Posted on 08/17/2014 5:26:39 AM PDT by Kaslin
On Thursday, I started a column about the problems of the political right, but there are too many to cover in one column, so here we are again.
Again, this qualifier:
I recognize there are major differences between the various factions of the political right – social conservatives, fiscal conservatives, national security conservatives, Tea Partiers, etc. – and all bleed into each other to varying degrees. Each has its problems and strengths. But for purposes of brevity I will just refer to them all nebulously as “Republicans.” It may irritate some, but tough. This is about politics, not pandering.
Now that that’s out of the way…
Aside from simply being awful at conveying ideals and principles most Americans share in a way those Americans can understand, Republicans tend to get knotted up in irrelevancies when it comes to electoral politics.
If you weren’t already angry with me, just hold on.
Republicans spend an awful lot of time talking about issues most Americans don’t care about – especially in a horrible economy – or government isn’t going to do anything about.
Take gay marriage. Most Republicans oppose it, but they could not pass an amendment when they had Congress and public opinion on their side. Now, they have neither, and progressives have outmaneuvered them and, yet again, obtained their objectives through the courts.
Without that amendment, the gay marriage debate is over. You don’t have to accept it or endorse it or be the least bit happy about it. But talking about it in the political arena serves no purpose other than to turn off voters who could make the difference in the next election. We need to move on.
It’s a similar situation with abortion. A solid 20 percent of people say they determine their votes based on this issue. And polls show most people are open to limits or bans on abortion or restrictions that make them harder to obtain.
On Thursday, I asked when was the last time a Republican candidate made you laugh with them rather than at them? Today, I ask: When is the last time you heard of people changing their position on abortion because of something a candidate or commenter on an Internet post said?
So, take your state-level victories where you can find them. But keep in mind you’re spending a lot of time and energy talking about an issue that won’t change one mind, and you’re opening yourself up to a media minefield of questions about exemptions, rape and all the other irrelevant things used to distract voters from the issues they really do base their votes on.
You’re a Republican, so it’s a pretty good assumption you’re pro-life. We get it. But what are you going to do about? George W. Bush, arguably the most pro-life president since Roe v. Wade, spent eight years in the White House and changed almost nothing about abortion. You, Mr. or Ms. Candidate or Activist, won’t either.
Yes, this is a deeply held belief. It springs from the bottom of your religious, cultural and moral soul. But so are other things you believe in and want to fight for. Fight for them. Don’t get distracted. Don’t empower your opponents in the media and on the ballot to choose the field of battle.
When you’re asked the inevitable questions on this, simply say “Everyone knows where I stand on this, it’s not a mystery. But I’m focused on creating jobs. And here’s what I will do to create jobs…” When they circle back, because they always do, you say, “Again, I know you want to talk about other issues because you don’t want to talk about the economy and jobs, but I’m running because we need to revitalize our economy and get Americans working again.”
The other side will beat you over the head with it, but don’t take the bait. Simply ignore the question and talk to the people about their top priorities. Remember: You can’t do anything to help the pro-life cause, or the economy, or our foreign policy, or eliminating Obamacare until you get elected.
This is not a plea to lie or change what you believe. It is advice on how to win an election. Barack Obama and a great many Democrats win elections because they do lie; they sound conservative when they’re campaigning, then govern like the fascistic progressives they are.
That’s because Republicans follow the media’s lead down an irrelevant path and lose voters. Unemployment is through the roof, millions of Americans have given up hope of finding work, and you’re talking about gay marriage? Or abortion? That’s not going to pay anyone’s mortgage or feed anyone’s family. The other guys are talking about jobs. They’re always either lying or wrong, but at least they’re talking about it.
How the media portrays you is unfair and it’s a fraud. But it’s also how a great many voters perceive you because they get their knowledge from the media. So you’re seen as someone who is obsessed with something that may make the top 10 list of concerns but does not influence their vote. And if you don’t get their vote, nothing else matters.
