Politics is.......... (Lesson Two)

Written November 3-22, 2015

In an earlier “Art of Conservatism” essay, which I called 'Politics Is.....', I used the typical political scientist definition of politics (war by other means) to explain, in part, why Americans in general consider politics to be so distasteful. While this is indeed the case across the country, I also gave a call to arms for everyone to resist the temptation to avoid jumping into the fray. It's time to bring this lesson up again, and at the risk of dragging a vast right-wing conspiratorial yawn into the discussion, I'm not letting go of this as long as I see the need to keep at it. Which will be a lot. I'm not kidding, folks---this is important.

The other lesson I learned which never left me, way back in that obligatory Political Science 101 course, was this: As politics is waged in the United States, general elections most often consist of two candidates from two political parties, the both of which have already been decided for you.

Let's restate that: When a voter steps into that voting booth on any General Election Day in November, the choices of who to vote for are limited by the two parties sharing power in this country, to just two. Write-in candidates may or may not be allowed, but they almost always have a snowball's chance in a foundry to actually win the election. In short, folks, you're stuck when you vote, especially if you're a Conservative. When it really counts, the voters seldom find candidates on the ballot who share either their life values, or their vision for the country. That's because those candidates who do have been called out of the herd, way back on Primary Election Day. That's why the Primaries are so vital for Conservatives. What's worse is, the failure of so many Conservatives to get as far as the general election is why so many of We The People stay home on General Election days---because too many of them stayed home on the primary election days. They take the easy way out---they don't bother to vote, to support, to work for, those candidates who would do the country the most good.

That's the problem. If America means anything to you, you have to go out and work, grass roots, for candidates who share your beliefs, during the Primaries. And please, don't do it alone---get your friends involved. That's how to fight the Left. That means doing what the Leftist demagogues have been doing for years. They work for it by actually getting involved in the primary election process. Always have.

Look, here's how this works in all too many cases. You're seeing this very strategy being played out right now in the run for the Presidency in 2016: Let's say that a really good conservative candidate enters a state-wide or Federal election. Within his or her party (usually Republican) opposition candidates enter. These candidates usually consider themselves Centrist, or “able to cross the aisle” or “work within the system”.

Let's add, for the sake of argument, and because this is now true in the majority of states, that the primary elections are legally 'open'. That means that anyone, no matter to which party they have allegiance, can vote in any other party's primary election. The Left looks at that and they collectively lick their lips! Usually, their favored candidate is running in the Democrat Party, and is often, but not always, either running unopposed or way in the lead. They than thus turn their attention to defeating the Conservative candidates of the other party. The result is that candidate who most often wins the right to be the Republican candidate in the general election is instead the weakest non-Conservative RINO who entered. The Left can do this easily because, generally speaking, primary elections have such poor turnout. Thus, leftist voters move in and commit their version of 'political cleansing'. Show me a primary where more than, say, 30% of registered voters even bother to show up, and I'll show you a primary with a better-than-even chance for a Conservative to win a spot on the ballot in the general election. And, it works! Put a solid Conservative Candidate on the general election ballot, and see how many of the electorate come out to vote then. Witness, Ronald Reagan.

In the face of all this, does the Conservative cause seem like it has a chance to win elections in this country? Yes it does. But, it has to start with Conservative candidates even bothering to run, which takes effort and money, if only to develop the support of like-minded voters, and for those voters to actually come to the primaries and vote for them. The good news is that many Conservatives are at or near retirement age, and that gives them one of the two most valuable assets that any candidate or worker can have, aside from Conservative Values---time. And these days, many seniors seem to have the energy they need to help wage a campaign and win.

If a Conservative does run for office, and it isn't you, find out who, vet him or her, then support that candidate to the hilt. Then get your like-minded friends off their duffs and get them involved as well. Emphasize the need for more Conservatives to be voting in the primaries, to combat the Leftist robot voters who are already there (I know, not all of them are robots, but you get my drift).

Remember that the Leftists who seek to destroy this country from within, are already mobilized. They make it their business, their career, to work for their goals—against our freedoms, targeting our money, using it to tell us what to do with our lives and our property. We who are in the business of getting things done in this country, well, that's what we do. It's too easy to make the excuse that we don't have the time to get into another career of running this country or even a whole state. In short, we've 'let George do it', and George has become that power-wonking monster who inspires bumper stickers that say things such as, “I love my country; I fear my Government”. Indeed.

No longer do we have the luxury of allowing the Statists to make their living by destroying yours. Conservatism has to get the upper hand, and it's going to take our time, our treasure, our energy and adherence to our principles to do it. There's no Royal Road here. But it must be done, and done now, in order to save our country for our kids, grandkids and their descendents. Yes, you've heard this all before, but now it's time to you to say it, and do it, and live it, and not just rely on a few overwhelmed Conservatives to be the heavy lifters. Get involved, make Conservatives at least one choice in every elective position on every ballot, at the national, state and local levels, and together we can make it happen, and kick the RINO's and the appeasers and the Statists out. Please. We who are talking the talk and walking the walk need more of you to do the same. At the very least, vote---early, and often.

For the “Art of Conservatism”, I'm Art Reis