While I have no professional training in psychology, I have a great deal of experience dealing with conservatives in and around American politics. Some of them confess to hating any form of political activism, and some to loving it. The vast majority, however, are in the silent middle. These people rarely confess their true feelings — which are a variation on this:
Not in a million years, not in my lifetime, not a chance, forgettaboutit, leave me alone.
They won’t admit those feelings because their conscience tells them that they have a duty: a person can’t delegate the responsibilities of citizenship.
“I’m too busy!” No, you’re not. You’re losing your country. You need to find the time.
“I hate the Republican Party!” Do you think you’re alone in that feeling?
“Political people creep me out!” Let me assure you, you’re not alone there either.
Then there are those who would tell me that I’m a dreamer: “people aren’t going to get involved in politics in the numbers you need — it’s scummy and good people want nothing to do with it.” Maybe. But here’s a fact: the radical political left has a well supplied army in motion and they’re kicking your backside all over the public policy field. Their successes have produced things like trillions in debt, trillions in unfunded liabilities, and public employee pension systems that mathematically can’t be made to work. Call me a dreamer if you want, but those things are real nightmares.
Here’s my guess: in your heart you know I’m right. Many of you are dissatisfied with your local Tea Party group. Many of you have little confidence in those that run the Republican Party. You fear 2016 because those presidential elections see a lot higher turnout than the midterms. Those longer lines at your polling place are filled with people who benefit from the current insane spending and borrowing levels.
You’re right about turnout: it’s all about which side reaches and wins over more people and gets them to the polls. In presidential years the Illinois outcomes have been very one-sided. The reason is simple. It’s not that Republicans can’t win here. It’s because Conservatives don’t like politics (see some of the reasons above). So the work doesn’t get done and the wrong side prevails at the ballot box.
It’s the proverbial good news/bad news situation. I realize many people think states like Illinois are lost forever. Well, they’re not — and the good news is that plenty of people agree with me.
The bad news is that many more conservatives in Illinois and around the country have to get over their aversion to politics. It’s the only way we can overcome the many institutional advantages of the left.
Image credit: ricochetscinematicabode.wordpress.com.
