Remedy for Conservatives

Here’s a good practical remedy for us conservatives………pasted from a post by Andrew Sandlin. I think it will help us articulate our message in layman’s language. What specifically to do? Here’s a laundry list: Trumpet individual responsibility. The postmodern age is a communitarian age, hostile to the rugged individualism on which the nation was founded. The political dimension of this communitarianism is collectivism. Its economic expression is socialism. Its radical form is Marxism. Its mild form is the European social welfare state. But postmodernity is not a permanent cultural phase, and alternative options are readily available. True, amid economic chaos, a large sector of the population will trade individualism for security (think Germany, 1933). But as the economic woes inevitably recede, firing the electorate with a renewed sense of self-reliance and opposition to the nanny state and its onerous regulation and taxation may just be a winning message, especially among voters who can recall good economic times. In ordinary times, most Americans are less inclined to surrender their individual liberties without at least a fight. Like November 1932, November 2008 was not an ordinary time. November 2012 likely will be. Spread a modified populism. Liberals are committed essentially to global ideals. Conservatives are devoted to American ideals. Liberals don’t deem themselves unpatriotic — they just define patriotism in global terms (the fact that this definition is self-contradictory doesn’t seem to bother them). Bi-coastal, Ivy-League trained elites — that is, politicos like Barak Obama — wield great power in American society, but his coterie is a vast minority of the population, and the alliance between elites and non-elites in America is usually tenuous and temporary (not all elites are leftist, of course). Elites tend to be politically successful when they can persuade their perceived inferiors that they are looking out for their best interests (“Big Brother loves you and knows best”). This is an age-old liberal strategy, and one that opportunistic conservative non-elites should exploit. Conservatives need not capitulate to raw populism (which creates its own set of problems) to plan a “revolt of the masses” against entrenched political elitism on the Left. Conservatives must, however, show Wal-Mart moms and the rest of the suburban middle class that liberal elites who happen to run Washington D. C. are condescending, power-hungry and dangerous (notably in foreign policy). This message worked for Ronald Reagan, and it will continue to work for conservatives as long as a majority of Americans shop at Wal-Mart, eat at Dennys, enjoy entertainment like NASCAR, and are put off by Prius-driving, latte-sipping, caviar-consuming elites. This is not a form of class warfare, for which leftist populists are famous; after all, lots of rich people deplore political elitism (business elites they may be; political elites they are not). It is a form of cultural warfare against the folks who deem themselves The Anointed, entitled to dictate how the rest of us live our lives. Champion economic liberty. Yes, indeed, there are Wall Street elites, but Americans in ordinary times don’t want to penalize the rich; they want to be rich. When they’re frightened economically, they can be enticed by elitist Robin Hoods like Barak Obama and Barney Frank, but, generally, they want their own burgeoning mutual funds and 401k’s. Conservatives need to show that interventionist economics aren’t just bad for America in the abstract (true enough) but bad also for every American in the concrete: do you trust the state to spend your money more wisely than you can? If not, then vote for the people that want you to keep — and spend — your own money. Cultivate pro-family ethics. In the various states, same-sex marriage proposals mostly fail and traditional marriage proposals mostly win. Whatever the sentiment in presidential races, most of the country is not ready to throw the traditional family under the bus. Moreover, abortion (except in deep-blue states like California) is becoming less popular. In this way especially, conservatives should reach out to the growing Black and Hispanic population, who are proportionately more pro-family than Whites. Conservatives need — and can attract — these voters. A coalition of rugged individualists, Middle America anti-elitists, market libertarians and pro-family fans covers a wide swath of American society — wide enough to garner a majority of votes in ordinary times. This four-fold appeal is not just a tactic or a strategy. It creates a deep resonance with the human condition that, particularly in ordinary times, rings true to many Americans. Conservatives need to get cracking.