The Left Fights — Our Side Must Learn How To

From the archive: first published October 17, 2013.

So the shutdown is over. Here’s Red State’s Erick Erickson on the topic: Advancing. Ever Advancing. Here’s the Heritage Foundation write up this morning: The Deal That’s No Deal. Here’s Rush: Conservatives are Winning on Policy. Regarding Rush’s headline — of course that’s what we thought in the days leading up to election day 2012, too.

Going into this I knew our side didn’t have the communications infrastructure needed to hold on and win. That’s what I’ve been writing about on this website for years. If your message doesn’t reach enough of the public you lose.

A couple of American Thinker posts this morning address the larger political problem. This first excerpt is from William L. Gensert:

Barry, with the press in his pocket, knew he could hang the whole mess around the necks of Republicans. Because of this, conservatives never had a chance of forcing concessions from the administration.

Exactly — and that’s the dynamic that must be changed. The left has the dominate media — what do we have?

The second excerpt is from J. Robert Smith‘s post — he reminds everyone what we’re up against:

Government programs don’t fail; they either have more money thrown at them to “fix the problems” that “inadequate” funding causes (checkout public education) or they’re “reinvented,” meaning politicians and bureaucrats — with the help of think tanks — jigger a program or agency to improve it, only down the road to announce that the rejiggered program isn’t working due to deficient funding or needs yet again to be reinvented.

And why does this happen? Our side isn’t in the mass communications business as it needs to be. Our side doesn’t see shaping public sentiment as its top priority.

Here’s more from Smith’s article:

But conservatives — at the grassroots; tea party activists — everywhere; and libertarians — small government champions always — shouldn’t be lulled by the idea that ObamaCare will fall of its own weight. Democrats and leftists are hell-bent on cementing their power and control. They’ll fight with great tenacity and ruthlessness to keep what they’ve long sought.

Principled objections to ObamaCare, and smart alternatives to it, need to be offered to Americans daily. Moreover, conservatives in Congress need to be encouraged — or, if necessary, pushed — to continue to offer legislation that attacks ObamaCare. The goal is nothing short of making it crash and burn.

Maybe Democrats have overreached this time with ObamaCare. But don’t bet Americans’ health care and liberty on it.

Of course he’s right. But our side must learn how to fight in this information war and right now it doesn’t.

Image credit: throwgo.blogspot.com.