Back to Basics
Some thoughts on the Democratic storm-surge which hit Tuesday:
1.Conservatives were rightly angry at the knock-kneed approach of Republicans in recent years, but should understand that a politician`s job is to run campaigns, and that good press and money are things any politico will gravitate toward. OF COURSE they will toss their principles once in office; they are, essentially, call girls. We have vested our hopes on political victory in Washington, which is important but will ultimately disappoint. The grassroots is where we will win, and where we have ultimate influence. Rarely will a Congressman buck his constituents; if we win the hearts and minds of our friends and neighbors, we will be able to hold our elected official's feet to the fire. The loss of 5 Governorships should scare us-it means we are failing at the state and local levels. That is where we will win.
2.The Rockefeller/Country Club/RINO wing of the party has never forgiven Reagan for bringing his ``hillbilly rubes`` into power, and they have set out methodically to reclaim what they see as their rightful heritage. They have been using money-lots of it -to advance politicians more to their liking. Again, good press and money are very inviting to politicians, and of course they will gravitate toward such a source. We will have to decide who runs this party; the eternally unsuccessful and ennui filled blue-bloods, or the Reaganites. We cannot succeed without winning this battle.
3.We have to take control of some of the major news and entertainment outlets. We pride ourselves on the success of our alternatives-Fox News, talk radio, bloggers-and they have done very well, but this election illustrates the power the mainstream media still wields. Would Democrats have been elected had the public been informed of what is really happening in Iraq, and what the Democrats have been saying? Would the Foley scandal have amounted to a hill of beans? Would Harry Quite Contrary Reid`s mafia land deal have been ignored? The public, if properly informed about what is happening in the world, would never have voted the way they did. The MSM has become the media wing for the Democratic Party. We can win despite this, but our victories will always be tempered by the power to influence held by them. We must find ways of wresting control of the media from leftists, and this means we should look to buy media for ourselves. It should be pointed out that Friends of Bill are currently attempting to purchase the Chicago Tribune; why aren`t conservatives doing that? I call on some of our business-savvy conservatives to set up a company whose sole purpose is to attempt to buy up stock in the MSM-I certainly would be happy to invest in such a company, and I suspect many other conservatives would as well. We have to find a way to break the negative impact of an impartial media.
The Reagan Revolution is over, folks, but we can rebuild it, and do it right. With the return of the Democrats we see Reagan victories being overturned-such as the return of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua. If we don`t want the Berlin Wall to be metaphorically rebuilt, we will have to regroup and fight again tomorrow. We can do it, but we have to win in the three arenas mentioned above.
President Bush has waved the white flag, allowing the Dervish hordes (Democrats) to pour in. He stuck to his Iraq model, despite the fact that the American public has grown bored with it. (My brother is a history professor, and he pointed out to me the other day that most of his 19-21 year old students don`t care a wit about 911 because they were 13 years old or so when it happened; to them it is old news and they, like most Americans, are looking for something ``fresh``.) Of course, the approach taken by the Bush Administration to Iraq was to install a new government, provide security, and wait until the fledgeling democracy had the strength to defend itself. This was a foolish model, since Iraq is not a local insurgency, but a Jihad where foreign fighters have come to battle the ``Crusaders`` and Iraq`s neighbors to both the east and west are actively subverting the new government. Success in Iraq will come militarily, by KILLING the insurgents, by destroying the capabilities of both Iran and Syria. People would have gotten behind an active approach, but they hate this endless waiting, the daily death counts with no real battleground victories. Our troops win whenever engaged, but there is nothing inspiring about a roadside bomb attack without an active response. Americans, fed on a steady diet of soundbites and music videos, have notoriously short attention spans, and are looking to change the channel. The dull war story they have switched off may have bored them, but they may not like the horror film in which they will be starring shortly once matters heat up. A little more action in Mr. Bush`s Mideast epic could have kept the public`s attention. The Bush model made the struggle for our survival BORING!
Many conservatives have sought to salve their painful wounds with the notion that we`ll be back in `08; I hate to rain on everyone`s parade, but this disaster was not made overnight, and it won`t be reversed easily. This is a fundamental problem, and a Republican victory in `08 will more than likely put the moderates back in-and the reforms needed to make real, substantive change will not be in place. We need to pull the weeds out by their roots.
As the Marines say (and in honor of their anniversary)-Semper Fidelis!
1.Conservatives were rightly angry at the knock-kneed approach of Republicans in recent years, but should understand that a politician`s job is to run campaigns, and that good press and money are things any politico will gravitate toward. OF COURSE they will toss their principles once in office; they are, essentially, call girls. We have vested our hopes on political victory in Washington, which is important but will ultimately disappoint. The grassroots is where we will win, and where we have ultimate influence. Rarely will a Congressman buck his constituents; if we win the hearts and minds of our friends and neighbors, we will be able to hold our elected official's feet to the fire. The loss of 5 Governorships should scare us-it means we are failing at the state and local levels. That is where we will win.
