He was hailed as the great Messiah, ushering in the death conservatism as Democrat registrations soared in 2008. Both houses of Congress went Democrat in his honor as he rode in on the back of the Clintons. A year later some still argue which was the savior and which was the ass but just like Jesus, only a short time has passed since fawning praise has given way to cries for his execution, if only in a political sense. And while Jesus stood with grace and forgiving majesty as the previously palm-throwing crowd now called for Barabas, the fact that a near majority of Americans wish Bush were back has got be gulling to the man-child president Obama whose skin is thinner than his excuses for not turning the economy around. This week we now hear that the number of people who self identify as conservative has reached a 20-year high. What?! I thought that dragon had been slain? And how did Palin sell so many books before they were released in bookstores? And what do we make of the tea party movement? Whoever can make sense of this political landscape and articulate conservatism at least as well as Obama can say nothing while reading from a teleprompter, could emerge as the leader of a movement. Although I do not have that as my goal, I would like, nevertheless, to try. In this blog I explain the political landscape.
Everyone understands that the political landscape is divided between right, middle and left. Skin-heads and racists make up the extreme right but are considered whacko and have been rejected by the political main stream since the David Duke was ousted from the Republican Party in the 1980s. On the extreme left, you have socialists and communists. In recent years, the extreme left has found its way into power. Although it is every bit a minority as the racists, it has captured the imagination of some very rich people such as the Hollywood elite and the Billionaire George Sorros.
Under Ronald Reagan conservatism coalesced as economic conservatives (less government, less spending, lower taxes) and moral conservatives (traditional Judeo-Christian values such as pro-life, pro-family policies). This left the Democrats with everyone else. While it’s common to find gun-toting, Jesus-loving patriots who want lower taxes and to protect the unborn, how often to you find anti-war, men-hating, gay activists who belong to a teacher’s union, want to ban guns, protect abortion, raise taxes and think that the nation’s founders were evil white slave-owners. Ok, so MSNBC seems to find plenty of them but how many of them are there really. If they existed in any great number, don’t you think ACORN would try to register them to vote instead of going after dead people and cartoon characters?
Among the American political spectrum we have four categories of voters. First there are issues voters. They cling to a party because it coincides with their view on one or more issues important to them; abortion or taxes, for example. The second category is the no-matter-what voter. They will not budge on how they vote not matter what information they get. The third category is a mixture of the previous two. They vote based on an issue based on how they think a party feels about that issue regardless of what evidence is presented that the party does not coincide with their position. The fourth category is the rice-bowl voters. Filling their rice bowls, their very existence and livelihood, depends on the government. A voter can be in more than one category and these categories exist in both sides of the political spectrum but not in equal numbers. This is largely due to the difference between conservatism versus liberalism and the way politicians/office holders have packaged and presented them.
Conservatism is largely an intellectual pursuit; liberalism is largely an emotional pursuit. Category 1, the issues voters, overwhelms the political right and much of the middle. When Republicans went to Washington as the majority, promising the usual stuff, they drank the power Kool-aid, betrayed their voters and found themselves ousted by an angry electorate in 2008. Much of the new Democrat majority came from states that went for McCain. What was thought to be the death of conservatives was just issues voters doing what issues voters do, throwing out the bums. And if you are a pro-abortion Republican running against a pro-life Democrat in a right-leaning district, you are going to have a problem, even if you like lower taxes and Grandma’s apple pie. The converse it not true. Harry Reed comes from a conservative state but gets no grief on the national stage from liberals for his voting record as a pro-life, pro-gun rights Democrat. He got a pass on his recently revealed racist remarks concerning Obama made during the campaign because voters from categories two and three dominate the Democrat party. The same courtesy was not afforded Trent Lot for his comments during Strom Thurmond’s birthday party. An us-versus-them mentality evolves among these voters. They make excuses for the offenses of their own while vehemently attacking the other side for the same or similar offense. Bad behavior is often defended with “Well, Bush did the same thing”. That was the crux of circling the wagons around Clinton while subsequently engaging in Bush bashing, even long after Bush has left the public scene.
Recently the ueber-liberal Joy Bahar stated that she did not understand how Sarah Palin sold so many books considering most of her fans cannot read. The data show (there goes the truth messing up the left again) that among voters lacking a high-school diploma, they vote majority Democrat. Many of them are category two, no-matter-what voters that are not educated and refuse to be educated. Emotional speeches about nothing will get them excited but make sure you bus them to the polls. Their lack of commitment to education and improvement make them fickle voters. They may even fall for hoaxes about election day being on a Wednesday this year. Often they spill over into category three. They are usual poor and are appealed to through emotional campaigns like class warfare and minimum wage. Over taxation of the wealthy has caused a drag in the economy and the recent raise in minimum wage has inflated the unemployment. But these facts have no effect on them; their brains just do not process it. Many vote Democrat because they think it promotes minority rights. The Civil Rights act of the 1960s was passed in the face of most Democrats voting against it because an overwhelming number of Republicans (the minority at the time) voted for it. While we have seen the black family disintegrate under welfare and affirmative-action pats on the head that substitute for actual education, black voters continue to vote Democrat.
The fourth category makes up those that live off the government. Expanding the government and government programs is crucial to expanding liberal power. The health care bill coming out of the senate does not cover everyone, does not lower health care costs but does raise taxes. The president is still interested because it expands the number of rice-bowl voters. Professors also belong to this category but Obama also loves them because they provide hare-brained theories to try out on the American economy.
Into this political cauldron we have three new phenomena that provide the golden opportunity for a new conservative leader. First, the conservative voters have been largely abandoned. Only after 2008 have Republicans in Congress put their foot down and said “no” to all the liberal crap being jammed down our throat. But too often, even as the majority, they let the Democrats set the agenda, proposing only modifications to liberal bills. This political pull to the left is in response to the second new phenomena; the whacko far left has become issue oriented and rich. Obama, who ran as centrist, winked at the radical left as he collected their money. But he is now trying to govern from the left and has enraged the regular left, middle and right, giving rise to the third phenomenon, the tea-party movement.
To exploit this opportunity we need a leader with three key qualities. Quality one is genuineness. Campaign from the right and government from the right. If you are Christian, Jew or agnostic, be that. But be conservative and live conservative values the best you can. Category one voters are the only ones you can reach and they live on the right. And remember that independent voters are just conservative voters that do not want to be labeled. The political right and the right-leaning middle make a political voting majority. The left (including the press) will be vile and nasty so you need quality two. Have a spine. Remember, bipartisanship to a liberal means shut up and do it my way so stand up to them. Third, and most important, teach, preach and explain conservativism. You cannot let the left define you like Gingrich and Bush did. Reagan was always speaking to the people and not just from a teleprompter. Pushing the political landscape back to the right (where it wants to be naturally) will make it all the more difficult for Obama to get his socialist agenda through. This will save the country grief but also further anger his financial donors. If they get mad enough, maybe they will stop donating or maybe even move to France like they keep promising. Then the tea-party people can go back home and get back to living their lives, assured the country is safe and leave all the rally stuff to the out-of-power, whacko left. Don’t forget your ace in hole: Conservativism works and liberalism does not. Be true to us and we will be true to you, quietly voting you back into office election after election, regardless of what Katie Curic or Rosie O’Donnel say. And we can keep Joy Bahar scratching her head until her finger hits her brain or whatever is underneath that thick skull. Wow! Image if that stuff leaked out. Can you say "Clean up aisle 9"! I wonder if you would have to call the CDC or the EPA?
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