Ideology, Politics and Policy

Setting your ideas to sail!  Translating ideas into winning 

elections,  passing legislation, and creating successful 

policies are not the same thing.

There's a big difference between the three.

Before we talk about what core views and values Conservatives share - it will be helpful to understand the distinction between three concepts:  ideology, politics, and policy.  You may find in debates that people point to political statements, positions as a means to call into question conservative ideology.  

Example:  Deficit spending under Republican President George Bush exploded.  George Bush claims to be a Conservative.  Therefore Conservatives do not believe in fiscal discipline (or Conservatives are hypocrites.

Because the intersection between ideology, politics and policy can get messy - it is important to understand the differences between the three.