How Republicans Can Beat the Deomcrats
I'm not a Republican. But I am a conservative.
I'm not a member of any political party. It isn't because I don't care, however. Quite the contrary, I am terribly concerned about the direction this nation is taking. I just don't have the time and energy. Like many Americans that have been called "The Silent Majority" I'm too busy working and raising a family to even get down to the courthouse and register, much less attend political rallies on weekends for people who have no more business running the country than I would have participating in a beauty pageant.
Conservatism is dying fast. Conservatism. That word's picked up a lot of baggage in the past few years as has the word liberal. Conservative simply means a conservative or limited interpretation of law. The law is what it says and there's nothing between the lines. Judges don't make law, they interpret based on what the writers of the law intended.
Liberal on the other hand is a liberal or broad interpretation of law. Liberals believe there is writing between the lines of law and a liberal judge will interpret law based on what they believe the writers would have meant had they written the law today.
Personally I think both liberals and conservatives are necessary for a healthy state. Too many conservatives and the law becomes rigid, inflexible, and merciless. A terrible burden. Too many liberals and the law becomes meaningless with little or no consistency. One balances the other. Except right now things are seriously out of balance and tipping rapidly towards the demonization of conservative thought in general.
Conservatives have been damaged through their affiliation with bad leadership. George Bush II was a Republican and was supported by conservatives. Guilt by association because, in addition to coping with an attack on our soil, he completely ignored the economy. The result is a terrible recession. We can argue all day long about who's fault it really was - an after effect of Clinton, a liberal congress, etc. In the end, a Republican was in the White House so he gets the blame. That's the mantle you don when you accept power. If you don't like that fact, don't whine when you lose elections.
At the moment conservatives are rapidly losing ground. Obama is a master politician and statesman even if he is one of the most liberal politicians in Washington. I believe that in time the people will realize this and when that happens we must have a viable alternative. The current Republican Party ain't it.
The current Republican Party is the party of greed and selfishness. They cashed in big time during the 90's and 00's. I personally know at least five people who became millionaires over the last dacade and a half. Yes, they did work hard and they deserve their reward. The potential for reward is what drove their hard work and innovation. The problem is what happened after they became wealthy. To a man they disengaged from greater society, upgraded their homes, bought vacation homes, purchased luxury automobiles, and began taking expensive international vacations. Consider the governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, who ran off to drive along the coast of Argentina because, "I wanted to do something exotic ... to get out of the bubble I am in." What?!? The bubble he is in? I'll tell you what bubble he is in - he's in a bubble of greed, selfishness, and self-importance. He's got no business advising anybody of anything and what wisdom he may have once had is long gone. What an irresponsible twit. He's living in fantasy land. (NOTE: So Sanford was out screwing around on his wife and children. Clearly the man has no concept of the word vow/oath. Just one more evidence that the elites feel they are not bound by rules the rest of us follow implicitely - further proof that the wrong people are there for the wrong reason. And he probably ran as a family values, Southern, Church going man.)
One of the reasons liberals succeed is because they put their money where their mouth is. The Jews have remained a powerful and viable ethnic group for thousands of years because they help one another, directly, in everything from starting businesses to publishing books. And I don't mean through charity to the local synagogue. And not through spreading their wealth thin across multitudes of low-class losers. No, they directly support the talented among themselves. Simply having talent and working hard is not enough. It has never been enough. Help is always required to break through. Help is how liberals cultivate emerging talent regardless of the initial standing of the talent because they know that in the long run strengthening their ideological base will strengthen themselves. Conservatives have forgotten this. Rush Limbaugh with his rugged individualism and pulling on his bootstraps is complete bunk. In the end, somebody who thought there was money to be made, set him up as a talk show host. It wasn't his radio license or his station, but listening to him you'd think he invented not just radio, but the concept of language itself. Rush agrees with me on many things but he's taught me nothing.