I may have been harsh, and you may be really ticked off at me right now, but I’m right. You can have the best ideas in the world, but if you keep them to yourself it doesn’t matter. If you do not win elections, nothing else matters. And the way to win elections is to think, act and speak strategically.
There are many more problems with the right – charlatans, self-enriching so-called “Tea Party” groups, the in-fighting for credit at the expense of victory – all play a role. But if you can’t convey a clear, easy-to-digest conservative message, and stick to the issues on the top of voters’ concerns, you will lose. We will lose. The country will lose. And, as we’ve seen in recent months, the whole world will lose.
Blah, blah, blah.................................
“Damn you far-right-wingers, you.................”
We wanna abortion! We wanit, we wanit, wee waaaanit!!!!
The common thread of all conservatives is that we want a return to the Constitution and the non selective enforcement of our laws.
We are more than tired of ‘rule’ according to the whim of King Obama on any given day, and his treason in relation to the Constitution.
Said Socrates, “I shall be judged like a doctor brought before a jury of children with a cook as prosecutor”.
The point. You’ve missed it.
Pretty common occurrence around here - folks have a preconceived notion of what ticks 'em off and they either read into the story that which is not there, or they stop short and miss the real gist. Like the Left, they will not facts/truth get in the way of the opinions and gripes that they feed off of.
A nation that accepts, condones and sanctions the slaughter of its innocent unborn will not survive, no matter what its "more important" jobs, tax and defense policies or which party authors and executes those policies. And a nation that mortgages its grandchildren's future condemns them to slavery. The Republican Party is focused solely on keeping the body looking young and beautiful and extending our massive debt, but has abandoned its soul. Disaster lies ahead.
Yet we are really are in the majority.
We lost the gay marriage argument because conservatives spent too much time talking in terms of SIN. Since when does the left care about sin?? The younger generation has been indoctrinated into the rainbow and victim cultures via communist public schools and leftist media. If you want change in social culture, you have to get control of those 2 things. No amount of tea party candidates are going to make a difference if the commies are convincing folks we’re wrong with Commie Core, sitcoms and CNN. Get folks elected on issues both sides care about - the economy is #1 in everyone’s book.
I agree with that message.
I also think that the concept of "Government is the biggest impediment to revitalizing our economy" needs to be mentioned.
Efforts to "help" don't.
Less is more -- freedom will grow the economy, so shrink the government and bring back jobs. The "free stuff" crowd won't agree, but most everyone else recognizes that government is out of control.
This is going to be an interesting thread. It is all about strategery. Some of the pundits who we once loved, but now revile are correct in their assessment that we need to own the three branches in order to effect social change.
Like the left, we are issues voters however we have the Constitution as our foundation. The left’s foundation is a hatred of white, god fearing, Constitution loving Americans.
I get the author’s frustration. And he is correct that we Conservatives need to understand that until we are in charge of the three branches, all the whining in the world about single issues won’t change anything. But the author also needs to understand that supporting a squish candidate who doesn’t have a prayer in the world of getting elected negates everything he says.
If the Coulter’s and Krauthammer’s want to have us fully engaged, a conservative candidate who will win once nominated is our only hope. A Christie, Romney, McLame are worthless and cannot get elected. Give me a Ted Cruz and Sarah Palin and get behind them and we will never lose another election.
Any society that accepts one has a legal right to Abort 55,000,000 (reported cases since Roe v. Wade) babies, then that is no longer a society, in fact it is not even a civilization!
Our real problem is that the left owns the means to repeat their memes constantly because of their control of mass media and public education. Hence, when conservatives get the minimal air time they are offered, one must prioritize what one says. In that respect, the author is correct. HOWEVER, the destruction of the American family is the prime force behind the decline in moral behavior in business and the increased demand for government law enforcement and the welfare state. To pretend that social issues don't matter is to concede that the leftist media will control the debate no matter what. There is no such thing as a "fiscal conservative" without recognizing that social issues drive government spending.
I forgot who it was who wrote the book, “If it isn’t close, they can’t cheat.”
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