Posted on 05/07/2012 7:13:05 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
..............IT'S TIME TO FIGHT for the survival of Americanism,............................
Americanism is freedom founded on the power of the individual, and his ability to achieve without undue government interference. It’s the idea that the state exists to serve man, to protect God-given rights, and to allow the greatest amount of political freedom within the bounds of ordered liberty. It’s the idea that people truly own their property and are not merely renting it, and that they are free to use their talents, initiative, and “can do” spirit to make the lives they dream for themselves a reality.
It is indisputable that the Left has long had better grassroots organization and has pursued its damaging statist agenda relentlessly. After all, if you believe government should be all things to all people, then you’re going to encourage its expansion for your own benefit. Americans need to realize that we are up against a group of agitators that have very well-funded—and consequently very large—platforms for driving political debate: the media, Hollywood, public employee unions, and progressive groups backed by Leftist billionaires.
Meanwhile, the decline of the Republican establishment from coasttocoast has been a long-coming inevitability, as officials give lip service to supporters, then vote for more spending, more debt, more borrowing, and higher taxes. Discouraged, aging, and dwindling committee members often lack the energy to run vibrant grassroots campaigns at the local level. When Americans who share our conservative values are content to work hard for an election cycle, then pat themselves on the back and leave the fight to the Washingtonthinktanks, GOPestablishment, and television talkingheads,they have in effect surrendered to the advancing Left. The Left plays smash-mouth football,while the perceived conservative movement plays tiddlywinks on the sidelines, more concerned with form and appearance than substance.
WHAT'S REQUIRED IS a cultural shift among conservatives...............
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
If people want a reminder what America is really about, watch “Gods and Generals”. Both sides had their ideas and were willing to fight and die for those ideas. I often wonder what American would do today.
I do not believe we can take the country from the Left as the Left took it from the Right decades ago.
One reason is that the Right, believing in liberty, allowed the Left to flourish. The Left, however, does not believe in liberty and will not allow the Right to gain the same foothold that they themselves took advantage of.
I need to tell B Hussein what Cheney told Leahy: “Oh, go boink yourself! I no longer recognize you as OUR POTUS in OUR White House.”
There’s no doubt we need a superdose of genuine Americanism.
In the end, though, to save Americanism we must fight through an elective process.
If too many remain fractured into too many subset enclaves and can’t, or won’t, unify enough to save it electorally, the enemy wins.
As disparate as the Left’s groups are, they do know how, and are willing, to hang together in their zeal for the Socialist Statist cause.
While we splinter and splinter and splinter on and on ad infinitum...
I think the Tea Party needs to emerge as a true political party. If its ideas are superior, it will flourish and attract folks from both the Dems and the GOP.
I know some will argue about splitting the conservative vote, but if the Tea Party went forward with the spirit that dominated the ‘10 election, I believe it could become the majority party in the country. There’s not much ‘conservative’ left about the GOP anyhow.
If a different name would work better, so be it - it’s the principles and spirit that matter.
It will. This is how Hugo Chavez took dictatorial control over Venezuela. The opposition kept splintering. Venezuelans have a chance to overthrow him this year but there is no guarantee that they can get a fair election to oust Chavez, re-take the courts and legislature and reinstate their constitution. Chavez has had so much time to become Mugabe-like with his infiltration of the army, courts, local government, cultural institutions, schools, street mobs and his patronage system of power.
For them, the sooner Conservatives are diminished and silenced, the better. Everything is in their favor and the deck is stacked against Conservatism generally, and against the idea that the U.S. may/must continue as a two party system... if only to maintain a social status quo (to the benefit of EVERYONE) and to insure economic viability!! 'Depart from the book at your own peril'...is advice Liberals routinely ignore.
Bottom line, we must unite enough to win elections, then hold feet to the fire afterwards.
There’s an interesting tidbit I recall Rush sharing, though, that illustrates what can be done outside of elections that affects elections.
Rush cited a study, or poll, can’t recall the details, that showed those who as children were taken to July 4th celebrations were mostly majority Republican voters later, while those who weren’t taken to them grew up mostly to not vote Republican.
I believe they tried to control for other variables as much as they could, within the study.
Best single predictor of adult voting behaviour.
Yes!
Children learn (are taught) to love their country and Americanism (how exceptional it is).
You've illustrated nicely the bottom line of this OpEd.
Liberals are busy teaching children to loath America. This must change.
The Left has twisted this emotion to imply that their opponents are the ones getting the bigger free ride.
Loud, lengthy, and coherent clarification of who the real free-loaders are would make a big difference in who gets selected to govern.
The GOP is a political party, not an ideological movement.
We understand that.
You will find a large number of conservatives in the GOP.
That is not true of the other party.
The GOP is at war within itself, unfortunately, with the top establishment people determined to forever “run things”.
But that’s still where you find a large, conservative, but non-establishment, seething mass of people!
Correct! And they want what they thought they were getting.
IMHO, the GOP is becoming more ideologically coherent. Witness Lugar's demise.
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