Rose42

Not by today's standards it wasn't. Classic liberalism is nothing like today's progressivism. The founders would want nothing to do with today's liberals or conservatives and would be disgusted at the state of both parties.

GmanTerry

The best ideas the left has will fundamentally change America. Wonderful ideas like letting murderers vote from prison, lowering the voting age to 16, abandoning all borders, getting rid of the Electoral College and packing the Supreme Court with leftest judges. They are indeed, the party of grand ideas.... Bad ideas.

Semper Fi

padremike Loc: Phenix City, Al

You're half right. The Founders were "Classical Liberals." Might I suggest you look up (goggle) "classical liberal" and readjust your understanding.

debeda

Unfortunately their ideas are akin to 8th graders, or at best college freshmen getting stoned in the dorm.

debeda

debeda

I agree with THAT, Rose

JFlorio Loc: Seminole Florida

Exactly. Sounds all pie in the sky until you sober up and realize there is no real solution for their ideas.

Abel

debeda

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

From you I consider that a compliment. I wouldn't want to be any other way.

JFlorio Loc: Seminole Florida

It was meant as a compliment.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

To me the pursuit of life liberty and happiness are more than just words.

lindajoy Loc: right here with you....

Agree...

Nickolai

The modern conservative movement dates back to the 18th Century's Age of Reason, also known as The Enlightenment. Of course, the conservatives were against it. This was back when conservatives mostly had everything going their way. Classes and castes were firmly established, including the institution of slavery, and it all worked out so wonderfully for those at the pinnacle of the hierarchy. And then came a surge of liberalism which threatened to screw everything up for the beloved hierarchy. With their high and mighty ideals about liberty and equality and justice for all, and, of all ridiculous things, Pursuit of Happiness, the liberals ushered in a new phase of consciousness that would sweep across the world. Conservatives have been playing defense ever since.

PeterS

The word liberty is a derivative of what...conservative??? You have zero clue about the individuals who founded this country do you? Liberty is a derivative of LIBERAL you fricking....

SNIP>>

The United States was the first country to be founded on the liberal ideas of John Locke and other philosophers of the Enlightenment, with no monarchy, no hereditary aristocracy and no established religion. The United States Bill of Rights guarantees every citizen the freedoms advocated by the liberal philosophers, namely equality under the law, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to gather in peaceful assembly, the right to petition the government for redress of grievances and the right to bear arms, among other freedoms and rights. In this sense, virtually all Americans are liberals. However, both before and after the country was founded legal questions concerning the scope of these rights and freedoms arose.

You conservatives in 1776 were Tories and sided with the British because, as you are today, you are TERRIFIED of change. You didn't adopt classical liberalism until the late 1800's when agrarianism was no longer a viable economic system. You people have never had an original idea of your own since your miserable inception as an ideology.

To sum up...a Conservative is regressive and seeks a past status quo (have you ever heard of MAGA???) If you don't understand, JFK inspired people to move forward, as in the moon race and your maggot of a leader seeks to go back to some obscure past greatness (MAGA). Liberals move forwards and you cons move backward. You abhor change and anything progressive what so ever. You will only change if your status quo fails, as with agrarianism, and you are forced to something else...as with classical liberalism...and then you will sware up and down that the idea originated with yourselves even though you are devoid of the ability to develop original thought. In other words, you have zero critical thinking skills of your own...