That's an odd accusation coming from someone that called "Tories" right wing even the term "Tory" predates the term "right wing" by decades...assuming you knew where the term originated in the first place. Even by using the term by it's original meaning (which of course doesn't make much sense in context of America but don't let that stop you) it's dubious to call Tories "right wing" as the "right wing" were nobles and the "Tories" were typically loyalists but not noble, and while nobles certainly wanted to maintain their own power they were not loyal monarchists by any stretch of the imagination. Still it strikes me as absurd to frame America's ideological divide with terms that were invented to describe where a bunch of Frenchies sat near 40 years after our nation was founded, especially if you insist on using the original meaning of the term.
I'm the ignorant one of course. Keep telling yourself that.
Sure, Tories were around before the French Revolution and have had a long and complex history. I was referring to the Conservatives who opposed the Liberals and later the Labour Party.
Still it strikes me as absurd to frame America's ideological divide with terms that were invented to describe where a bunch of Frenchies sat near 40 years after our nation was founded, especially if you insist on using the original meaning of the term.
That's why I referred to the fact that the meanings of labels change over time and that I was referring to the term "conservatism" in its historical context. The fact that most "conservatives" today hold many of the ideals of classical liberals does not change what the term "conservative" meant in much of its history.
I brought up these types of conservatives because that's who I see Santorum being similar to ideologically.
I'm the ignorant one of course. Keep telling yourself that.
Well, you seemed to be ignorant of history if you thought I was off my meds for saying that old-fashioned Tories or ancien regime supporters are right wing extremists. It's one thing to disagree with that view-point, but to act like it's crazy is another.
Who do you suggest are right-wing extremists then? It should be obvious that, since I mentioned Tories and the ancien regime, I was referring to politics in Western Civilization as a whole, not just America, so that should rule out strict constitutionalists. Are they anarchists? Fascists?