AuH20
03-23-2010, 01:29 PM
Imagine if the GOP was actually "conservative" and directed by principle instead of power? Yes, the diary is abit old but all the more relevant than ever.
http://paleoconservative.blogtownhall.com/2009/11/03/why_conservatives_are_losing_america.thtml
The Prussian strategist Carl Von Clausewitz said war is politics by other means. It’s also been said politics is war without bloodshed. American conservatives are fighting a political war for America, one which we are losing badly. Like Vietnam, the rules have changed, and most conservatives don’t even know. Even when conservatives win elections, they are losing the overall political war with progressives for the following reasons:
Conservative Weakness #1: Conservatives don’t know who they are. In a 2009 Gallup poll, over 40% of America’s identify themselves as “conservative,” making them the single largest ideological group in America. Yet, in an unscientific internet poll, 40% of Americans believe no more than 10% their fellow citizens have even read the Constitution, the cornerstone of the conservative movement. So what is a conservative? A conservative might be defined as someone who believes in smaller government and more personal liberty.
However, this flies in the face of a recent poll finding 90% of Americans strongly support social security, with over 60% of them supporting expansion of the social security. Almost 80% of Americans support expansion of Medicare eligibility to some degree. By default, the majority of those who call themselves conservative accept the premise of larger government, wealth redistribution and socialism.
The Medicare and social security programs, both hurdling to bankruptcy, are the cornerstones of progressive power in America. Conservative electorate buy-in, and subsequent dependence, on these two programs dooms the conservative movement to failure from the gate.
This is the number one reason the Republican Party is ebbing as a conservative power center.
Conservative Weakness #2: The Republican Party is compromised. After the Reagan Revolution, 12 Years of Bush rule, and forgotten Contract with America, the Republican party is less conservative and progressive power has grown to capture all branches of the federal government.
This happened partly because the Republicans found the conservative electorate didn’t truly want to shrink the federal government, having grown dependent on Social Security and Medicare. It’s also due to good old fashion corruption, with the Republicans becoming intoxicated by the big government power, thereby betraying their own values and party. Finally, Republicans (from Reagan to now), once in power, realized the progressives held all the cards.
Conservative Weakness #3: Conservatives hold very few of the key social institutions, and those left are isolated and under assault. Since the 1960’s the progressive movement infiltrated and seized so many of our institutions they have surrounded and isolated conservatives from each other. They wholly own the courts, education, private and public sector unions, vast stretches of local, state, and federal bureaucracies, and the news media. They’ve made significant inroads into the Republican Party. Under Obama, they now have new beachheads in finance, industry, and healthcare.
Conservatives hold small enclaves in the shrinking Christian community, the military, law enforcement, and talk radio. We are surrounded. Progressive brilliantly conquered our institutions by patiently converting power to money, and money to power, in a bottom-up approach. Starting with our children in the 1960s, they now hold the heights of economic and political power. They have outflanked conservative at every turn, even when conservatives thought they were winning. This is why the few remaining conservative enclaves are doomed.
Progressives started with one institution first: entertainment.
Conservative Weakness #4: Conservatives lost popular culture. We lost it for good in the 1960s, but progressives were at work in Hollywood years earlier. Regardless, it’s gone. There is NO significant conservative foothold anywhere in entertainment. Conservatives only exist in force in the niche talk radio field and on the internet. More importantly, conservatives have no mass media access or pipeline to the youth. Conservatives are cut off from the future.
Conservative Weakness #5: There are no Conservatives beyond American shores. Progressivism is European socialism repackaged with a heavy dash of Marxism and a splash of Fascism. It’s the staple political diet for the rest of the world. Conservatism, based on natural rights and personal liberty, has no formal movement beyond the US. Progressives routinely draw upon resources and support from kindred Social Democrat movements in Europe and elsewhere. American conservatives are alone.
