It is easy to be angry when all you see are the final products of government, when cultural and economic decline appear relentless and purposeful. This anger rarely finds a specific source and so we blame “the government” and “politicians” and “the establishments”. We have a general understanding how things work on “The Hill”, so we also blame “Wall Street” and “K Street” and “Leadership”. It seems like the entire process of government is “rigged” against the people, and so the people must either rise up in furious anger or else watch helplessly as their country is destroyed from within.
This anger isn’t healthy or productive. The anti-establishment movement has become a berserker’s last charge in a losing battle. I understand the temperament and have wrestled with the same feelings, but I am so increasingly committed to a constitutional, republican and federalist agenda that I no longer have any use for anger. My free time is too consumed with looking for ways to impact the political process to waste it on finding an audience to watch me shake my fist and wag my pointing finger.
Real political change does not come by electing a President the politicians loathe. We elected Ronald Reagan and foolishly thought that we had accomplished something for conservatism. We elected Ronald Reagan and we forgot about the legislature. We elected Ronald Reagan and we forgot about our Governors. We elected Ronald Reagan and we forgot about our local officials. We elected Ronald Reagan and we forgot about our schools, our culture and the importance of our principles.
Why are Democrats so much more effective than Republicans? Democrats have never won a battle that satisfied them. They never cease to look 100 years down the road to the America they seek to create. They never miss an opportunity to win a battle, no matter how insignificant it seems at the time. They want to control everything and, for them, no political office is unimportant.
Republicans lack the same commitment because Republicans do not share a common ideology and end-game. Individual Republican voters are rarely so motivated that they are willing to take time out of their busy professional and family lives to run for school board. Democrats are. They don’t want to get mixed up in local politics. Democrats do. They don’t want to sacrifice the money they can make in the market to become school teachers; and liberals control our schools. Go figure.
Republicans don’t look 100 years down the road and see a path to victory, because they do not share a common ideology. They know that their goals are not shared by the rest of their party and that, not only will they have to defeat Democrats to achieve their ends, but they will have to overcome a thousand Republican obstacles as well.
If you can understand this, then you’ll realize why that anger doesn’t really help. Being angry at reality is like being angry at the wind and the rain. It accomplishes nothing and there was nothing you could have done to stand in their way.
What can we do?
Well, we can take a close look at our fellow Republicans and find out where we have common ground. We can try to work with them to accomplish our goals. We can try to build relationships with one another, instead of trying to ruin them. We can look down the road 100 years and ask ourselves if what we are doing today really gets us anywhere. We can offer positive agendas and employ positive rhetoric. Ronald Reagan was the eternal optimist and it was catching. People were inspired. I don’t see Republicans inspiring anyone anymore. Donald Trump tapped into our anger, not our optimism.
I believe a change of attitude is required. No matter how much you might hate your fellow Republicans, your only chance of moving the needle in your direction comes through working with them, not against them. If a conservative agenda is ever to get a serious hearing on Capital Hill, it will be because of the quality relationships we’ve built, not the bridges we burned in anger and effigy. This is true. Everything else is short-sighted and self-righteous exhibitionism.
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Change is coming in 1 of 2 ways and they both have Trump’s name on them:
1. Trump wins the election. He doesn’t fit the mold and he will shake things up.
2. Trump loses the election. He isn’t going away, folks. The Trump media empire will be born. Trump will self-promote and expand his empire for 4 years and then he will be back…but not as a Republican. The 21st century equivalent of the Bull Moose Party will be born and a viable 3rd party (all Trump, all the time) will arise.
I’m going with 1.
There is no such thing as a viable 3rd party.
In order for a 3rd party to occur, you have to have a dissolution of one of the parties that will immediately realign the remnants and the other party.
For example, Trump wins and Hillary Nixonifies the democrat party.
Populist sane democrats come over to and join with the Trump GOP. Bernie/progressive people assume control of the democrat party.
GOP extremes become fringes and fall away to libertarians, or constitutionalists. DEM fringes fall to green or communists.
End of the day, we’re still two institutionalized parties.
However, if either party sticks with a slavery-level event against the will of the electorate, then that party will cease will to exist and another will rise in its place.
