Posted by caleb on Jan 10, 2009 in
Restoring the Conservative Movement The media and liberal (er, progressive) interest groups are always looking for ways to break apart and shut down the conservative movement, from flat-out lies to “misstatements” and bending the truth. Those of us who proudly wear the title “Conservative” are accustomed to their trickery, but the general population is not. If we expect to win elections, we must be able to answer every question.
Last semester, in one of our final College Republicans meetings of the semester, we invited a very liberal politics professor to speak to us, him being the very definition of a “liberal special interest”. We knew we wouldn’t agree on anything, and he knew he wasn’t going to convince us of anything, so while there were some heated moments, it was fairly congenial. However, he did raise one point that really caused me to think, not to subscribe to the liberal condition, but to re-examine how we as Conservatives and Republicans, operate.
In the midst of his skulduggery, and as part of his no-questions-welcome monologue, he used the old leftist argument (I’m paraphrasing), “Well, how can Republicans claim to be limited government folks when they support big government ideas? You can’t be limited government if you’re for government intervention into people’s private lives, such as with gay marriage and abortion!”
How do we, as conservative Republicans, address this argument? As an “all of the above” conservative (fiscal, social, and national security), I feel a bit torn when I hear this brought up. I’m all for allowing people to run their own lives, in fact, I believe it’s their responsibility, and I believe in limited government, so how do I respond?
First of all, I believe it’s important to point out to voters (not liberal “skulduggers”, they won’t listen anyway) that Conservatives and thereby, Republicans, are not the anti-government party. We believe in limits and in rules, but only as many as are necessary. We trust people are mature enough to do the right thing. That’s one reason I believe a proper democratic system of government can only survive in a nation of Christians.
I believe the perfect way to sum up the conservative movement to prospective voters is the old “My freedom stops where my fist punches your nose” adage, or the idea that a citizen is free to do as he or she wishes until they infringe on someone else’s freedom. No one individual is worth more than any other. The flip side of that is that rules exist, and even though you’re no less of a person, if you break the law, you must face the consequences, no matter who you are.
As limited government conservatives, we believe in having a government as small as possible and one whose power is limited by the people it governs. According to the US Constitution, government exists to “insure domestic tranquility” among other things. In other words, government’s place is to guarantee the rule of law is upheld and that wrongdoers are properly and justly punished.
That being said, this is where morality comes into play in government. As a Christian nation, God and His Word, the Bible, provided our moral compass, our ideas for what was right and wrong, legal and illegal. Now, however, with the onslaught of moral relativism, we have no compass. Liberal judges are happy to legislate their own flavor of morality, and their tastes change with the days of the week. We need a standard to back up our laws.
It’s important to point out that so-called “big government” social conservatives are not pushing to increase government; they’re working to undo the harm done to our society by these moral relativists. This is why social conservatism ≠ Big Government. Social Conservatives are fighting for the ever-elusive “traditional values” (Biblical truths) and are working to restore government to its size of old. It’s social liberals who are trying and succeeding in growing the federal government to allow and protect such things as gay marriage and abortion.
This is why our coalition must reconvene and be strengthened. Liberals haven’t changed their tricks or tactics, we’ve just stopped fighting their advances. They accuse us of being the party of anarchy, but they legislate it, providing protection and non-discrimination clauses to benefit those who have broken laws or assist those with ethical faults.
Folks, it’s okay to say something is wrong. There’s truth in that statement, but until we grow up and get past our fear of having our feelings hurt, none of this matters; we’ll always be the minority party, if we survive at all. But before you give up, remember this, if we don’t defend what is true and right in our nation, who will?
The answer to that professor’s question is this: “You, sir, are the one who has grown government, and we will always fight to stop you.”
Social conservatism is a limited government principle, but unless we take ownership of our own ideals, liberals will always redefine them to suit themselves.
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As always, I’m eagerly await your comments. Have something more to add to the discussion? Am I way out of line somewhere? Or do you completely agree? Let me know! Leave a comment in the section below.
