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Yes, that's what I am trying to express.
For example the left is always opposed to completely free markets. They do not shy from this. They are opposed to inequality. Of kind and outcome.
Any right winger who opposes all regulations is usually called extreme by those in his camp. Those that say taxation is theft are extreme.
The common conservative stance is to only be more moderate than the liberal left wing Democrats. Lower taxes. Not oppose them. Reduce regulations not eliminating them.
You can say they have principles but they are based in opposition to a more extreme left wing stance. They are reactions. They aren't based principles on their own.
You have to get into the libertarian side to find actual based principles. One can think both extremes are wrong but I think it's hard to say they aren't principles.
Another way of putting it is that Democrats and Republicans are more alike than different to me. The difference is mostly in degree. There are exceptions but history seems to show that the Republican and right is drifting leftward in both their view of law and morals. They are just slower to progress left than progressives.
A different way to say it is that conservatives aren't united by any particular principle. So conservatism isn't based on a specific set of principles.
It's not that individual conservatives are unprincipled people, although many are.