I’m going with 1 also. However, in the event of 2, I see Trump growing a 3rd party. It is complex, and I won’t claim to know how it will all work out. But he can maintain his current populist base and expand on it. The entire political makeup of the USA will get re-aligned and not in the traditional ways. “New Trump” will have a powerful appeal to those who will be completely disgusted with never-ending Democrat corruption and the never-ending do-nothing Republican Party.
Not saying I like it, but I see it happening.
And, therefore, the best thing for the Republican Party is for Trump to win. Because, if he doesn’t, the consequences will be far worse for the Party.
Absolutely!
The Democrats want to run the world. Republicans want to be left alone. That makes it harder for us. Every race is important to Democrats because every race means more control over some group of people. We don’t want that kind of control so it’s more difficult to motivate Republicans to work as hard as Democrats do. How do we motivate Republicans to become involved even if the end game is getting government out of our lives?
Slowly but surely.
What Hill???
Capitol Hill perhaps? Or it’s Capital District of Panem.
Sorry, but have to disagree here.
Blind anger certainly does not help the situation but playing “go along to get along” with the GOPe is not a solution either. Their route may be slightly different, but at the end of the day the GOPe wants to take the country in the same exact direction as the Democrats.
If that’s your strategy then I suggest a much easier path, just sit back and let the Democrats win. Same result, less work.
The sooner leftward policies bear their ultimate fruit, the sooner the electorate feels enough pain to demand real change.
That may not be the ideal path to change though. Some of that pain could last a really, really long time.
Point taken. There are risks.
On the other hand, as conservatives, we believe that progressive policies inevitably take you to a certain outcome.
Certain outcome, versus a chance of change.
Seriously, what specific things are you counting on for a GOP that is bold enough to pursue conservative policies?
3 points. The African American community is increasingly open to education reform. They want school choice and so do we. We can use this as a wedge issue in purple districts with higher than normal African American populations. Wresting authority away from government-controlled schools is a long term strategy. Start local, work our way up. There are also special interests who could benefit from a decentralization of education. Software firms that provide access to education programs. Tourism sites that could benefit from more organized trips from homeschool coalitions. Computer manufacturers. Educational platform entrepreneurs.
Second, regulatory reform. The REINS Act has already passed the House and his sponsored by Rand Paul in the Senate. This places oversight of executive regulations back into the hands of the legislature. We need more of this both at the federal and state level. At the state level, work with Democrats to eliminate wasteful state programs and leave them a small majority of the savings to do with as they please, but keep a significant minority of the savings to pay down debt or put toward more conservative solutions to economic problems.
Third, we need to find a solution to local revenue problems. Right now, property taxes are simply not enough to fund local government and quality public schools. Counties and towns are forced to levy all manners of fees, licensing and taxes on small businesses to cover their expenses. I don’t have a solution to this one yet, but this is something Democrats and Republicans can get behind, in the future, if we can find a way to empower local governments. We spend all this time talking about education at the federal level – well, most of it happens at the local level at an unreasonably burdensome cost to local governments.
Sound like good ideas, Steven. It will be interesting to see if they become realities.
I’ll let you know whenever there are upcoming votes on this kind of legislation and highlight the bills.
Why is the alternative “go along to get along”? Why is the alternative not, strategic action? Why are we not looking to build good relationships, not so we’re in a position to help “them”, but so that they’ll be in a better position to help us? Why do we assume that we can’t impact politics at a meaningful level through strategy, activism and the promotion of popular policies?
I’ve not seen “us” impact politics in the last 30 years in a meaningful way that stopped the shift leftward. What’s the difference now that many Republicans have gone over to the other side? How is that a more propitious moment for us?
“We” haven’t been very successful, but we need to try harder and work smarter. I know it sucks, but we’re dealing with a reality here for which there is no quick fix.
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Did you all ever stop to consider that maybe “conservatives” have been unsuccessful because some of the critiques of capitalism are too great for any person of conscience to ignore? Is it any wonder serious thinkers have flocked to liberalism while all that’s left on the right is loons? Specifically, I’m speaking, of course, of the populists, egomaniacs, racists, religious fundamentalists, and libertarians that seem to make up entirely the modern Republican coalition. Where among those groups will you find a commitment to the kind of good governance demanded by rational people?
