The Conservative Movement is a overarching title that people think means something but it really doesn't. Too many groups or schools of thought that are in direct conflict with each other think the descriptive applies to them.
The Republicans try to keep both religious conservatives and libertarians under the same tent but they couldn't be more separate in how they view the role of government. We are seeing that difference being drawn much sharper of late.
Huckabee's paternalistic view of government means a government that takes responsibility for its citizens' morality. That is an expansion of government that more than just Ron Paul supporters oppose. Many of the Founding Fathers would be against such a view as well.
I know that laws do in someway infringe on our freedoms, but that they are necessary for a society to function. So I'm not looking at this from a strict philosophical outlook but I'm looking at it more practically.
For example:
I've never understood the big fear of gay marriage. If a gay couple gets married, how in the world does that hurt my marriage? I don't see why people start foaming at the mouth at the thought that gays who love each other should be allowed to get married.
I don't think gays getting married threaten my children either. I don't want to live in a world where gays are forced underground and are persecuted, so if I want to live in a world where gays can live in the open, I need to discuss homosexuality with my kids. I have discussed it and we will continue to discuss it. It is not that scary to do. I don't think that my kids are going to become gay just because gays aren't being hung in the town square.
I think a lot of social conservatives are really driven by fear. They fear those who are different. Knowledge can often chase away that kind of fear but that takes effort. Just reacting to fear is so much easier.
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