On November 5 John Kasich wrote: “We must figure out how to reorganize and restructure ourselves so that we can once again command the confidence and respect of not only the members of our own party, but voters of all stripes.”I certainly agree that conservatism must be redefined, and I will offer my suggestions in a moment.But I submit that none of us is ready for the task just yet.
In her 1969 groundbreaker On Death and Dying, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, M.D., introduced a model known as the Five Stages of Grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance.While not every process entails all five stages, the good doctor stated categorically that everyone experiences at least two.But it appears that virtually every conservative commentator has tossed the model out and substituted his own single-phase paradigm: Submission.No sooner had Senator McCain delivered his concession speech than some of my favorite radio talk show hosts – who had been breathing fire just hours earlier – blandly appealed to my optimism as though the proponents of capitalism and self-determination had merely lost a preseason football game.Perhaps they don’t want to appear sore losers.Perhaps they want to come across as “high-roaders.”But in whose eyes?I guarantee you the liberals are so drunk with victory that they don’t care whether we lost sportingly or otherwise.Besides, it is a bit late for conservatives to worry about image.We have been drubbed.We have been bulldozed, hoodwinked, ground into the muck.We fought fair while they pulled every dirty trick in the playbook, and they clobbered us silly.
Where is the outrage, ladies and gentlemen?Do liberals hold a patent on passion?Did someone outlaw indignation while I wasn’t looking?The liberals seem to wield it freely enough.History instructs that we can not move forward until we fully appreciate where we are.Permit me to remind all of those blasé “we’ll-gettum-next-timers” a few facts I can recall off the top of my head about the man who just gave conservatism a bloody nose.Barack Hussein Obama: (1) exhibited blatant sexism during the primaries, then thumbed his nose at feminism by snubbing Senator Clinton in favor of “Conehead” Biden; (2) showed the “common man” his true elitist colors when he rejected public campaign financing and outspent Senator McCain by a factor of 7 to 1; (3) would turn our courts into tools for “redistributive justice”; (4) used government computers and databases to find dirt that would discredit Joe the Plumber; (5) has bragged about the fact that he wants to increase the tax burden on the producers of this country so that he can guarantee a better living for the 30-40% who are freeloaders; (6) was endorsed by both Hugo Chavez and Iran’s parliament; and (7) has little patience for the notion of individual rights.
And another thing. Let us not forget that, despite his silken demeanor, the man is an empty suit when it comes to concrete solutions.I know attorneys because I am one.The first lesson they teach in law school is how to use as many of the biggest words available to say as little as possible.Our new chief executive took that lesson to heart.People are weeping and screaming and dancing in the streets because “we” made history on November 4 by electing the first African American in U.S. history.Unfortunately, a majority of the voters got so caught up in making history that they forgot to ask what kind of person lay beneath the fashionable skin they were about to vote for.Let’s face it.Obama didn’t have to make sense.He needed no substance.And he didn’t need to curry favor with moderates.All he needed was to be a good looking, well-spoken black man who hung out with “cool” people like Madonna and Bruce Springsteen. And he knew it from day one.When I was a boy I was taught that the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s would someday stamp out racism.I’m sorry to report that racism is still with us; it has merely switched sides.
This is the America our complacency has nurtured.So spare me the silver-lining pablum.I want to hear some emotionally healthy yelling and desk-pounding out there.I’m not talking about rioting or bullying.Those of you with an established forum in the media know exactly what to do.I only hope you’ll find the motivation to do it.As for the rest of you, try this as an example.When I moved to a college town some years back, I confess that I allowed my vitriolic liberal brother-in-law to temper my philosophies.Whenever he would rant about the evils he perceived Bush to have perpetrated, I was quick to remind him that the common enemy wasn’t Bush – it was career politicians and elitists in general.When he simmered down I patted myself on the back for "remaining above the fray."But one evening my 9-year-old nephew bragged to me that he had browbeaten a schoolmate of his into “voting” for a liberal in an important race.With the glassy-eyed exuberance of a Hitler youth, he recited the mantra he had heard night after night from his father. I decided I had placated the brother-in-law for the last time.Though I don’t hang out as much with my sister’s family as a result, I can rest assured that my nephew now knows his father’s way of thinking is not the only way.
So conservatism as we know it has been pulverized.It lies dead in the gutter.How do we resurrect it?The first thing we do is reintroduce ourselves to some fundamental principles many of us have forgotten: lower taxes; limited government intervention; disciplined government spending; individualism.All variations of the concepts of tradition and convention must be eliminated from our lexicon.Who do we attract?On the count of three, let’s all scratch our heads.One … two … three … and there is our answer: Real People.But just what is a real person?As a rule of thumb, real people don’t toe the party line or wear the homogenous blue blazer.Take me, for instance.I’m into The Who, Pearl Jam and the Black Keys, but I refuse to buy a suit that is anything but double-breasted.I have tattoos, but I believe shoelaces should be tied, belt loops should be belted and undershorts should be covered in public.I am licensed to carry a concealed weapon, and I will not hesitate to go for the kill shot if someone breaks into my home.On the other hand, I have never understood, and will never understand, the attraction of game hunting.I am an agnostic.I detest abortion, but I think an outright ban ignores reality.Though I am a heterosexual, I don’t understand how letting gays get married diminishes the institution for straights. By the same token, I don’t understand why gays feel the need to impose an archaic religious ritual on an otherwise fulfilling relationship.I don’t indulge in illegal recreational drugs; just the same, I don’t see the harm in legalizing marijuana or cocaine – people bent on destroying themselves will do it one way or another, so there’s no reason to spoil the party for responsible users.Blah, blah, enough about me.
The point is that today’s conservative is not as easy to peg as was the little twerp Michael J. Fox played on prime time television in the 1980s.That is why there were so many so-called Independents out there for Obama and his string-pullers to swoop up this time around.The key to redefining conservatism is to refrain from overdefining it.Agree on a very limited number of core principles, leave the rest of the slate clean and welcome the deluge of fresh new faces with bold ideas who will inevitably flock to your doorstep.