Conservative Weakness #6: Progressives never yield, while Conservative often compromise – Conservatives are always on defense. From appointing judges, to federal spending, to social issues; Progressives set the agenda and never give an inch. Ever hear a conservative politician say “...that’s a non-starter” or “I even reject the premise...” No, from animal rights to global warming, progressives set the debate. Then, since they control so many institutions and the popular culture, they isolate and hammer conservative opponents into submission.
Can Conservatives fight back? Yes, but they are way behind the power curve.
First, Conservatives need a long-term, multi-generational battle strategy with real, definable goals other than just winning elections.
Stage 1: Know who you are as a Conservative. Government dependence and conservatism are mutually exclusive.
Stage 2: Solidify the remaining Conservative institutions and learn fight. Use them as a base to attack progressives across the board. Go on the offensive. Never leave an issue as “settled,” learn so say “No,” and yield nothing.
Stage 3: Economic Empowerment. Get conservative Americans to live and prosper by living by Conservative economic ideals. This includes financial self-sufficiency and getting out of debt. This should be a grass-roots effort though the churches, private schools, private charities, private industry, and television. There are two critical elements of this plan, one Conservatives MUST address for success:
a. Private retirement plans as an alternative to social security.
b. Private medical plans as an alternative to Medicare.
Stage 4: Get conservative Americans to reject participation in federal wealth distribution. This is where Americans forsake participation in Social Security and Medicare. I like to call it the “I Don’t Want It, I Don’t Need It” campaign. Economically Empowered Conservatives send in their Social Security checks and forsake Medicare, freeing them from the big government paradigm. This alone will strip the progressive of vast power.
When Americans are being taxed without any benefit, then they will become truly motivated for change.
Stage 5: Infiltrate progressive institutions, starting with education. There should be a push for Conservative professors, staff and teachers on campuses all over American and in primary education. In a generation this will strengthen conservative ideal in education, journalism, government, law, and the social sciences.
In a generation, America will have enough of an educated and truly independent electorate. They will not be held hostage by government dependency and can begin the long process to purge of the congress, the courts, and our institutions of the progressive rot destroying our liberty and our future.
http://paleoconservative.blogtownhall.com/2009/11/03/why_conservatives_are_losing_america.thtml
The Prussian strategist Carl Von Clausewitz said war is politics by other means. It’s also been said politics is war without bloodshed. American conservatives are fighting a political war for America, one which we are losing badly. Like Vietnam, the rules have changed, and most conservatives don’t even know. Even when conservatives win elections, they are losing the overall political war with progressives for the following reasons:
Conservative Weakness #1: Conservatives don’t know who they are. In a 2009 Gallup poll, over 40% of America’s identify themselves as “conservative,” making them the single largest ideological group in America. Yet, in an unscientific internet poll, 40% of Americans believe no more than 10% their fellow citizens have even read the Constitution, the cornerstone of the conservative movement. So what is a conservative? A conservative might be defined as someone who believes in smaller government and more personal liberty.
However, this flies in the face of a recent poll finding 90% of Americans strongly support social security, with over 60% of them supporting expansion of the social security. Almost 80% of Americans support expansion of Medicare eligibility to some degree. By default, the majority of those who call themselves conservative accept the premise of larger government, wealth redistribution and socialism.
The Medicare and social security programs, both hurdling to bankruptcy, are the cornerstones of progressive power in America. Conservative electorate buy-in, and subsequent dependence, on these two programs dooms the conservative movement to failure from the gate.
This is the number one reason the Republican Party is ebbing as a conservative power center.
Conservative Weakness #2: The Republican Party is compromised. After the Reagan Revolution, 12 Years of Bush rule, and forgotten Contract with America, the Republican party is less conservative and progressive power has grown to capture all branches of the federal government.
This happened partly because the Republicans found the conservative electorate didn’t truly want to shrink the federal government, having grown dependent on Social Security and Medicare. It’s also due to good old fashion corruption, with the Republicans becoming intoxicated by the big government power, thereby betraying their own values and party. Finally, Republicans (from Reagan to now), once in power, realized the progressives held all the cards.
