Posted on September 23 2012 - 2:59 PM - Posted by: Steve Flesher | Follow Steve on Twitter!
Over at American Thinker, Mr. James V. Delong wrote a thoughtful response to a piece of mine published over there as well:
Anyone who has not seen Steve Flesher’s What Romney Must Do should read it immediately. His major point is that the Republicans make a huge mistake by insulting “the 47%.” Sure, there are welfare queens who barter food stamps for color TVs, serial collectors of unemployment, etc. etc. Similarly, there are incompetent teachers who rely on the union as a shield, and public employees who retire on the job.
But such parasites are uncommon. Most people who have become dependent on the government would rather not be. Because they have been reduced to a state of desperation, it is not surprising that they cling to the lifeline of government subsidies, and will vote against threats to the handout. Most dependents would rather regain control of their lives, and most public employees would like to be proud of their work. However, it is an axiom of history that those who are close to the edge of survival are always wary of any innovation that might go wrong.
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The real problem is that the Obamacrats, abetted by the Republican establishment, have done serious damage to the economy, and are preventing people from earning the dollars necessary to control their own lives. The establishment then buys their votes with pennies in relief payments.
This having happened, it is both foolish electoral strategy and inhumane to threaten to cut off the stream of pennies. As Flesher says, channeling Sarah Palin, the focus must be on economic revival that will end the need for the relief payments. All but a few want to avoid dependency, but they must have confidence that their leaders can chart a course to economic revival, and are not just a new group of looters.
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Finally, one should read Flesher for his link to Conservatives4Palin. I had not been aware of this group, but it is clear that if the Republican brand is so damaged that the party cannot even defeat Obama, perhaps the worst president in U.S. history, then new electoral arrangements will become necessary. Palin is emerging as the most honest and sensible of the political lot, and whether or not she ever runs again as a candidate, she will be a king or queenmaker.
You can read the entire thing here.
In response to my piece which he discusses, some called me a “RINO” and accused me of slamming Mitt Romney. Basically all comments boiled down to the assumption that I don’t want Romney to win. Nothing could be further from the truth. As such, I thank Mr. Delong for helping to set the record straight.
Along with Governor Palin, we believe that it’s best for America if Barack Obama is defeated. That is why you will find constructive criticism against the way Romney is conveying the message of conservatism – especially in these parts. In order for Obama to lose, Romney has to win.
My intention was to demonstrate how the 47% of Americans who don’t pay taxes was made up largely by individuals who do not wish to be controlled by or dependent on the government. Even Democrats know this which is why they work so hard to further burden them with more shared misery. As liberals recently reminded us, the 47% were helped by Reagan in the 1980’s through the principles of conservatism. Today, they are suffering under Obama.
And unlike *some* Romney supporters who didn’t seem to understand the big picture in 2008 of preventing Obama from getting elected in the first place, we do understand why he must not be re-elected in 2012. It’s why we follow Governor Palin’s lead and wish Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan all the best in firing Obama.
As Governor Palin has suggested a few times, Romney and Ryan already have the Republican vote wrapped up. They now have to take their argument to the independents. Further, they have to provide hope for those in the 47% to believe in conservative principles. My suggestion to Romney was that he encourage and offer to include these folks hoping for a better future that we all want in lieu of making them feel like their votes are already decided and therefore should be given up on.
Conservatives don’t believe that. There’d be no point of running a campaign or working to convince people to vote for you if minds couldn’t be changed. Since he’s the party’s nominee, it is his responsibility to do it and I hope he does.
The good news is he still has a good amount of time before November to make it happen.
We need to identify that our communication problem involves many of us... moderates, neo-cons, paleos, libertarians, and whatever we are. Most people do not talk like us.
And we seem to lie without really lying. Our side repeatedly says “Only the rich pay taxes”. The average non-political worker looks at pay stub deductions and concludes: “The Dems are right. The Republicans are liars.” These people are for tax cuts and vote Democrat because we fail to communicate.