How many people do we know who possess great talent and ambition but who are stuck in life? Good, hard working men and women who have dreams and plans but who must spend their time working to earn money for their families. While this ethic is good and pure and necessary, a lifetime spent struggling prevents their values and ideals from percolating outward. Back to Limbaugh. Clearly the man hasn't spent much time cultivating family values. This is epidemic in our nation. As soon as plans are threatened, divorce follows. What wisdom is there to be gained from that? Though it does make climbing after success easier if shedding excess baggage is as easy as taking out the trash. How many wealthy elites do we know with children in rehab or worse? The wealthy among us have far more time to mingle and attend political functions while their lives of ease have robbed them of wisdom. I don't know how many times I've heard a conservative say, "I don't have time to go to a rally, I have to work!" Or, upon seeing a teeming multitude of fanatical liberals, saying, "Don't those people have jobs?"
We may laugh when we say this but it is exactly why conservatives are getting killed. Passion, wisdom, and a connection with the people don't come from wealth. Passion, wisdom, and oneness with the masses arise from struggle, perserverance, and commitments honored. Marx knew this when he wrote the Communist Manifesto with its emphasis on class struggle. He knew that the elite had no connection with the masses and was able to use basic principles of human nature to create a movement that shattered world peace for a hundred years. We can use these same tactics, but instead of using them to make everyone mediocre, we can use them to provide an avenue to greatness.
So how do we win?
First, wealthy conservatives must realize that their fortune wasn't made in a vacuum. Their hard work was a major contributing factor and should not be minimized, but a stable society full of hard working men and women was just as important. And somewhere along the way they received help.
Second, unbridled avarice is incredibly damaging to everyone. Indeed, the very privations that once drove innovation and ambition, once removed, contribute to rot of the soul. Down that path you once go, never enough will you have to satisfy. Better to have a bit less than enough. Better to stay lean and ready to fight than go soft. You did not create the society from which you benefitted, you are only a part. You will die and if all you leave is money for your children, your life will be a failure.
Third, stop whining about the media. It isn't their fault. Media or no media, if it was so great to be a conservative everyone would be one. Make conservatism something to be sought after. Right now, ideology for the sake of ideology doesn't pay bills. Just ask the Russians.
Fourth, wealthy conservatives must seek out talented conservatives from among the masses and aid them in their path to success. Whether young or old doesn't matter. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes conservatives make is in thinking that a man or woman must be young to contribute from their benevolence. In many cases, the best candidates are middle-aged, middle-class men and women, battle-hardened from a lifetime of raising children and working tough jobs so that they have developed deep, penetrating wisdom. You want to talk about perserverance? It is only because of their dedication to family that they have been unable to 'get ahead.' It is these people, that once turned loose, will destroy their liberal counterparts. DESTROY. Wouldn't you love to see that carnage and know you had a part in making it happen?
Fifth, and without this step, nothing will change. Directly help these talented individuals. How, you may ask? Form a non-profit and pay their salary. Hire them directly. Give them money so they will have the time and resources to succeed. Whatever it takes, because you know damn well the opposition is doing exactly that. We all know the Democrats are using our tax dollars to buy votes through an infinite number of programs. And how many liberal elites have non-profits that give grants to liberals? George Soros. Bill Gates. The list goes on. You want to win, you better get out and buy some of your own votes, and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you helped one more conservative to success.
Don't make the mistake of thinking this is charity. It isn't. This is war. And in the immortal words of Private Hudson, "We're getting our asses kicked right now!" Yes, you can accept your reward from society, retreat into your hilltop mansion and drive your expensive cars to and from the airport. You have the right to do that, but is it right? When you see the news and shake your head at the deplorable state of society, you have only yourselves to blame. You have the means to make a lasting change. A true legacy to leave your children and grandchildren. Will you not put aside your thirst for material goods, largesse, and a life of ease and entertainment that you have rightfully earned, and turn your resources towards saving the nation. Without you it will not last.