Now is Not the Time to Abandon Politics

Liberals and conservatives don't "get" each other. We each think the other is as thick-skulled as all get out and get frustrated by how the other can't understand what seems so clear and obvious. It's like one person is speaking Italian, and the other is speaking Swahili. Out of laziness or cowardice, when faced with someone who has opposing views, I have tried to stay within areas where I think agreement can be found and I have left it at that. Why have I done that? It's not really entirely honest, but it is easier.

However, I'm tired of being guarded with my thoughts and comments. My being too worried about offending others has been the problem, and it's why Republicans have been so pathetic at winning their battles ... because they tiptoe around issues rather than being straight shooters. (Republicans, however, do not have a monopoly on dodging questions.) When Republicans had the chance to lead the cause, they didn't (back when they had the majority). That makes me angry. They frittered away a golden opportunity. So, I guess I'm done being silent.

In spite of mistakes made over the last several years and decades, America is still a country of which we should be proud. We have religious freedom, we have incredible creature comforts and availability of goods, we have opportunity at every turn to do good unto others as much as we so choose and we haven't had another terrorist attack. What's not to love about life?

I do think that Obama's victory is an indication of this country heading in the wrong direction. To me, it means people aren't really thinking. Instead, all they're interested in is "What's in it for me?" "What are YOU (government) going to give ME?" and they liked Obama's lines better. Whatever happened to personal responsibility?

Or, they voted for Obama because he is black. Have you listened to this clip yet? www.bpmdeejays.com/upload/hs_sal_in_Harlem_100108.mp3 Apparently it's okay to be racist if you're racist IN FAVOR of someone because of the color of his skin.

I also think it's an indication of people not understanding how real the threat of terror still is. McCain was clearly the better man for understanding and managing that national threat, but that's not what people focused on. Instead of focusing on one of the few things over which the president does have significant influence (national security), people based their decision on things over which the president has very little influence (the economy).

There’s another contingency which voted for Barack because he made them feel good. He inspired them. Never mind that there was little to no substance behind the inspirational words. The tugging on heartstrings was all that was needed.

Finally, there were people who voted for Obama based on one or two issues which were of premier importance to them, in spite of them knowing that Obama didn't fit the bill in other ways.

Whatever the reason for the folly, I'm disappointed in the American people. I'm sad for our country. We've strayed SO FAR from where our founding fathers intended us to be. This faltering dates back much farther than to November 4, 2008. Obama’s victory points to people apparently wanting socialism without understanding the damage socialism causes. Socialism has nice intentions with lousy consequences. But the largess of our federal government is the fault of both parties and of the constituents who allow the incumbents to play the game for their own self-interests.

Perhaps the American people are about to get their noses rubbed in socialism. Well, that is unless there are enough filibusters to stop the train wreck. Let's hope this election result will give Republicans the guts to go all out and defend what they truly believe in, rather than just defending their house or senate seats. I won't hold my breath. But we do need to hold their feet to the fire.

Now is not the time to abandon politics. Rather, we must demand better. We must be knowledgeable of the facts and spread the truth on all important issues. We cannot be like those who with visceral contempt say they hate Rush Limbaugh but who don’t listen to Rush. Instead, we must keep a close watch on Obama, Pelosi, Reid and all the others. In these next four years, we must expose poor policy as it crops up. We must challenge people on their thinking each time they enter into a touchy-feely mode which sounds noble but is not practical or realistic. We must explain to them why what they think they want to have as policy will not result in anything positive. We must defend conservative ideology with knowledge and facts, not name-calling or demagogy. This we can do, because logic and history support our cause.

To this end, we should keep each other informed of the facts. Let’s utilize the internet and e-mail to communicate with each other about important issues. I’m not talking about slamming “the enemy”. That’s not productive (although I will admit it can be entertaining). I’m talking about arming each other with information we can employ in our attempt to enlighten our liberal friends. It’s easy to despise Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid. However, we all have liberal friends and family who we truly care about and love. Their opinions can be frustrating. How joyful would it be if we could get them to see eye-to-eye with us? And ultimately, how sweet will the reward be when we get the country moving back into the right direction? To do that, we've got to engage. We must have honest and open conversations with people of all opinions.

As people become disenchanted with Obama and the Democrats in the House and Senate, we must help them understand why. We must remind them that they voted for what they dislike … that these are the results that come from liberalism. We must be adamant about the necessity of free enterprise and the virtues of capitalism.

Remember this: A man named Jimmy Carter was President of the United States. Four years later he was not re-elected. Instead, a man who electrified the nation won 489 electoral votes to Carter’s 49. The victor’s name was Ronald Reagan.

Let’s demand of our fellow citizens that they “think” instead of just “feel”. Let’s demand of our country’s leaders (both in and out of office), AND OUR PARTY, that they advocate for the principles our founding fathers envisioned for our nation and that history has proven to be wise and true. And let’s demand of ourselves that we remain informed on the issues and so well-versed in stating the conservative cause that the case is compelling, irrefutable and clear to all. We need to take our message to the liberals and independents. We must find a way to be understood.