“We will not go
quietly into the night this time were armed only with signs and flags let’s
hope the government gets the message.” said TeaParty.org CEO Steve Eichler.
Thousands
rallied across the nation yesterday in support of Second Amendment rights, and
conservatives were reminded that Barack Obama’s second term presents a unique
opportunity to rebuild. Our principles of individual liberty and constitutional
government may be a minority creed, but they are still the best principles to
have. Even liberals find them compelling–when they are not hypnotized by the
Obama cult of personality.
The
conservative movement should aim high. Its long-term political goal should be to
achieve what Republicans never have done, and Democrats have enjoyed several
times: a filibuster-proof majority. The only way to restore the nation’s
original constitutional vision, and to renew its rapid economic growth and
global leadership, is to push those changes through. The left is not shy about
coveting such power; neither should we be.
Pursuing that
political goal means moving beyond the political realm, and laying the cultural
foundations for a conservative revival. And doing so begins with listening–understanding
the nation we are becoming, finding new sources of inspiration in our present
as well as our past. Our task is to find the best ideas and best narratives,
and amplify them using the best new media–in which we must invest, and innovate.
In the medium
term, the task of conservatism is to resist the changes that Barack Obama and
the Democrats seek to impose on our society. We must understand that Obama is
not looking for compromise. He is seeking to change the boundaries of what is
politically possible, even though much of what he wishes to do is only desired
by a small minority of the American people. He must be stopped–and he can be
stopped.
The key is
unity. Obama’s strategy since losing the 2010 midterm elections has been to
divide Republicans. And he has succeeded in doing so, several times, on fiscal
issues. But when the party is united in opposition, the President cannot win.
Republicans have often been maligned as the “party of no,” but it is precisely
to say “no” that Republicans were elected. The key is finding the issues on
which the party can say “no” in unison.
On some issues,
“no” can be absolute. No to tax hikes, which were only passed under duress in
the “fiscal cliff” fiasco. No to new stimulus spending, which Obama continues to
demand. No to foreign aid to governments that treat the United States as an
enemy.
On other
issues, “no” should be combined with “unless”–clear conditions that articulate
GOP priorities, and that highlight the deficiencies of the president and his
party.
So, for
example, no debt ceiling increase unless the Senate passes a budget–and no
budget that does not aim at eventual balance, through cuts and entitlement
reform. No immigration reform without border security and law enforcement. No
new background checks for guns until Obama comes clean on his own gun-running
in Fast and Furious. No steps on climate change–such as a carbon tax–without
matching reductions in the payroll tax.
Republicans
cannot govern from one house, nor is Obama interested in co-governing in the
way the Framers intended. But Republicans can oppose from one house, and even
both at times, effectively as well as constructively, if they choose to fight
from positions on which conservatives and moderates are united. That is the key
to holding the House through the end of Obama’s second term–and perhaps,
winning the Senate in 2014.
One final
element is missing, and that is leadership. The country lacks it, badly, and
the conservative movement has failed to provide leadership that lasts. Too often,
our discussion of leadership is reduced to handicapping presidential
candidates, who are then targeted and tarnished by the media, one by one.
Leadership is far bigger than that: it is a quality to be cultivated among
activists at every level–not just those running for public office.
The most
important thing to learn from Obama’s perpetual campaigns is the effort and
energy they devote to training individual leaders, who function as a movement
not only outside the election season but outside the Democratic Party.
The Tea Party
revealed the potential for similar–and better–organizing among conservatives,
and hinted at the immense creative potential that remains largely untapped.
There is no time to waste.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/01/20/Reload-Second-Amendment-Rallies-Highlight-Conservative-Potential-in-Obama-s-Second-Term
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