What Real Change Looks Like

Surveying the political landscape, it is easy for conservatives to become, shall we say, disillusioned. The recent electoral slaughter notwithstanding, conservative principles have been on the decline for quite some time. Even the Republican Party, supposed to be the party of conservatism, has abandoned a conservative method of governance for one that represents simply a watered-down version of the agenda of their Democratic counterparts.

In fact, I would submit that this is precisely the reason for the defeat at the polls of so many Republicans. The Republican Party has been tarnished by a lack of conviction. Rather than sticking to a core set of values and proposing solutions to America's problems based on those values, Republicans have for years been simply reacting to the proposals of Democrats with a “lite” version of whatever their idea is.

So the people have spoken, and they want “change.” Here, however, is the golden opportunity for conservatives. The change represented by the new Democratic majorities in Congress and their President-elect doesn't appear to be change at all. Rather, the “change” coming to Washington is, in fact, a furtherance of the policies that have been implemented in this country for decades. Granted, Obama and the Democrats will likely implement these policies to an extreme not heretofore presented, but they are still the same policies that we've seen for decades.

Bad economy? Spend more government money. Energy policy? Go green. Foreign policy? Make nice with the enemy. Taxes? Raise 'em. And on and on it goes. Every single policy idea being proposed by the Democrats at this juncture is nothing but a regurgitation of a policy that has either been tried or proposed for a long, long time.

So what would real change look like? Real change would be a return to the principles that made this country great, not a continuance of the failed policies of the past. Real change would be a complete turnaround from the decline toward Socialism that this country has been undertaking. Revamping major, failing government programs such as Social Security and our education policy would be real change. Advancing the narrative that America works best when it's Americans doing the work, rather than the government, would represent real change. Ending the lifestyle of career politicians would be real change.

Conservatives have an opportunity to change the narrative, and it is one that we can ill afford to squander. We must not be in denial about the fact that the people are demanding change, we just need to present them with the change that they desire. Americans are instinctively conservative. They don't like government meddling in the personal affairs and are offended at the idea that they cannot take care of themselves and so the government must interfere. Conservatives must begin right now by triangulating, in the mold of Dick Morris, the Democrat's message and pointing out to the people of this country that furthering the decline of this country is not, in fact, real change.

It is a Herculean task, as the media is against us. However, if conservatives want to stop the decimation of not only our values but the country in general, it is a task that they must undertake with fervor. Our ideas win when we adhere to them and present them to the electorate in the form of real solutions. We must get to work advancing our cause and our ideas, before the entrenched liberal policies of the past become the standard by which everything is measured.

Cross-posted at my blog.