Isn’t that exactly what conservatives have been doing that past few decades?
Nothing much to show for it. The country’s leftward creep has become a sprint.
The alternative? No idea. Right now I’m leaning towards “burn it all down”, but we’ll see what happens post-election.
Thirty years, maybe. If that. Up against 120 years of liberal populism and Keynesian creep. The Democrats were already full steam ahead during the Wilson Administration. You don’t just stop government on a dime and you certainly don’t fix things in 30 years. It’ll take 75 years of really, really hard work and national organization to solve these problems. I know that seems like a long time and that we’ll all be dead before we see it, but this is the longview you have to consider. The Democrats do. They have. They’ve been working us for over a century.
75 years?? No, it doesn’t work that way. If history is any guide, the leftward creep continues. There will be no rightward drift in the other direction, and definitely not one that takes 75 years to return to freedom. Instead there is a continuous leftward creep that is finally met with violent revolution. That is why we must resist the leftward creep at every step of the way. There is no magic “common ideology and end game” agreement on the right that can do a damn thing to fix this. There is no symmetry between left and right. We cannot emulate the left and achieve the same success for the right. We must resist tyranny every step of the way, because it takes much blood and treasure to restore freedom once it is lost to tyrannical government. . Read history.
Oh that’s a good one!
I’m here all night. Tip your waitress (or barmaid).
Who’s angry anyway he keeps endlessly bringing this up in ever article he scribbles? Politics is about disagreement, opposing opinions, choice, conflicting directions, winning and losing. It’s just an extension of life. Ever notice he always positions himself outside his self defined anger bubble with all the rest of us inside needing a good lecturing tone to get ourselves straight and always sermonized. After a while it begins to remind me of an Obama teleprompter speech with fewer personal pronouns. Is anyone but the NeverTrumpers buying any of this preaching?
It’s comment-bait, irresistible, powerful stuff.
Perhaps you are correct like crack a second of mind numbing confusion followed by hours of staring at a wall drooling.
I’ll work on increasing my pronoun usage, but I’d hate to overachieve.
If this campaign season has taught us nothing else, it has taught us that the game really is rigged. It isn’t just conservatives, Bernie Sanders people felt the sting this election season just as the TEA party and conservatives have faced it for the past few years.
While you’re focused on “settle down, let’s get along so we can move forward …” as a partisan matter, the anti-establishment crowd is focused on overthrowing the establishment in BOTH parties. It isn’t a partisan matter.
I’m voting for Trump this year, mostly because I’m sick of the media hassling the guy, but also because I’d never vote for Clinton. But I have no ill feelings at all towards Bernie Sanders supporters, none. Do I agree with them on policy ? Hell no. But I do have respect for them, I believe their hearts are in the right place and that they believe they are doing the right thing for the American people, even if I think their reasoning is screwed up. I don’t feel that they gave me (as a TEA party supporter) the same respect, but that’s another issue.
The point is, you say we need less Berserker’s charging the gate, but I think conservatives such as the TEA party folks, Trump supporters, as well as Stein’s supporters, Libertarians, and Bernie Sander’s supporters couldn’t DISAGREE more with that idea. This election season seems to have proven beyond a doubt that everyday Americans really are getting screwed by the establishment, and the last thing we need is more compromise.
Bernie Sander’s people may be socialists, but at least their honest about it.
This is the alternative.
On the Republican side, someone like Cantor had to be defeated at the polls because they were never going to support a conservative agenda, they are just robots, the same as the Clinton people.
I don’t disagree with your sentiment here at all – however, do you think Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump have given people the weapons they need to have a meaningful change on the system? Storming the gates alone is fine and maybe even one day someone like Trump or Sanders can win; and then what? Where are we? Well, now we are dealing with opinions and policy WAY out of the mainstream. Maybe the best way to open up the gates is from the inside. Worked for the Trojans. It worked for the Crusaders at the siege of Antioch.
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Always the idealist, Steven, which is kind of charming and welcome, especially in a year like this.
