Many thanks to Butch Porter for sending the following to me.  Over the years, Butch and I have had many conversations concerning the nature and substance of 'conservative' and how it applies here in the activities and philosophy that underpin our Party. My own efforts and defining certain aspects can be found in my book, but there are many other sources that do quite a grand job also.  This short essay, A Conservative Case for Freedom is from M. Stanton Evans in 1960 (ht to Jay Casale for sending it Butch's way first).  This is the link to the essay and I am going to excerpt a little of it. 

The authoritarian believes in the objective order, and is generally ready to
limit individual freedom to follow its prescriptions. He prefers a hierarchical to a
fluid society, conceiving some men as destined to rule, others to obey-all ordained by the objective order.

This is fact the argument Edmund Burke makes while stating his positions on ordered liberty - something many conservatives approve of.  I do not agree with either ordered liberty as a concept and certainly not the idea that I need an hierarchy above me to guide me.

The Manchesterians allege that man’s self-interest, which flourishes
under a regime of freedom, is sufficient sanction to keep liberty intact. But that
calculus of desires is too subtle for most of mankind. It is the immemorial habit of man to be unable to see his long-term interest when a short-term one looms before him.

man’s self-interest, which flourishes under a regime of freedom, is sufficient sanction to keep liberty intact

is correct. However, one issue that I bring up often -Tracyism Rule #1: always act in your own best interest - is so seldom actually done by the majority that the second part of above:

It is the immemorial habit of man to be unable to see his long-term interest when a short-term one looms before him.

I want to tie this to the current political/primary.  Our short term interests and what is in our long term interests are reaching a point of breaking.  Many of us want a conservative to run against Obama, but that is more and more looking unlikely (yea for the ACP!! ok, short term interest...) and yet, how do we vote for someone that we feel is least likely to hold to the banner of conservative principle and still defeat Obama, who most certainly is not in our long term interest.

Four years ago, I and many of the founders of this party faced that question with the effort to build this party. Some voted for McCain, many did not vote at all (I didn't). In many regards we are facing a similar situation again.  I have decided I will NOT vote for a candidate that fails to meet even the basic concepts of conservatism even if the result is Obama getting a second term. For me, my long term interest is in the liberty and freedom we were endowed with and voting against it, even for a short term benefit, just doesn't fit with my idea of Conservative.