The headlines I read this morning upon returning to the U.S. after twelve days of traveling abroad assure me that nothing much has changed since I left.
One of Matt Drudge‘s headlines —
Geithner to Tell China No One More Concerned About Deficit Than Obama…
— another in red letters regarding the latest on General Motors:
8 AM: BUST
The insanity of our federal government continues on via the Obama-Ried-Pelosi Express, while our state government here in Illinois has once again missed the deadline for a state budget.
The latter isn’t necessarily bad news — more Illinoisans realize no matter how they pretend otherwise, whatever “agreements” are reached between the parties and the branches, the state budget will not be in balance. I’ll refer you to the Institute for Truth in Accounting to read more on why that’s the case.
More good news: Anecdotal evidence abounds that more conservatives are reaching a political tipping point. The output of the commentators and think tanks has never been better, but more importantly, the mindset of more and more rank-and-file Republicans is summed up by a certain country music song lyric — an increasing desire for a little less talk and a lot more action.
For example, one lady I recently had the pleasure of talking politics with on my trip is the mother of a two year old. This young mother hails from Texas, is an integral part of her family’s successful business, and she follows the news. This young lady embodies much of what has made this country great. She possesses a sharp intellect, a quick wit, an eye for the big picture and an ear for and lack of tolerance of b.s.
In conversations with her, all of the themes familiar to readers of this website resonated big. She didn’t need to read this website to understand the need for a troop surge, a Republican Renaissance, a political reformation, or the fact that the work ahead will be difficult. She already gets it because her motivation is right and true. It’s that little girl in her charge.
My only regret was that she’s not quite ready to challenge U.S. Senator John Cornyn — who in my opinion at times shows ignorance that is only matched by his lofty office.
Conservatives have their hands full. They not only have to continue earning a living, building businesses, and raising their families. They have to engage in the practical world of Republican politics in greater numbers than ever before.
Getting off the wrong policy roads we’re on will require the political labor of countless thousands of conservatives committed to helping their fellow citizens hear and understand better information than what fills the space beneath the headlines of the liberal press.
In the past I’ve written about American conservatives — a group I consider to be the best informed “choir” in world history. That’s not a bad place to start in this new month when spring gives way to summer. But it’s only a start.
The details of the “what’s next” varies from state to state, but the bottom line is the same: we need a real Republican Party that will accomplish the goals of convincing voters that the policy solutions needed are rooted in our Party’s platform principles. The work of democracy — getting the right people elected and supporting their efforts to move public opinion — cannot be delegated away.
This choir pretty much agrees about the basics of the distant past — whether talking ancient Greece or Rome — or the various chapters of our own country’s young history. Our present challenge is only the latest variation on the theme of the fight for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
When that two-year-old mentioned above is my age, we’ll be past the mid-century point. What will this country be? A Reaganesque “city on a hill” that hasn’t yet seen its best days? Or will it be instead an Obamaesque Europeanized mess in the advanced stages of decline?
If enough of us engage the real political battle and create a movement that will allow, as an example, for the election to high office of high quality people like that 29 year old I met, we can turn this nation around. We can hand off to the next generation what they deserve — a country stronger than the one we inherited.
