- Clear, decisive ideological lines have been drawn across the American political landscape since the election of President Obama. Something about our current President has caused more public dissent and agitation than any election I can recall.
- At first these lines in the sand knit themselves together with the organic yarn of concerned neighbors holding small rallies. Those modest but critical early efforts were the precursor to the now famous and very influential Tea Party movement.Numbers grew. There were town hall meetings repeated across the country which pitted concerned voters against their elected officials who lost their way in a manner reminiscent of an earlier, simpler time, and with just as much passion.
- Still, against overwhelming opposition by the American people, health care reform was forced through, as was the government’s full and complete takeover of student loans, with much more damage on the way.These events follow the takeover of automotive companies, the banking industry and now, while government employees suffer from a 4% unemployment rate, the country is suffering a 17% unemployment rate.
The polls consistently and without exception show a level of anger among the electorate I have not previously witnessed. With respect to health care reform, even Bill and Hillary Clinton dropped the matter entirely and moved toward the political center when public opinion unequivocally showed that the American people did not want such legislation. During that time, the publics distaste for national health care was but a shadow of what it is today.
But that was over a decade ago. This current administration, operating on the simple and completely incorrect notion that well-educated acadmics know better than the average, unwashed citizen and, moreover, that this group of elite liberals must drag the unwashed masses kicking and screaming into the 21st century where government goes from being large to omnipotent, where the sheer force of a liberal agenda, finding itself in a brief pocket of time where they control the House, Senate and administration, can muscle through laws and mandates that, even on a cellular level, are antithetical to what has made this nation so great.
So what’s next for Conservatives? I am so impressed and full of pride at the work my fellow Patriots have done over the past year, and I want to suggest a few bullet points regarding where we need to go next.
1. Conservatives need to make the effort to read, listen to and support their fellow Patriots who are producing quality blog posts, internet radio broadcasts, etc. If you have a website or blog, you need to link to like-minded blogs and weave the stitch tighter. In short, support those among us who are trying to make a difference. Avail yourself of modern technology. Do your part and support those who are doing theirs.
2. Use Twitter to share important news of the day. Use Twitter to share links to the colums written by your fellow Tweeps and Patriots. We must knit ourselves together, get to know one another better, and put the larger purpose above any single, personal goal.
3. We must win over, as much as possible, the opposing side. I was once a liberal, and thanks to people like you I was converted and have become a player in this fight to keep America’s core values in tact. So it can and must be done. Reach out to those who offer diametrically opposed viewpoints. Use a little humor and finesse. Preaching to the converted means you end up with the same number of intellectual soiders as when you began.
4. Every Patriot should be emailing and calling their local representatives weekly. Make it routine. Place it high on your priority list. A constant onslaught of feedback from Conservatives to their representatives can go a long way.
5. Read the Bill of Rights, The Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”. Know your argument better than your opposition knows theirs. Fight with facts, not insults. We all know that their prescription for change ends in bankruptcy and a failed nation. But if you do your reading you’ll be that much more convincing.
The current administration is on a spurious and anti-free-market End-Run, gearing up to pass as much partisan, socialistic legislation possible before the mid-term elections shift the political balance once again, preventing the further arrogant use of arcane legislative loop-holes. By knitting ourselves together tightly, interacting with each other beyond what we have done, supporting our fellow Patriots and their media efforts (blogs, websites, Internet radio programming), we will have a tremendous impact.
What can You do? Subscribe, listen, write to those websites that are doing the heavy lifting. Keep in mind we are still a center-right country, and know that by building friendships, reaching out to the unconverted and staying on message will go a very long way to positioning ourselves for November.
Keep the faith.
“