Tags: Christianity, College Republicans, Conservatism, fiscal conservatism, GOP, liberalism, national security, Republican, Republicans, Restoring the Conservative Movement, social, social conservatism
Posted by caleb on Dec 30, 2008 in
Restoring the Conservative Movement It’s no surprise that Obama won the youth vote. In fact, according to FoxNews.com, Obama had a whopping 34% margin. Now, why am I bringing this up now? It’s old news that Obama won the election, and that he’ll be inaugurated in twenty-one days, so why bother discussing it again?
Because Obama won the youth vote, and there’s good reason for it.
Obama listened to young voters, or at least pretended to, and gave them hope for the future. Folks, as a young conservative Republican, there’s no reason why it should have ended up this way, and I blame the GOP itself. You can cry all you want about the MSM slanting the news towards Democrats, but that’s never stopped us before. In order to ever win an election again, we must rise above any and all obstacles, and that path starts with the act of listening.
You see, for years the GOP has pretended to listen to the youth vote. Maybe they’ve made a good faith effort, but I’ve never seen it. What I’ve seen is flashy Demo websites, professional TV advertisements, rock concerts for Demo candidates, and an embracement of new technology. From the GOP? A mismanaged message and a half-hearted attempt at everything.
The RNC started text messaging its supporters a few years ago. Well, that’s a start, except I’ve only ever received four texts from them. Obama announced his VP choice by text message! See the difference? Obama’s website screamed community, while McCain’s struggled to keep its supporters logged in. Obama went after college students and young people by showing them how his policies would affect and better their daily lives. McCain, well, didn’t.
Time and time again, we as “the youth vote” have offered our suggestions, and, yet, the RNC hasn’t listened, at least in a measurable way. We had Meghan McCain as a clandestine, “unofficial” blogger, and a “McCain blog” with no personality. Twitter? Oh, “@JohnMcCain” was there, with more links. “@BarackObama” is still the most popular user on Twitter. Why? His tweets were personal. Voters believed Barack Obama himself was really talking to them. RNC, where is the drive? Where’s the passion? Do you even care that we lose the youth vote time and time again?
If we’re to reboot the conservative movement, it must be as conservatives, and if I’m not mistaken, bottom-up leadership is what conservatism is all about. Remember States’ Rights? Freedom from big government? The youth vote is not just going to go away. We’re just going to get older and have children and raise families, and the majority of us will be liberal Democrats, willing to hold out our hands and wait for the government give us everything.
We, as young Republicans, believe in conservatism. Why, RNC, don’t you? Pay attention to us. Your future depends upon it.
For some great examples of how young conservative Republicans are leading the way to GOP victories in 2010 and 2012, check out these great sites:
RebuildtheParty.com is dedicated to restoring the GOP to its conservative roots. Its plan has received endorsement from almost all of the current candidates for RNC Chair.
TheNewRepublicans.net is a college-focused news site, bringing in writers from universities across the nation to offer opinions and articles covering the most-pressing political issues of today.
Tags: Democrats, Election 2010, Election 2012, mccain, Meghan McCain, obama, RebuildtheParty.com, Republicans, RNC, TheNewRepublicans.net, twitter, youth vote
Posted by caleb on Nov 14, 2008 in
Election 2008 As you may have heard on the news, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) is in danger of losing his Senate seat. While Saxby won the General Election on Nov. 4th, Georgia law dictates that candidates must win over 50% of the vote, which Saxby did not due to an unusually strong showing by an independent candidate. The Democrats are quickly approaching the magic filibuster-proof number of Senate seats. As it stands right now, the Dems have 57 to our 43; those odds aren’t so great, and that’s why we must retain every seat still in contention, and Saxby’s run-off campaign is where I believe we can make the most difference.
The run-off election will be held December 2; please donate today to keep our minority filibuster and prevent the Obama-Pelosi-Reid team from socializing our nation. We must keep a voice in Washington!
Tags: Democrats, Election 2008, obama, Pelosi, Reid, Republicans, Saxby Chambliss
Last Tuesday didn’t go as we’d hoped. We all know that, and if you’re like me, you’re sick of hearing about it. In fact, you were probably sick all day Wednesday and half of Thursday. I know I was.
But, the fact is, we were right in the beginning. Those of us that supported Huckabee, Romney, or Thompson knew that McCain wasn’t the best choice, but we soon realized that he was the only one with any chance of fighting the Obama machine. He was the only candidate with the whole package of electable qualities. He had the connections, the reputation, and the experience. He also had (at first) the media’s support, but John McCain was not the perfect candidate: John McCain was our best hope.
