"Conservative is a word created for the purpose of identity persuasion. Nothing more... What is a progressive? Same argument applies."

Identity politics trump everything/everyone's desperate for a tribe.  

The Conservative Con (Master Persuader Series) | Scott Adams Blog: "My best guess is that I’m in the top 20% of informed citizens. Yet I don’t know the political definition of conservative. Neither do you, in all likelihood.  Under the 2D filter of life, conservatives are united by a common ideology that is supported by reason. But under the Master Persuader filter, conservative is a word created for the purpose of identity persuasion. Nothing more. 

According to my filter, conservative has no logical or coherent reason for existing. While I assume it once had a noble birth, at this point it is just a hodgepodge of ideas that disagree with Democrats. Some of the individual ideas have merit, but they don’t belong together in the same bag for any reason that is obvious to me...

In 2016, the word conservative can be seen as a tool of influence – a shaming tool – used by the party elites to bring people together under their handpicked puppet. Conservative doesn’t have a normal definition that is useful and widely understood. That’s why it works so well for persuasion. 

If it had a rigid definition, lots of people could find a reason to disagree. But by leaving the definition of conservative in ambiguity, people see nothing with which they can disagree. That is classic persuasion. Trump uses the same form of strategic ambiguity. It’s a thing. 

Some of you will write coherent definitions of conservatism in the comments. I’m sure that definition exists. 

But if you walk out on the street and ask random Republicans to define what conservative means, they will probably say something about “small government” before voting for whoever is likely to increase its size, such as any of the Republican candidates still in the race...

Conservative is a word used by con men to maintain their power. So, Is Marco Rubio correct that Trump is a “con man”? Yes, Rubio is 100% right. Trump is a con man in a party of con people running against another party of con people.  He’s just better at it. 

P.S. - What is a progressive? I have no idea what that is either. Same argument applies. It is a word of persuasion, not reason."