Just don't do what the media do, which is conflate fiscal conservatism, with social conservatism, and war-hawkery.

Social conservatism and war-hawkery are actually against the principles of fiscal and small-gov't conservatism. It's unfortunate that the same word "conservatism" is used.

The Republican Establishment is over-run by the Neoconservatives, who are war hawks who hate civil liberties, and only pretend to be small-gov't conservatives, in the same way that the Establishment Democrats pretend to be anti-war and pro civil-liberties.