Personal Reflections of a Conservative Who Wants To Be Liked

American Thinker ^ | June 23, 2009 | Harold Witkov

[dalereed]

“The more enemies I make the more effective I feel.”

If half the people don’t hate my guts I take a good look at myself to find out why and do something to correct the situation!

[ansel12]

I ask the librarians why they won’t carry Soldier of Fortune magazine, especially when they have their very partial list of censored books up.

[Salamander]

Friends come and go.
Enemies accumulate.

*If* I ever have to have my computers serviced, I intend to have a Confederate flag as a background and FR icons all over the place.

If the techs “don’t like it”, I’ll call their manager and raise hell.

[Kickass Conservative]

Reminds me of the time I went to Barnes and Noble and had to ask for help to find a David Horowitz book. The clerk put the Author's name in the computer, and the book “Hating Whitey” popped up on the screen.

The clerk, a young college student, then showed me where the book was on the shelf. He didn't smile at all, and my observation was that he wasn't very happy that I was buying the book.

[wafflehouse]

I got an organic cotton T-shirt with big peace sign on it at Walmart that was on sale for $3 that im ashamed to wear outside LOL

(it was a good deal!)

[Grizzled Bear]

I got an organic cotton T-shirt with big peace sign on it at Walmart that was on sale for $3 that im ashamed to wear outside LOL

Add the words "through superior fire power." Then you'll have yourself a fine t-shirt!

[bustinchops]

Yes, I agree. I’m pretty new. Frankly, I’ve been surprised by how meek and politically correct many of the members are. Some of them are real touchy. They can’t handle blunt, clear-eyed observations and plainly stated facts. They want it all soft and shiny like the lefties do.

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

Very Well Written Article.

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

He says a lot of things for impact upon a frustrated segment of society that is outrageous for effect, not calculated to achieve political viability. He is politically counterproductive outside his target audience. Someone like Rush will keep you listening, but will never go far politically, because of the outrageous sound bites.

[fso301]

Actually, the conservative message generally works well for those accustomed to intact families. For those from single parent and dysfunctional backgrounds, the conservative message can be indecipherable.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

"This caused me to do much reflection and I believe I now understand my uneasiness and perhaps the root problem of the entire conservative movement: America's preoccupation with television and the human desire to be liked. Let me explain. Conservatism is in trouble, not because liberalism is better for the nation, but because conservatism does not play well on the much watched television news, which is short on substance yet high on passive thinking imagery."

This was not always the case. The post-Reagan lack of charismatic leaders with wide appeal. The previous administration became very unpopular. Part of this had to do with not coming across very well on television. They need to work on the front office and PR issues. Salesmanship.

If they reflect on how imagery, self-presentation, and sales work (and don't work) on television long enough, they will figure this out. Conservatives won the telegenic battles in the 1980s. If they reflect long enough on why Reagan worked on TV and why Bush-Cheney didn't, eventually they will figure this out. Not exactly rocket science.

[doosee]

We had new countertops installed recently and I had come home to let the two workers in. At noon, I flicked the radio on as I always do and 5 minutes later Rush was blaring. One worker looked at me and said, you listen to Rush. I said, sure, who wouldnt? Then he said that Rush is one of the few in media who make some sense of the world we live in. Needless to say, that assured me I had some good people working in my home. A few more conservative comments were exchanged as they worked. Had they complained about Rush, I may have ended the contract right there. I might add, they did a great job on the counters.

[wastoute]

"A man in his twenties who is conservative is a man without a heart. A man in his forties who is not conservative is a man without a brain."

I hate to tell you this but DeTocqueville was much more succint. Still, thank you for sharing.

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[plsjr]

That's one of my favorite - especially the one with a B-52 superimposed



(actually there's a decal sold in the 8AF gift shop that has the buff circled and the words "Peace through superior firepower" inscribed in the circle that's the best - I'm on work-limited internet and couldn't find a good pic.)

[RushLake]

“Hating Whitey” is an excellent read. We passed it around at work at Ford in a brown paper bag back in the days of Jac the Knife Nasser. White wasn’t cool during that regime at Ford.

[MissDairyGoodnessVT]

all those thoughts for a computer repair trip?

[GeronL]

I thought you did just fine

[Oratam]

Considering the average liberal is an emotionally unbalanced, irrational, non-thinking being who lives in a near constant state of fear bordering on panic, I think it's completely reasonable to minimize any outward manifestations of one's conservatism in many situtations.

Discretion is the better part of valor.

[MaggieCarta]

It is human nature to want to be liked and I did not want these two gentlemen to think, on any given day, I was capable of murdering Bambi's mother.

This guy is an idiot, and a wuss to boot. I would never delete Mr MC's icons from his computer.

Conservatism is in trouble because there aren't enough intelligent people consistently putting forth conservative ideas in an intelligent manner. This ninny doesn't help.

Good thing it was published while Rush is on vacation.