Hi HITH,
I *agree* we need to do better. But I’ll go on and make a second point - I think this is a key point - sometimes I’ve thought about making it a vanity post all it’s own.
We as conservatives have *always* competed in the arena of ideas. Freedom, liberty, proper functioning of markets, strong national defense as a deterrent against aggressors. You name it. We tend to articulate our position based on history, logic, the facts, knowledge of human nature. All eminently sensible and logical except for the fact that it mostly falls on deaf ears.
The left has been very successful at spreading their (evil) message in the arena of feelings to be sure but more in the arena of groupthink, viral communications etc. etc. Essentially selling leftist ideas like Che-emblazoned T-shirts, or 0bama bumper stickers. These days you’re not a RAT because you’ve sat down and carefully thought out the issues and know that their proposed solutions can and will work (because of course they can’t).
No, you side with the RATS because it’s cool to do so, all your friends do, and who wants to be painted as a (gasp) REPUBLICAN. That’s no more done, then wearing white pants after September.
I think a way has to be found to sell conservatism, mostly to young people, but ultimately to all, like we sell blue jeans, ipods, mojitos and the like. This may seem antithetical to the conservative credo, but I don’t think that it is, and furthermore I think this was done in the Reagan era.
I have no problem with that approach. I would guess a careful study of our nations founding, would have showed that support for the Revolution was gathered in many ways.