Irrational Exuberance - Again!

Let me throw a word of caution to my friends on the right. It is the final score at the end of the game that matters. There is much enthusiams about the republican onslaught coming in November. The Tea Party is claiming victory for a few "less than conservative" scalps and banging the drums for more. The idea of more "smaller government" people heading to Washington gets me just as excited as the next person. But these primary victories are "points on the board". In fact they count for nothing at all other than to add excitement to an already pretty intense party. What we hope to accomplish for our country happens in Washington and not in primary. November is a long way off and those places where we need to win this November don't have 50% of their populations drinking Earl Grey and likely enjoy some regular coffee every now and then. With that said, we need to focus on tailoring our message to every citizen which our philosophy is designed to do. Conservatism at its core is the natural governing extension of our we all live our daily lives.

US of Greece

The winning message for the 2010 elections is spelled GREECE. The Republican party need to hammer home that the current path the US is on will lead to our future looking like that of Greece. In addition to the financial ruin, the impact on our citizens that a state dominated society has is tough to recover from. People attitudes become one of entitlement and selfishness rather than on of service. People in the public sector make payroll from funds generated in the private sector. To get a pay raise in the public arena you ask the politicians for more money. Very different approach than in the private sector where you actually have to sell more or produce work that is of more value. These two points should help the Republican party in November if they can find their voice and deliver it.

Coming Togethe As One

The 2010 election is 6 months away and the conservatives have every reason to be optimistic. The anti-incumbant and primarily, anti-democrat fervor is palpable. But environment change quickly and unless you a party is guided by a clear vision and message it will only be as effective as the prevailing sentiments on the day of elections allow. The Republican Party needs to capitalize on the natural momentum and advantage this political climate has provided them. Tea party candidates and republican candidates can very much afford a heated primary but what we can't afford is to take 2 candidates to the November ballots while the Democratic Party falls in line behind a single candidate. Most voters are strategic and recognize that the progress they want only comes when we win majorities. It will never be perfect; it will never be 100% in line with any one person's perspective. So we need to ask a better question. Are we moving forward in the direction of our ideal? If we choose to make a political message by voting in large numbers for 3rd party candidates but lose the election, we in the will have moved further way from our over arching goal. And the country we love will more and more resemble something we do not.

Cotton Candy

Conservatives need to quickly develop a more effective sales strategy if they hope to compete with liberals in minority communities and poor communities. Liberalism is a philosophy that requires two things: poverty and dependency. With that as its goal, selling Liberalism is as easy as giving away candy to a child. For conservatives however, the "sale" if you will, is far more challenging. The only thing we hand out to all is more choices which at its core translate into more freedom. We offer you the chance to succeed on your own terms, define your success, and contribute to your communities as you see fit. Unless we can demonstrate the lasting joy and happiness that comes from living a life of your choosing, conservatives will continue to lose out the candy man.

Making Conservatism Harder To Sell

Republicans know that they will not win federal elections in the future if they do not start winning a higher percentage of the Latino, African American and Asian vote. With the passing of the law in Arizona on illegal immigration, the Republican's job just got harder. Yes, the people of Arizona have every right to be angry at the federal government for not protecting the borders from people breaking our laws and entering our country illegally. Citizens have been killed, property has been trampled and destroyed and communities have been run down. This law however, is almost impossible to enforce and only adds fuel to the liberal accusation that conservatives do not care about people of color. Reform is needed, and some tough decisions will need to be made at the federal level regarding people that are in this country illegally. If we are to be a nation of laws, then all laws need to be observed by all people. When the government begins favoring those that break the law over those that obey the law, tensions mount quickly and anger foments among citizens. Government must be on the side of law abiding citizens. For the people of Arizona and the rest of this nation, our government owes it to us to secure our borders. This is the necessary first that will calm the waters for all and provide room for a comprehensive solution to be developed.

Profile In Cowardice

And so the democratic cavalry steals themselves for the final charge in the the health care abyss. History they feel is on their side but it is not clear which history that is. Tennyson's The Charge of the Light Brigade is causing the nervous troops of the democratic middle to quake in their shoes and as they realize they won't return from their own valley of death. To charge or not to charge that is the questions? Is their courage in their hearts to stand with their leadership? The leadership sees in the eyes of the troops that there is not courage for the fight, no strength of character to stand and vote.
The leadership has acknowledged they do not yet have the votes and that their is no willingness to vote on the senate bill. So, what do the brave generals decide as their next course of action? Change the rules. The largest, most significant piece of legislation in 4 decades, undeniably hated by the public, will try to be passed by "deeming" it so. Change the rules, throw some dust in the air, tell the audience it is just a technicality. No vote, no courage, just a collection of soldiers afraid to face the public and so they hide, in shame. Is this not what you believe in as liberals? Is this not the bridge to the promise land you seek to impose on the American people? If it is, then say so and vote in public for all to see. If you can't, this will forever be the profile in cowardice we teach our children.

The Panic of 2010

The ultimate fate of Obama's health care bill lies in the hands of democrats in the house. In the years to come, this time for the democrats may be described as The Great Panic of 2010. While seemingly invincible in 2009, Democrats today are yelling "every man for himself" as their party tries to repair the damage caused by the political iceberg called health care. Nancy Pelosi is struggling to hold her caucus together while the democratic party leaders are calling for a retreat from the March 18th deadline requested by the president. Democrats are feeling the heat from the constant shelling by public opinion polls, the daily barrage of new ethics probes, explosive resignations accompanied with colorful shower exchanges, the "rahming" of the bill through reconciliation, the loud denunciation of the outright purchase of votes and the occasional appointment of judge to help sway congressional opinion, and the angry protests by ordinary people against the massive expansion of government and its ubiquitous waste and fraud being hoisted on the best health care system in the world. At no time in history has a significant piece of legislation passed without the support of the American public. That alone should give democrats pause but it likely will won't. What will make them think twice may be the likely end to their political careers if they continue forward with this horrible piece of legislation.