2.The Rockefeller/Country Club/RINO wing of the party has never forgiven Reagan for bringing his ``hillbilly rubes`` into power, and they have set out methodically to reclaim what they see as their rightful heritage. They have been using money-lots of it -to advance politicians more to their liking. Again, good press and money are very inviting to politicians, and of course they will gravitate toward such a source. We will have to decide who runs this party; the eternally unsuccessful and ennui filled blue-bloods, or the Reaganites. We cannot succeed without winning this battle.
3.We have to take control of some of the major news and entertainment outlets. We pride ourselves on the success of our alternatives-Fox News, talk radio, bloggers-and they have done very well, but this election illustrates the power the mainstream media still wields. Would Democrats have been elected had the public been informed of what is really happening in Iraq, and what the Democrats have been saying? Would the Foley scandal have amounted to a hill of beans? Would Harry Quite Contrary Reid`s mafia land deal have been ignored? The public, if properly informed about what is happening in the world, would never have voted the way they did. The MSM has become the media wing for the Democratic Party. We can win despite this, but our victories will always be tempered by the power to influence held by them. We must find ways of wresting control of the media from leftists, and this means we should look to buy media for ourselves. It should be pointed out that Friends of Bill are currently attempting to purchase the Chicago Tribune; why aren`t conservatives doing that? I call on some of our business-savvy conservatives to set up a company whose sole purpose is to attempt to buy up stock in the MSM-I certainly would be happy to invest in such a company, and I suspect many other conservatives would as well. We have to find a way to break the negative impact of an impartial media.
The Reagan Revolution is over, folks, but we can rebuild it, and do it right. With the return of the Democrats we see Reagan victories being overturned-such as the return of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua. If we don`t want the Berlin Wall to be metaphorically rebuilt, we will have to regroup and fight again tomorrow. We can do it, but we have to win in the three arenas mentioned above.
President Bush has waved the white flag, allowing the Dervish hordes (Democrats) to pour in. He stuck to his Iraq model, despite the fact that the American public has grown bored with it. (My brother is a history professor, and he pointed out to me the other day that most of his 19-21 year old students don`t care a wit about 911 because they were 13 years old or so when it happened; to them it is old news and they, like most Americans, are looking for something ``fresh``.) Of course, the approach taken by the Bush Administration to Iraq was to install a new government, provide security, and wait until the fledgeling democracy had the strength to defend itself. This was a foolish model, since Iraq is not a local insurgency, but a Jihad where foreign fighters have come to battle the ``Crusaders`` and Iraq`s neighbors to both the east and west are actively subverting the new government. Success in Iraq will come militarily, by KILLING the insurgents, by destroying the capabilities of both Iran and Syria. People would have gotten behind an active approach, but they hate this endless waiting, the daily death counts with no real battleground victories. Our troops win whenever engaged, but there is nothing inspiring about a roadside bomb attack without an active response. Americans, fed on a steady diet of soundbites and music videos, have notoriously short attention spans, and are looking to change the channel. The dull war story they have switched off may have bored them, but they may not like the horror film in which they will be starring shortly once matters heat up. A little more action in Mr. Bush`s Mideast epic could have kept the public`s attention. The Bush model made the struggle for our survival BORING!
Many conservatives have sought to salve their painful wounds with the notion that we`ll be back in `08; I hate to rain on everyone`s parade, but this disaster was not made overnight, and it won`t be reversed easily. This is a fundamental problem, and a Republican victory in `08 will more than likely put the moderates back in-and the reforms needed to make real, substantive change will not be in place. We need to pull the weeds out by their roots.
As the Marines say (and in honor of their anniversary)-Semper Fidelis!
posted by Timothy Birdnow | 6:26 AM
3 Comments:
I would not be too worried about the young forgetting about 9/11. I teach 13-14 year olds, and they know of it well. But I teach in Oklahoma, a very good and true Red State. Many of my students have already planned military careers. Most have a family member in the military.
I hope you`re right, Mike! I fear that too many have tired of the lessons of 911, and don`t care to continue the struggle. The enemy is patient, and we are not.
I have heard the phrase 'Islam is patient' many times. But patience is a virtue that is available to all humanity. It is not at all peculiar to Islam.
It is America that has been patient with all the Moslem atrocities since, oh, the Barbary Pirates of the early 1800s. If we were impatient Islam would have ceased to exist long ago.
Mao was impatient---consider his 'Cultural Revolution'---Napoleon was impatient, Hitler was impatient. But America?
It is Islam that is impatient. It is moving so fast and so furiously that it is demanding its own destruction. For both Islam and America as we know it cannot both exist. Islam has made that clear. One or the other. They or we.
When they strike us again, perhaps with nuclear weapons, they will exult and dance. But only for a moment. Their last conscious experience will be a flash of light, a thundering roar, and oblivion. Perhaps to their 72 virgins, but more likely to share a residence with the Prince of the Air.
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