Conservative Weakness #3: Conservatives hold very few of the key social institutions, and those left are isolated and under assault. Since the 1960’s the progressive movement infiltrated and seized so many of our institutions they have surrounded and isolated conservatives from each other. They wholly own the courts, education, private and public sector unions, vast stretches of local, state, and federal bureaucracies, and the news media. They’ve made significant inroads into the Republican Party. Under Obama, they now have new beachheads in finance, industry, and healthcare.
Conservatives hold small enclaves in the shrinking Christian community, the military, law enforcement, and talk radio. We are surrounded. Progressive brilliantly conquered our institutions by patiently converting power to money, and money to power, in a bottom-up approach. Starting with our children in the 1960s, they now hold the heights of economic and political power. They have outflanked conservative at every turn, even when conservatives thought they were winning. This is why the few remaining conservative enclaves are doomed.
Progressives started with one institution first: entertainment.
Conservative Weakness #4: Conservatives lost popular culture. We lost it for good in the 1960s, but progressives were at work in Hollywood years earlier. Regardless, it’s gone. There is NO significant conservative foothold anywhere in entertainment. Conservatives only exist in force in the niche talk radio field and on the internet. More importantly, conservatives have no mass media access or pipeline to the youth. Conservatives are cut off from the future.
Conservative Weakness #5: There are no Conservatives beyond American shores. Progressivism is European socialism repackaged with a heavy dash of Marxism and a splash of Fascism. It’s the staple political diet for the rest of the world. Conservatism, based on natural rights and personal liberty, has no formal movement beyond the US. Progressives routinely draw upon resources and support from kindred Social Democrat movements in Europe and elsewhere. American conservatives are alone.
Conservative Weakness #6: Progressives never yield, while Conservative often compromise – Conservatives are always on defense. From appointing judges, to federal spending, to social issues; Progressives set the agenda and never give an inch. Ever hear a conservative politician say “...that’s a non-starter” or “I even reject the premise...” No, from animal rights to global warming, progressives set the debate. Then, since they control so many institutions and the popular culture, they isolate and hammer conservative opponents into submission.
Can Conservatives fight back? Yes, but they are way behind the power curve.
First, Conservatives need a long-term, multi-generational battle strategy with real, definable goals other than just winning elections.
Stage 1: Know who you are as a Conservative. Government dependence and conservatism are mutually exclusive.
Stage 2: Solidify the remaining Conservative institutions and learn fight. Use them as a base to attack progressives across the board. Go on the offensive. Never leave an issue as “settled,” learn so say “No,” and yield nothing.
Stage 3: Economic Empowerment. Get conservative Americans to live and prosper by living by Conservative economic ideals. This includes financial self-sufficiency and getting out of debt. This should be a grass-roots effort though the churches, private schools, private charities, private industry, and television. There are two critical elements of this plan, one Conservatives MUST address for success:
a. Private retirement plans as an alternative to social security.
b. Private medical plans as an alternative to Medicare.
Stage 4: Get conservative Americans to reject participation in federal wealth distribution. This is where Americans forsake participation in Social Security and Medicare. I like to call it the “I Don’t Want It, I Don’t Need It” campaign. Economically Empowered Conservatives send in their Social Security checks and forsake Medicare, freeing them from the big government paradigm. This alone will strip the progressive of vast power.
When Americans are being taxed without any benefit, then they will become truly motivated for change.
Stage 5: Infiltrate progressive institutions, starting with education. There should be a push for Conservative professors, staff and teachers on campuses all over American and in primary education. In a generation this will strengthen conservative ideal in education, journalism, government, law, and the social sciences.
In a generation, America will have enough of an educated and truly independent electorate. They will not be held hostage by government dependency and can begin the long process to purge of the congress, the courts, and our institutions of the progressive rot destroying our liberty and our future.