Sadly I think you’re right. There is a compelling argument for candidates to be much more oriented to putting issues down to ‘states rights’, but this is totally disingenuous as long as still far too many Republican governors and Republican controlled state legislatures are cowardly in the extreme. There are good signs, for instance I think its Kansas trying to now impeach half their judiciary over liberal votes. Until we really see states stepping forward and actively asserting sovereign authority, its hard for the GOP to make the case here, because you cannot refer the issue down to bodies that are essentially subservient to the federal government.
I think this is itself a strong argument any contender could make and I’ll be interested to see if any candidate has the acumen to take it on and boldly stand for the total return of legitimate authorities stolen from the states back to the states.
It’s unfortunate you then run into the sacred cows of Medicare and Social Security which were essentially used not as most people think, to primarily enslave individuals by stealing their money, but primarily to enslave the states by having the citizenry of each state reliant on the federal government for their retirement. This meant that if the state went up and challenged the federal government in a meaningful way, it would not have the support of the people should the federal government threaten to cease payments to the people of that state. It’s like a permanent hostage scenario.
This has led to the de-sovereignization of the states and disarmed one check and balance on federal power. The more I think about such things, the more any potential GOP candidate is going to have to impress me in order to warrant my vote and support. I don’t want platitudes and slogans and ‘sticking it to Hillary!’ to be the main concern of primary voters. The concern is, is the candidate aware of the truth behind America’s problems, and do they have the iron will to solve them.
I think you are precisely right.
I do not think for one second, and this is a fairly recent revelation that I have had, that this country’s problems are going to be solved via elections.
I’m not even really sure that they are even solvable at this point, and I think I am more of the opinion that this house of cards is going to fall. Hard.
The people of this country have been so thoroughly conned and lied to so well that those lies have become their belief system. Those lies have taken root in their souls.
I really think that our motto should be changed to In Lies We Trust, because that is exactly the case in America.
I don’t even know if I want to waste what time I have left trying to distinguish one lying candidate form the next, because most people in this country do not have even the slightest clue as to what is going on. It is quite literally like they are living in The Matrix for real.
I do even know what else to say. This is a bad place, and there are very bad men here.
Good exposition, and sound analysis and perspective; my compliments.
Pols usually are not as bright as we hope they should be. But given the right plan of attack they will get behind it.
Who should make that plan of attack and what does it look like?
Your perspective is one of high awareness and substance with glistening aspects of solution material in hints of states rights. But how to plan an attack or counterattack around themes of states rights? And do it in a way that those who are not of such high awareness as you and others in the conservative movement can get behind it. How to get the lesser aware behind it?
There are several approaches:
1. Populist - Ronald Reagan was able to woo the lesser aware with force of personality. The downside of this approach is that it is not lasting.
2. Honey Pot - this approach offers something to the voter in return for their participation. This approach is used quite successfully by the Left. This would lead to the same result we see today and would not make the lesser aware any more aware than they are today.
3. Independence - What could be offered here for example would be a land program, vocational training program, increased grant subsidies for such training especially in concert with a land program. The idea would be to provide a pathway towards independence with resource support and importantly the instillation or gradual establishment of the values of conservative traditions. One might entertain the thought of calling such a program “A Life of Dignity” and would avoid the ‘40 acres and a mule’ outcome by presold contracts of products or services, all administered at a state level. There is evidence of the workability and success of such an approach as this.
4. Existing Small Business Pitch - small businesses care primarily about one thing only, more customers in their stores and facilities. Getting them onboard is best accomplished with economic arguments and commitments to lower taxes and less regulations. This is the tried and true approach of the GOP but it doesn’t always form the broader coalition needed to win elections unless the urbanite dependent class sits home on election night in a funk as to why liberals didn’t deliver. This goes in cycles. The cycle is best broken with approach 3 above. But even when the cycle hits just right, this approach does not always result in a more enlightened aware voter. Many existing small businesses can be practically minded for themselves but Utopian for others. For example, a shopkeeper can understand all the conservative business values but still remark they would wish everyone would have healthcare as long as they were not obliged to pay for it.
Now surely there will be those that will criticize any ‘plan’ or ‘approach’ but the facts are that America has grown a large dependent class that votes on the left side of the political spectrum. To have any chance at restoring conservatism and states rights, there has to be a plan of attack put forward to provide an alternative to government dependency. Kicking people off the dole won’t do it. They will merely vote themselves back into it.
A ‘fundamental transformation’ as Obama expressed should be countered with the more correct ‘fundamental market awareness’ where people of the dependent class become part of the market and are trained and supported to take their place in it.