and extremely relevant.
The question is perhaps not so much if there are enough Americans who value true freedom. I think many still do, but nobody is listening because they are not noisy or organized enough.
The point is that the “Ship of State” has already rammed the iceberg head-on, and is sinking. Many Americans are not even aware of it, and are in danger of drowning in the inevitable chaos when the end -rapidly- comes. The crew is completely uninterested and delusional and doesn’t listen to anybody, let alone the passengers. That iceberg is just a interesting, nay, enriching feature of the seascape, or so they have been assured by their progressive officers. The captain is a complete idiot and not capable of leadership, or even remotely trustworthy.
The few alert passengers crying out for attention to the fact that the ship is sinking are accused of “seaphobia” and the crew -delusional as ever- refuses to even man the pumps, let alone man the lifeboats. The captain remains in his cabin, playing golf. His ship, after all, is unsinkable. Or maybe he wants the ship to sink.
A Titanic problem indeed.

Linda Rivera
Linda Rivera
11 years ago

I submitted a comment. It did not go through! I re-typed it, and submitted it again. It did not go through!

Linda Rivera
Linda Rivera
11 years ago

In the UK
Paul Weston on Islamophobia
Simon Hughes, not wishing to be outdone, has been recorded speaking to a Muslim audience (the video can be seen here) where he stated the following awful words:
Every country in the world is your country … we want you to participate not just as voters, we want you to be leaders … to be Cabinet members, to be Prime Minister … we need you to lead our politics …
http://libertygb.org.uk/v1/index.php/news-libertygb/1454-paul-weston-on-islamophobia

Linda Rivera
Linda Rivera
11 years ago

I keep submitting a comment re Paul Weston’s new political party in the UK but my comments will not go through!

Joy
Joy
11 years ago

Robert is understandably VERY pissed at CPAC – but it’s those at CPAC (and others he mentioned) who’ve hijacked the term “Conservative” and wear it very dishonestly at that. I fell the same way, so now call myself a Conservative Libertarian – and then let them ponder THAT little side-step! Meantime, we’d better start to diminish both terms – GOP & Conservative – if we find ourselves sharing that concept with big, fat phoneys!

Scorn On The Bayou
Scorn On The Bayou
11 years ago

CPAC is controlled by jihidis and dhimmis, plain and simple. Allow them to prove otherwise. No matter, they will never get another donation from me. Fool me once…!
I have always been non-partisan but have been forced to vote conservative because the Left is infested with corruption inside and out. And I plan on voting for the lesser of two evils at the next per-determined election, if we still have voting privileges when the time comes.

Chip Murray
Chip Murray
11 years ago

With all due respect Robert, you are way to intelligent to not see through their game. Every “Conservative” you listed is nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The Ruling Class Establishment has seized the roost and hijacked CPAC turning it into a true Chicken Coop! If you stand for the Founder’s First Principles which was the very mortar of our foundation, the Declaration of Independence and the consecration of our American Exceptionalism anchored in the fertile soil of Judeo-Christian morality; then you my friend are a Conservative! Don’t let them steal the honor!

AAABTonto
AAABTonto
11 years ago

Mr. Spencer, I have a great deal of respect for you and your courageous effort to expose Islam in the light of truth. I agree with several of the other comments here that the people that you mentioned were not “conservatives”.
Mitt Romney and Grover Norquist are moderates masquerading in guise of conservatism. CPAC has apparently been infiltrated by the Republican, beltway, establishment, elitists who are actually moderates and are ashamed of conservatism. These people are members of the same fraternity that disliked Ronald Reagan and thought Gerald Ford would have been a better candidate for the 1980 Presidential election. Being a moderate isn’t some lofty perch from which one views the lay of the land and finds some superior perspective—it is the middle of the road. The middle of the road is good for one thing and that is getting run over! They are as dangerous as the Progressive Democrats who are hell-bent on destroying America as we once knew it.
Keep up the outstanding work !!

louisiana_mom
louisiana_mom
11 years ago

Mr. Spencer, I agree, It is time for a new movement, if this is the path the so-called Conservatives today want to take. As a woman, I am outraged over the love affair our poitical class seems to have for the Muslims! These same people talk about how women in America were treated as inferior in the past… that treatment is nothing compared to the treatment of women under Islam! And then add that to their desire to either keep the level of government as it is or enlarge it! We can’t afford what we have… for the sake of future generations we must cut it back. When you start your new movement, sign me up!

