The Next Steps for Conservatives
Posted by: Blue Collar Muse in 2008 election season, America First, Blogroll, Conservative, Democratic Party, Elephant Bites, GOP, Individual Responsibility, McCain Palin 2008, Obama Biden 2008, PoliticsWhile I’m unwilling to concede just yet that Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States, it would be foolish to deny that possibility. Even if John McCain wins, the status of Conservatism in the GOP and politics generally is troubling at best.
Politicians and The People, with few exceptions, seem determined to abandon sound, proven truths for the warm, fuzzy rhetoric of the Economic and Social policies of “Hope!” and “Change!” It’s difficult to blame The People. They gave the GOP a shot at letting Conservative ideology work it’s magic on the country for years. Turns out the Pols weren’t as Conservative as advertised.
The years after the Reagan era are defined by a GOP wanting more to breed and less to lead. GOP strategy was “What must we do to increase our power and get re-elected?” instead of “What must we do to serve the people and earn our re-election?”
The nominations of Bob Dole, W and now John McCain coupled with the strategy of many GOP House and Senate candidates has reinforced that approach. A notable exception, AZ Representative John Shadegg, says even at the height of 1994’s Republican Revolution the GOP’s advice was his most important job wasn’t to represent his district or promote his constituents’ values; it was to get re-elected.
This approach has tainted Conservatism in the minds of the people. It has become identical to, or at least wed to the GOP. Thus the sins of the Party become the sins of the Principled. Even if Conservatives object, pointing out they never countenanced bad behavior by the GOP (The Bailout, No Child Left Behind, Medicare Reform) The People still see them as part of the problem and not the solution. How else to understand what happened to Rick Santorum, George Allen and others?
Such losses make the Democrats’ job easier. Each defeated Conservative frees up time, energy and moneyto defeat those remaining. Squishy GOP members voted with Democrats enough to permit them to establish portions of their agenda and to regain solid Congressional majorities. Two things will follow: those who believe the Left can be reasoned with and appeased will be rudely awakened and the country will suffer. To date, only the second is happening.
GOP snubbing of Conservatives has produced much soul searching. The choices are stay in the GOP and work internally for change or leave to found or join a third party. I’m not advocating either choice. But enabling the status quo is not an option. We each must decide what the best use is of our time and talents. To decide, regardless of who wins the White House, a few things should be influential.
Christopher Arledge at Red County has written ‘The End of American Conservatism?’ and at The Minority Report, Civil Truth has penned ‘A Time for Choosing: Even Truer 44 Years Later’. They are as good a starting place as any for Conservatives asking where they go from here. I commend them to you. If you find, or if you have written, posts with similar themes, let me know and I’ll aggregate them here as a resource.
It is impossible to predict the consequences of next week’s election. It is, however, quite possible to predict what will happen if Conservatives do nothing. Surrender and chains being unacceptable options, regrouping and fighting on will have to do for now …
Blue Collar Muse
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Tags: 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Bob Dole, Christopher Arledge, Civil Truth, Conservative Ideology, Conservative Thought, George Allen, George W Bush, GOP, Hope and Change, John McCain, John Shadegg, Red County, Republican Revolution, Rick Santorum, Ronald Reagan, The Minority Report, Third Party
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October 29th, 2008 at 1:19 am
I agree with your point and do appreciate your “let’s win one for the Gipper” attitude, however, short of the Grinch’s heart miraculously growing three sizes in one day, I sadly think that (even if McCain wins) we have passed the point of no return in America’s decline, because all of her institutions and leaders have been corrupted to their core and her foundations have been turned into rubble. I sincerely pray that I’m soon proved wrong and that God raises up a Nehemiah to lead us, but the distance between possible and probable seems unfathomable. My premise is thus:
There are many reasons for the failure of Conservatism, but the fundamental reason (in 300 words or so) is that while we Conservatives were busy in the 80s & 90s patting ourselves on the back for our political gains and the rise talk radio, the Secular Humanists/Leftists/Socialists/Marxist Democrats were busy pulling one brick after another from our Biblical and Constitutional foundations by focusing on societal adulteration.
The enemies of America have always taken the long view in their plans to destroy the Judeo/Christian foundations of our society. First they destroyed our education system, so that the voting masses would be easily led. Then they destroyed the family (radical feminism, free love, abortion, no marriage, gay marriage, pornography, Dr. Spock, etc..) They co-opted science with evolution, which removed the foundation for personal and societal morality. Then like crack dealers, they got a majority of the population hooked on government handouts while preaching class envyand wealth redistribution, destroying the genuine foundation of the American dream of hard work and self-reliance. Etc, etc, etc… All the while, Conservatives were indefatigably rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic by desperately trying to convenience the mainstream media that we Conservatives really weren’t mean spirited Neanderthals and that Bill Clinton was.
We were busily engaged in Beltway hand-to-hand political combat while the radical Left was doggedly pursuing the hearts and minds of a dumbed down American populace through academia and popular culture. America’s enemies spent the better part of the past 100 years slowly maneuvering us to where we are today and to think we are going to reverse it any time soon flies in the face of logic and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics.
The situation is this, we find ourselves in our own end-zone, 42 points behind, one minute on the clock, no time outs and the Refs all have day jobs as Community Organizers. Sucks to be us comrades.
October 29th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Excellent, thoughtful post that leaves a lot to ponder. We could parse the various mistakes since 1980 for weeks and not be done.
I never get completely disheartened because I believe that conservative principles have more enduring value than politically expedient quasi-socialist principles do. The kind of government modern Democrats favor ends up being exposed as a burden rather than a help sooner or later. I heard Jack Kemp say on a conference call yesterday that Obama’s promise of redistributed tax refunds is the closest thing he’s ever seen to buying votes. After some time, the money runs out and the people get restless.
As has been stated often, had the conservatives stuck to our governing principles we would have been just fine. I don’t get caught up much in the GOP/Conservative debate because conservatives had a firm hold of the GOP at one time. Whatever the governing flaws were, they were coming from conservative leaders in the party. I tend to think many of the mistakes could be attributed to the fact that we were an opposition party that didn’t quite know how to govern after finally being victorious.
Should the GOP get creamed next week, conservatives will be in perfect position to make inroads everywhere in the party hierarchy. Sarah Palin will come through the whole thing strong and with a built-in, dedicated base of conservatives. The RNC has needed a housecleaning for a while now. If we pay attention and begin working immediately we’ll be in a perfect position when the country finds out what the Obama rhetoric looks like in government form.