This conservative is not manipulated by anyone, except my wife and daughter <g>.
Seriously, I view conservatism in many ways:  fiscally, socially, theologically for starters.
As for social conservatism, we see value in tradition, but not all traditions.  Remember it was Barry Goldwater, an arch conservative, who de-segregated the Arizona National Guard in 1947, when he was the Adjutant General of the Guard, one year before Harry Truman de-segregated the Armed Forces as a whole.
Not all "forward movements" are positive to me - I will never support gay marriage, for instance.  Let gays live together in peace, let them have civil unions, let them have the same taxes as a married couple has, but just don't call it "marriage", BECAUSE IT IS NOT MARRIAGE.
Fiscal conservatism doesn't mean a rigid adherence to such things as "no debt".  Rather, it means using debt wisely.  It means a tax policy that rewards incentive and ambition, and the growth of capital; not a policy that rewards lack of growth and lack of a work ethic.
I'll leave theological conservatism for another discussion at another time.