IMHO, however, the Republican party can’t give “conservatism” the “serious hearing on Capital Hill” you suggest. Whether you are talking about the Establishment leaders or Trump supporters, few place a high priority on shrinking government and the administrative state, valuing equality over diversity, and restoring the Constitutional balance of powers. And those are just baby steps toward breaking the hold on our culture held by the media, academia and the administrative state alliance. Nothing will change for the long term until that alliance is broken up,.
IMHO, it’s time for conservatives to form their own party and become an identifiable entity which can offer a distinct political platform and a block of votes in support of that. I guess there’s a bit of idealism in that notion, too. 🙂
Or Conservatives could wrench their party back from the elite and the surrender monkeys. “I don’t want you to die for your country, I want you to make the other poor bastard die for his!”
David, I felt the same way for quite a while, but no longer believe it is possible. I think the road ahead of us is extremely difficult and I think being an activist is extremely discouraging. I just haven’t seen anger or discouragement make anything better. It seems to me as if we must simply accept how fundamentally difficult the challenges ahead of us really are and to take a deep breath and decide, together, to confront those challenges, without expecting the miraculous or the impossible.
I don’t expect either. What I expect is an unavoidable crisis to occur within the next 10 years, and think building a conservative party in that time would be wise.
Do you think that all the special interests wouldn’t dig their claws into that party too? There are so many frauds and opportunists that weasel their way into any political movement. The TEA Party got how many establishment shills elected because they got fooled? (Can’t blame them, they were lied to). Would the Republican Party still exist? If yes, then aren’t we looking at “the right wing” always splitting their vote, while the Democrats continue to hold the line (and thus keep large majorities in both the House and Senate)?
Of course — that’s unavoidable. In my district, Morgan Griffith has turned out to be just such a shill and I regret donating to him.
The “right wing” always seems to get rolled or compromised when they have to play within the GOP and be nice. Then voters — most of who are NOT well-informed — come to think of “conservatives” as the shills and liars. We’ve seen that happen in this election. “Conservative” has become an epithet in the mouths of many Trump supporters — and I understand that — because of all the Republicans running as “conservatives” and then bailing on that once in office.
Better to have your own party which makes you and your policies and members distinct to voters.
I agree, at least we would get some representation under your plan. There is something to be said for that. If you get enough elected conservatives to the house, maybe you can even have an impact on legislation as the other two parties court you for support on budgets and appropriations. I just don’t know that the country could survive Democrat majorities for very long. Not with these new radical marxists calling themselves Democrats.
How long have Libertarians run, and how long have they not been elected? Same with all the other none-of-the-above parties?
The major parties glom onto the stuff that sells and makes it their own.
The major parties win, the minors set up card tables on sideshow aisles.
True, which is why I’m a Republican.
“. . . Republicans do not share a common ideology and end-game.” because today’s republican party is a coalition of the darkest forces in our society . . . and that’s not by accident.
Over the past decades, the republican party has welcomed:
— Jim Crow Southern Democrats who left the Democratic Party in the wake of LBJS’s support for the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts
— anyone who waves a gun and proclaims “from my cold, dead hands”
— anyone who thumps a Bible and proclaims the Constitution is drawn from the Old Testament
— and every other unhinged, uninformed crowd — the JADE HELM and AGENDA 21 crowd comes to mind
In your closing, you say: “No matter how much you might hate your fellow Republicans, your only chance of moving the needle in your direction comes through working with them, not against them. ”
Of course, working with someone with whom you disagree requires . . . are you ready for this? . . . requires COMPROMISE. That word is not even in the republican dictionary.
Democrat party bot says what?
Yes it does require compromise – and when I’m burned at the stake, remember me. 🙂
There is no compromise with the Democrats anymore, Steven. Those days are over. It is a fight to the death and your party is one leg in the grave. Go watch the videos from Project Veritas and tell me about comrpomise;
Oh, them? I meant with other Republicans. But yeah, we’ve got to find a way to pigeon hole and back Dems into a corner..
Are you one of the mentally ill people that the DNC pays to do sh_t? How do you feel about that video where Hillary black ops are at work, undermining Democracy by inciting violence at a Trump rally… You are a POS waterhead so it probably doesn’t register on your dumbaZZ.
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