Now, before I get blasted for seemingly contradicting myself, let me state the obvious. I was wrong. However, I hope you understand the underlying reasons for my push for John McCain. While in the end I did support him and many (not all) of his proposed policies, it was Sarah Palin whom I really wanted elected. McCain was simply the vehicle to get a true conservative into the White House once again, and therein lies the reason why McCain did not succeed. As others have said, Barack Obama wanted to become President, while John McCain wanted to be nice, congenial, and unassuming. Folks, that’s not the way you win the Presidency. Now, I’m not abandoning John McCain, for I still believe he would have been a better President than Barack Obama could ever dream of becoming, but we must move on.
I believe this (somewhat-resounding) defeat is actually a blessing in disguise. What the Obama victory has given us is something we haven’t had for the past political generation and never though we’d welcome: relative obscurity. The Democrats lived in it throughout the early Bush years, and they used it to their advantage, building their grassroots organizations and spreading the seeds for broad societal change. If you don’t agree that obscurity can be a blessing, look where they are now.
It seems to me we’ve got two choices. We can either stick our tails between our legs and limp away to lick our wounds, or we can fight for what’s right for America, but that process must begin today. If we want to reclaim our nation, we have no other choice. Let us begin grooming tomorrow’s Republican Congressional Candidates immediately. When we finally woke up to the dangers that Obama was proclaiming, we were effective! Just take a look at the National Republican Trust‘s whirlwind fundraising record set in the last two weeks of the campaign. We must continue to fully fund effective PACs, like HuckPAC and National Republican Trust. In order to stop the socialist onslaught, we must regain seats in both the Senate and the House of Representatives in 2010. Let us begin the next Republican Revolution, today!
The Liberals have MoveOn.org to spread their hate and deceit; why aren’t we as effective with using the Internet to spread our message of prosperity, individual liberties, and limited government? This must change. Support conservative bloggers you enjoy reading, like Michelle Malkin or this site. The Left has control of the main stream media, so it’s time for us to take control of the New Media. Instead of heading over to CNN.com for your news, pick it up at FoxNews.com or Pajamas Media. Don’t just keep it to yourself, either: tell your friends about these sites, and talk them up at work. Word of mouth is our best advertising tool.
Another grassroots organizing site to consider was just put up by the RNC, RepublicanforaReason.com. It includes direct links to the GOP platform and an encouraging video about past Republican Presidents.
Also, I do want to point out that although Barack Obama’s win is historic, this election was never about race. You are not a racist for disagreeing with Obama’s policies; it used to be called Free Speech. I encourage you to use that right, respectfully.
I know 2012 seems a ways off, and I also know that many of you don’t even want to think about another Presidential election yet, but folks, the campaigns have already begun. Palin has been dropping hints about a 2012 or 2016 run, and Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) has already started visiting Iowa. Something like 64% of Republicans want Palin in 2012. Gov. Mike Huckabee pulls 12%, and Gov. Mitt Romney, 11%. Me? I’m pulling for a Palin-Jindal ticket. I think Palin has shown that she is the one who can truly bring true reform to Washington, and I’m excited to watch how things play out for her, especially since she’s finally outside of the auspices of John McCain. Jindal is a man to watch in his own right, having brought Louisiana through two major disasters this year, supporting Life, and backing fiscal conservatism (even if he needs some schooling in the use of earmarks).
We can and will prevail, but only our unwavering diligence will bring conservatism back to Washington. You say, “We’ll get ‘em next time?” Show me. Start work today and never give up. Don’t talk of moving to a foreign nation; this is our country, too, and I intend to help put it back on the correct path. Are you with me?
I’ll leave you with this admonition from the great British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill:
“We shall go on to the end, …we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength… whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, … we shall never surrender!“
Tags: Conservatism, Conservatives, election, Fox News, GOP, Huckabee, Jindal, mccain, Michelle Malkin, MoveOn.org, obama, Pajamas Media, Palin, presidential election, Presidential Election 2008, Republicans, Romney, Winston Churchill