Carol Eberwein
Carol Eberwein
11 years ago

Welcome to the Tea Party, the initiator of
THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT.We are all Tea Partiers now.

montanaconserv
montanaconserv
11 years ago

I was disappointed to hear that CPAC asked you not to speak about Jihad or the Islamic threats. This and the fact they have shunned Pam Geller was the last straw in my support for their cause. Wearing blinders is not the best way to fix things in this country or the world, for that matter. I’m also disappointed that Allen West nor Sarah Palin spoke out against this decision. It seems they have been given their ‘shut the fk up’ cards, and are sitting in the corner in a time out. Where are our true leaders? Where are our George Washingtons, or Thomas Jeffersons?

Mary
Mary
11 years ago

Liberal/Progressive Leftists seem to always label anyone who speaks out against Islam or Socialism or who speaks up for the Constitution as Right Wing extremists. The Democrats used to be more individually oriented and the Republican party more big business oriented (i.e., mass jobs platform). Now the Democratic party is Shariah-compliant Socialist, and so the Republican Party absorbed those who did not agree, the Tea Party is in the middle. We need the Constitutional Party to attract the majority and marginalize the other two parties.

Tanner
Tanner
11 years ago

As Sun Tzu once said, “All warfare is based on deception.” Even though CPAC silenced both of you Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller, do not be discouraged. Listen to me carefully: based on what were witnessing, it is my opinion and my conviction that the Muslim Brotherhood plans to divide the conservative movement. I do not claim to have proof of this, but by using common sense, it’s quite obvious that American conservatives stand in the way of the Muslim Brotherhood and all of the radical Islamic organizations. So what they have to do is to use people like Norquist and Khan to cause division. The way to do that is to influence uneducated conservatives from within. But they don’t need to divide the Left because they are all ready in bed with the Islamists. People like Romney and so forth are no more than RINOs. He’s just basically another useful idiot. So the bottom line is that the conservatives in CPAC and so forth have no idea what’s going on. They are being deceived. If they weren’t deceived, then shutting you both out could have been avoided. Both of you Robert and Pamela seem conservative to me. In fact, it’s hypocritical for the Left to call themselves “liberals.” The word liberal means “free man.” And traditional liberalism was for liberty, capitalism, and so forth at one point. But then the hard-core Left decided that they were going to co-op with the name “liberal” to make themselves look good. So in reality conservatism/classical liberalism are at war with Modern Liberalism which is Progressivism. Both of you keep up the fight for freedom. It’s rare to find heroes like you. We will continue to stick up for you. God bless you all. May He protect you.

