Last time I left off with a reference to the Obama political machine. That machine is outlined in several recent articles – here are examples:
“Retooling Obama’s campaign machine for the long haul“
It’s evident that those who support President Barack Obama’s policies as stated on the www.whitehouse.gov website are serious about advancing an agenda. It’s too bad our Republican leaders weren’t as committed when they held power during the Bush-Hastert years.
For decades, conservatives thought “boots on the ground” meant forming yet another outside organization that was going to ride in and save the day. Twenty years of creating stationary, adopting bylaws, building mailing lists and raising money has not produced a political structure able to rack-up legislative accomplishments. After the Bush-Hastert years of excessive spending and lack of domestic policy reform, that’s not even debatable.
Welfare reform that was passed in the mid-1990s is still the only major domestic policy reform our side has to show for itself. It has been a resounding success. President Bush’s tax cuts from his first term were likewise successful. That’s the total of Republican Party accomplishments over the past fifteen years.
Now, President Barack Obama is going to undo both accomplishments in brilliant fashion: he’s going to bring back the welfare state in massive fashion by sending out government checks – and call it a tax cut.
Right now, too many people delegate their responsibility as citizens and think there is such a thing as the “Republican Party” that will do their work for them.
Our message to rank and file Republican voters is – by now you should realize that’s not the case. You should also realize that without your active participation, the party isn’t going to get its act together.
Had our leaders actually put together a real political party apparatus things today would be different. We would have seen volunteer energy tapped to help disseminate persuasive information to more people at the state and local level through all means available. We would have seen good people recruited into the process so a Republican Party “bench” would exist. That is, we’d have better candidates running and more properly motivated people in office.
Instead, the grassroots battlefield has been forfeited.
Since Rush Limbaugh single-handily saved AM radio and created an entire industry, millions of Americans have benefited from this fantastic alternative source of news and opinion. Now that the World Wide Web has arisen, the combination of the Internet and talk radio has produced the most well informed “choir” in world history.
I use the word choir, obviously, in reference to the old expression about “preaching to the choir.” In this case, it’s that third of the country that will vote Republican no matter what. A similar third exists on the left. The struggle is always about winning over more of that middle third.
To repeat, we don’t need any more independent organizations. What we need is for this choir of informed citizens to help take over the Republican Party so it can be made into a principle based professional volunteer organization.
Talk radio is great – but conservative talk show hosts have to provide more than just information. They must begin to spark the kind of political activism our side needs if we’re to win back, and this time use, power.
Up next: Ways to participate for those who aren’t “joiners.”
