A New DirectionThe dire predicament in which we find ourselves demands a drastic change in strategy by cultural conservatives. It is becoming increasingly clear that we must heed Paul Weyrich's call for a tactical retreat from the fields of political battle--not totally or permanently, but until such time as we can confidently proclaim that traditionalists are a force to be reckoned with in the wider society. Without this, any offensives using political means are doomed to failure. They are therefore a waste of our people's time, money, and energy, and for that reason should not even be attempted. We will never succeed in taking over political structures until we can convince the American people that we can be trusted to take them over, and to do that we must win the people over culturally--by defining how man ought to act, how he ought to perceive the world around him, and what it means to live the good life. Political arrangements can only be formed after these fundamental questions have been answered.
Once this basic belief is accepted, our next task is to develop the means by which it can be put into practice. We must, as Mr. Weyrich has suggested, develop a network of parallel cultural institutions existing side-by-side with the dominant leftist cultural institutions. The building and promotion of these institutions will require the development of a movement that will not merely reform the existing post-war conservative movement, but will in fact be forced to supersede it--if it is to succeed at all--because it will pursue a very different strategy and be premised on a very different view of its role in society.
Our movement--which we will call the New Traditionalist movement--will not seek to immediately replace the dominant culture. A retreat will allow us to regroup and find our bearings. The overemphasis on effecting change through political activism has left us disoriented, distracted, and overly prone to accept the cultural assumptions of the Left. But this tactical retreat will ultimately lead to strategic victory.
A central mission of this movement is to advance a true traditionalist counter-culture based on virtue, excellence, and self-discipline. The New Traditionalists will not be exclusively Christians, but many of them inevitably will be. What binds the New Traditionalists is a belief that each individual has a duty to obey a higher law than his own will and appetite. New Traditionalists reject the materialism, hedonism, consumerism, egoism, and the cult of self-actualization which permeate modern life. We share a willingness to face reality and repudiate ideology--i.e., a set of beliefs that bear no relation to how people really think and how people really live.
There will be three main stages in the unfolding of this movement. The first stage will be devoted to the development of a highly motivated elite able to coordinate future activities. The second stage will be devoted to the development of institutions designed to make an impact on the wider elite and a relatively small minority of the masses. The third stage will involve changing the overall character of American popular culture
The Integration of Theory and Practice: A Program for the New Traditionalist Movement
I very much recommend reading the entire essay; the above is just a small excerpt.
But one thing someone said to me last night in a political discussion hit a nerve & I've been thinking about it all day.
He said that while the ideals of Conservativism were good & essential in preserving what we need to live as a free people, yet the way that the Conservative movement frames itself and its arguments are actually what makes its so vulnerable. Because Conservativism by its description is static and doesn't look forward, only backward. It seldom acts, but rather simply reacts. Virtually all arguments of Conservatives today are about what date we want to turn the clock back to, as though the best of lives were already behind us. And this is exactly what makes us sitting ducks, and easy to pick off by the socialist movement who are continually moving forward.
He went onto say that if we really do want to preserve those ideals necessary to survive as a free people, we have to start expending some energy and developing some dynamism as Conservatives. We need to agree what to take on our trip, what to leave behind and start moving forward. We need to start acting instead of just reacting to a present and future that we don't like. Socialists (Libs like Obama) have presented to voters a vision of the future and ticket for the trip and that gives people "hope" (however false), while all Conservatives are doing is offering is a trip back in time through some old photos & stories to a time that if it were really as "perfect" as we remember, it would not have changed in the first place.
Even our own Republican Party ignored Conservatives when they picked McCain, and they are sure that we will vote for him anyway because we are afraid of worse (Obama). McCain is also more like the Libs so there is the potential for crossover votes, but McCain was forced to move Left while Obama didn't need to move Right to get votes.
I don't think that this guy was wrong. There must be a better way to frame the message and generate some energy. While Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater WERE incredibly inspiring, they are dead now. And so is Buckley. That unfortunately is the reality. We needs some new living, breathing, dynamic Conservative spokesperson for a new generation -- whose representation isn't just one of a bunch of scared, constipated old men. Otherwise Conservatism has hit a dead end, and outr numbers will dwindle based on attrition (death) until we are over & out.