Parks Curtis
Parks Curtis
8 years ago

Robert Spencer, The problem IS THAT WE ARE NOT ALLOWING WHAT CONSERVATIVE REALLY IS AS AN IDEAL TO REPRESENT ITSELF . WHEN MIT ROMNEY COW TOWS DOWN TO ISLAM AND BETRAYS ALL THE JUDEA XIAN VALUES OF OUR LAND HE IS NO MORE A ” CONSERVATIVE ” THAN TED CRUZ AGREEING WITH OBAMA THAT ISIS IS NOT ISLAMIC … SOMEHOW THEY ARE ” RADICAL EXTREMIST ” OFF ISLAM )( LIE ) NOR IS TRUMP SAYING ” CANT YOU DRAW SOMETHING ELSE ” AND ” WHY IN THE MIDDLE OF TEXAS ” CONSERVATIVE AS HE ALSO IS NOT HONORING TRUTH AND JUDEA XIAN VALUES . MUSLIMS CHOSE TEXAS TOWN , THE E X A C T ONE TO TRY TO IMPLEMENT SHARIA LAW AND THERE ARE NO OTHER PEDOPHGILE WARLORD PROPHETS SO THAT IS WHY : NO , THERE IS NOTHING ELSE WE ” CAN DRAW ” INSTEAD THYAT HAS SAME SIGNIFIGANCE ! ON AND ON SUPPOSED ” CONSERVATIVES ” HACE DRIFTED TO THE LEFT WHICH FRANKLY IS THYE SIDE FAILING TO HONOR TRUTH . JUST LIKE THE NAZIS THAT OPPOSED AND TRIED TO BLOW UP HITLER DO NOT SP[EAK FOR NAZISM , NOR DO THESE FAKE CONSERVATIVES BOWING TO LIES . TRUTH AND JUSTICE AS DEFINED BY OUR SOLID JUDEA XIAN VALUES ARE WHAT MAKES US CONSERVATIVE Robert . TO SAY THAT WE ARE NOT CONSERVATIVE BECAUSE CONSERVATIVES IS BEING BETRAYED BY WEAK CONFORMING ENABLERS OF DESTRUCTION SEEKING APPROVAL IS NOT ACCURATE . YOU ARE ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS ROBERT , AND IT WAS PERCEPTIVE THAT YOU NOTE PEOPLE TRYING TO SWAY A FALSE NARRATIVE PRETEND THAT THE RIGHT MEANS ” RACIST ” ETC WHEN IN FACT IT IS ABOUT MERIT . NO ONE CHOOSES THEIR RACE BUT WE ALL CAN DECIDE OUR OWN IDEOLOGY INSPITE WHAT THE CROWD SAYS OR DOES , WHEREAS THE GOD OF THE MUSLIMS HAS AN ALTERNATE NAME WITH IN THEIR OWN TEACHINGS ” THE GREATEST OF ALL DECEIVERS ” WE SERVE A COMMON FOUNDATION OF TRUTH . MAY GOD PROTECT AND BLESS YOU MR SPENCER , I AM SEEING AS I AM BLOCKED FROM GROUPS THAT ARE CLAIMING TO FIGHT ISLAM ………. BUT NOT HONORING TRUTH AND ENABLING ISLAM
TO Stop Islamization of America, Admin Lawrence Robert Estavan and A J A J ADMIN :DEMAYO BOWING DOWN : WHY ARE WE EVEN SHARING THIS ISLAM ENABLING GARBAGE IT PROTECTS MUHAMMAD AND ISLAMS CHARACTER AND IISLAM WITH THE ” RADICAL ” LIE THAT ENABLED THIS TO HAPPEN !REGULAR ISLAM IS THE PROBLEM BUT BECAUSE PEOPLE REFUSE TO BE HONEST WE LET THIS REGULAR MUSLIM IN AND HE KILLS US …. THEN WE SAY ” OH MUST BE THE RADICALS AND WE WANT TO BE FAIR SO LETS LET MORE MUSLIMS IN BE4CAUSE ITS JUST THE ” RADICALS ” STUPID VICIOUS CYCLE SNAP OPUIT OF IT IDIOT AMERICA . NO ONE IS ” RADICALIZING ON THE PEDOPHILE WARLORD NOR BEING NORE EXTREME . ! CAN WE EVEN STOP LYING FOR ISLAM . EVER ! EVEN WHEN ITS THE SAME LIE THAT ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN WE STILL LIE FOR ISLAM ” OH ITS THE RADICALS REGULAR ISLAM ISNT THE PROBLEM ” FALSE FALSE FALSE FALSE! WAKE THE HELL UP! THERE IS NO ” NICE MUHAMMAD” NOR THOSE THAT AGHREE WITH HIM ! EVERY DAMN DAY PEOPLE BLOCK THE TRUTH AND TELL THESE IDIOT LIES , AGAIN THIS FALSE NARRATIVE IS H O W OUR MARINES GOT KILLED ! THIS MUSLIM NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT HERE BASED ON NORMAL ISLAM IDEOLOGY ! STOP BEING POLITICALLY CORRECT FOOLS ! WE ARE DYING FOR THIS FALSE NARRATIVE OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS AND CHILDREN RAPED-…..HAPPY TO BE P C ?

Eric Allen Bell ॐ
Eric Allen Bell ॐ
7 years ago

THE INFORMATION AGE WILL BE THE DEATH OF ISLAM:
https://youtu.be/woU_mJtjinw

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