Compassionate conservatism
Compassionate Conservatism is a political ideology and phrase that was invented by radio talk show host Michael Savage in 1994 and Marvin Olasky, whose book Compassionate Conservatism: What it is, What it Does, and How it Can Transform America was published in 2000. Olasky has been called the "godfather of compassionate conservatism". The phrase was made very popular when George W. Bush adopted it as one of his key slogans during the 2000 presidential campaign against Al Gore. A compassionate conservative is someone who believes that conservatism and compassion go together and complement each other. This is opposed to the traditional criticism that conservatives tend to be more cold-hearted and calculating. A compassionate conservative sees the social problems of the United States, such as healthcare, immigration, the environment, etc., as being issues that conservatives can handle just as well if not better than liberals.Conservatives argue that compassion has always been in their vocabulary. They say that the principles of conservatism lead to a more prosperous and stable society that is inherently compassionate towards others, in which local communities help their own in a neighborly fashion, rather than depend on national efforts with less on-the-spot understanding of issues. They aim for a society that helps others to help themselves, thereby avoiding reliance on the government for their needs. Also, some people, especially more fundamentalist conservatives, see compassionate conservatism as just another word for a moderate, regardless of whether they are a Democrat, Republican or a member of a third party.
Opponents argue that compassionate conservativism is a meaningless phrase. Some say that it just a mask for neofeudalism. They would argue that conservatives are not compassionate towards the poor, minorities, the unemployed, etc. Many point out that locally-driven "compassion" creates a potential for unequal treatment of similar problems and for local biases to take precedence over general standards.