For most of us there has been a time in our lives when it felt like we had hit rock bottom. There are endless scenarios where and how this could have played out, be it after having flunked an important test, really screwed up a job or work assignment or lost a ball game so badly, we were ashamed to show our faces afterwards. It is at times like these when a person’s or group’s true character either comes to the surface and takes over. In many cases the first order of business is to get back to basics: Instead of looking for ways to excuse the failure or blame it on others, one should look for honest answers to why things went so devastatingly bad, so terribly wrong! A thorough analysis should surface the reasons for the negative results and – once having reached that point – one can then proceed to either build up from scratch or correct course and move forward.
In our opinion here at Common Sense University, this is the situation the Republican Party has found itself in since last November’s general election. They were thoroughly defeated by the Democrats who won the White House and overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress. The Democrats have analyzed these election results as clear mandates for their liberal agenda and are proceeding with break-neck speed. And what are the Republicans doing more than six months since the November elections? Instead of going back to basics, they are bickering among themselves, throwing blame around and have commenced intra-party fights in public. Many of them are still wondering what went wrong in November and make up excuses for what happened then.
This is the worst possible thing they can do! This will lead to nothing more than a further erosion of the party and possibly even more devastating losses at the next elections in 2010 and 2012. We at this site want to state clearly here that we are not members of the Republican Party but instead we are just common sense conservatives and as such offer the following advise to them by recommending a strategy of going back to basics. And that means identifying and aligning with the foundation of this country of ours: The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America! Yes, go back to basics and move forward from there. Read the principles again upon which this country was founded. Become familiar again with ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.’ And it goes on from there. If you have not read them in some time, read them again, these two documents give very powerful definitions of the foundation of our country.
What do we mean by the above reference to our founding documents? We think there are a number of things that can be done right away:
- v First of all, do not be afraid to call yourselves a Conservative if you truly are in your basic beliefs and the principles and values by which you live! Work on being a Conservative a positive and proud thing and delineate its basic beliefs. Fight those who want to propagate a negative image of conservatism, question them about their mindset and understanding about conservatism. Clearly define conservative values and principles and take pride in agreeing with them. Do not shy away from advocating self-reliance, honor and pride of country and so forth.
- v At the same time call Liberals what they truly are: Liberals! Do not allow them to refer to themselves as so called ‘Progressives’. That word means absolutely nothing in and of itself and was created simply as a smoke screen by Liberals to evade direct challenges to their liberal beliefs.
- v Stop immediately the use of such meaningless words as the ‘Left’ and the ‘Right’, ‘Left-wing’ and ‘Right-wing’, ‘Far-Left’ and ‘Far-Right’ as well as ‘Leftwing-Extremists’ and ‘Rightwing-Extremists’. These words are totally flawed in that they do not reflect clear ideology. Left and Right are directional terms depending on where you are at any moment. Liberal and Conservative are words that define ideology and the arguments and debates should be between them. Back to Basics demands such a clear definition and the sooner we lose the foggy staples of Left and Right, the clearer the political differences can be focused on. It also eliminates the negative aspects of name calling and identification. There is no agreement required by all parties, if Liberals want to continue to be Progressives, let them do so but as Conservatives, do not shy away from clearly identifying yourself as such and referring to Liberals as Liberals!
- v Purge your Party from those individuals who claim to be ‘Republicans In Name Only.’ Yes, the so called RINO’s. If these people cannot openly admit and demonstrate by deeds to be conservative but want to straddle the fence and vote in accordance with their personal beliefs and agendas, they truly do hurt the Republican Party and by allowing them membership in your Party, you lose more voters than you gain since it is much easier to disillusion a voter by trying to fool him or her.
In the next few articles, we will define Conservative and Liberal values as we see them in more detail for the purpose of clear differentiation between the two of them.