What does it mean to be conservative and Republican today?

There has been a lot of conversation and argument between people identifying themselves as Republicans and conservatives. So I ask what are the principles you stand by to call yourself the above? I’m not asking who you support or who you oppose but what are the guidelines you use to make you decisions. What do you consider to be the fundamentals of how you look at life, community and politics?
Finally I don’t want name calling or attacks on people just because you disagree with someone. What I hope is that we all debate these ideas and learn why we take positions. That doesn’t mean we sing kum-by-ya together. Challenge each other but use ideas to support your argument.
I’ll follow up with my position. I hope we use this to learn rather declare victory and/or condemn those we disagree with.

 

Here is the handy list of the republican platform.
https://prod-cdn-static.gop.com/media/documents/DRAFT_12_FINAL[1]-ben_1468872234.pdf

 

I'm for what's right and against what's wrong.

 

So is that what you believe? If so why? How did you reach this position?

 

And what does that mean? How do you know what’s right and what’s wrong? Is right and wrong immutable? Is what was right 250years ago still the same today? If so how do you justify slavery or a franchise limited to property owning white men excluding all women most blacks and in fact many white men?

 

Most people would say the same thing no matter where they are on the political spectrum. I don't worry about things in the distant past. Everybody now would agree that slavery was bad but were all slave owners bad people? Was George Washington an evil man? Was Thomas Jefferson?

 

Lol, that might be what YOU stand for personally but that’s not what the Republican Party stands for.

And before I save this edit, try responding without using the word Democrat. Clinton or Obama

 

Small government and personal responsibility. Unless you want to: gamble, take drugs, pay for/sell sex, buy alcohol on Sunday, marry a fellow consenting adult of your same gender.

Curbing government spending.....just kidding!

Guns.

 

Aren't you for what's right and against what's wrong? We might disagree on some of the things we consider right and wrong and disagreed on others. I don't give a shit about any political party. They are all bad.

 

I use to be a republican and likely still agree with 90% of the platform, too long and boring to read, but republicans stopped being republicans a long time ago. I am still registered a 'R', but lean to more conservative ideals...
"The conservative movement is a term that describes the process through which control of the Republican Party has been taken by people with strong feelings in favor of robust national defense, low taxes, minimum government regulation, and traditional social values."