Posted by
Darrick Johnson on Wednesday, November 05, 2008 1:45:05 AM
1. Congratulations to Barack Obama.
I don't agree with him on much, and none of my objections to his presidency have changed...but it is a moment worth pausing to reflect. Think of the American founders, many of whom saw the evil of slavery, seeing a black man assume the highest office in the land...I'm disappointed tonight in the political choice my fellow Americans have made, but I'm proud that it was a political choice, not a racial one.
2. To My Conservative Friends: Be Calm.
Remember what we felt and still feel about the Democrats awful treatment of George Bush. Don't return the favor. Barack Obama won, he's going to be our President, and we owe him our prayers and best wishes. His failures will be our failures, and his successes ours. I want to beat Obama in 4 years, but not at the expense of rooting for America's failure in the meantime. Hyperbole and name-calling are ineffective, and inappropriate, but very easy to indulge in...we have to fight the temptation. Don't ever forget how Bush was treated. And remember that feeling when you are angry with Obama or his supporters.
3. To My Liberal Friends: Why We Distrust You
Your party is different, more militant, and less moderate than it was in 1992. Everyone supports the rights of minority when they are in the minority...only those with true character support the rights of the minority when they don't have to. Barack Obama's campaign, and the Democratic Party at large have shown certain anti-democratic tendencies, kicking McCain supporting reports off the plane, Black Panthers at the polls, Acorn's voter fraud effort. We will be watching you reaction to anti-speech measures like the Fairness Doctrine. We will note your vigilance or lack thereof in purging voter fraud, and ensuring clean elections. We will note Obama's tolerance of dissent and criticism. Will critics be respected as a 'loyal opposition' or pilloried as 'opponents of change.' Militancy is almost humerous amongst those without power...its scary when it wields real power. We hope to see the militancy depart when your side takes over, but doubt that it will.
4. Going Forward: Why did we lose?
2002-2006:
The damage done to our party by the fecklessness and corruption of certain Republicans in 2002-2006 cannot be minimized. Corrupt and incompentent Republicans have to be purged, no matter how likeable, or nice they be...Corruption kills...its not fair that Democrats get away with more, but we can't control them, we can control our own party. They dilute our message, ruin our brand, and vaccinate Democrats against very appropriate charges of corruption.
Inside the box:
There has been little or no creativity in our party about how to reach voters. We do what we always have...we run look-alike attack ads with scary grain video, and an ominous narrator...it blends in the background, wastes money at best, and is counter productive at worst. The next years will offer unprecedented opporrunity to find new ways to reach undecided voters. We preach about the dynamism of the market, but we run our campaigns like the post office...we do what we have always done, and if we get outspent, we lose. We need to figure out how to win and persuade without clumsy, ill-conceived advertising.
Shaping the battlefield:
20 years ago, this race would have ended, in John McCain's favor, after Obama declared his intention to spread the wealth around. We can't let liberal Democrats frame the debate for 3 years, and try to eke out a win, on their turf, in the last 2 months. Wars aren't fought this way, and when they are, its disastrous. We need to have some Gulf War 1 strategy here...the next 3 years offer an opportunity to frame the debate, on our terms, before the ground war of the election begins. Show voters that redistribution of wealth is bad now, so that in 4 years Democrats will be laughed out of the room for advocating a 'soak the rich' policy. Show voters that the free market does health care better than the government, so we don't have ot have a bidding war with Democrats in 4 years over health care policy and medicare expansion. Frame the debate, and make them campaign on our turf. For years we have been fighting on their turf, and either losing, or narrowly winning, and only after making liberal-lite promises we either can't or shouldn't keep.
5. Finally: Chin Up
We live in a great country...we still have the most valient and skilled military in the world. We are still a nation of entreprenours like Joe The Plumber. The American people are talented, strong, and resilient.
Things change...the Democrats were given up for dead after 2004...what a difference 4 years make. Its fun, and easy, on election night to prognosticate 30 years of politics based on one nights results. But its not valuable. Events change, scandals happen, crises happen, succesess happen. Tonight is about tonight...the future isn't known...don't pretend it is.
God is still God. The sky is still blue. Life goes on. Don't let a political defeat ruin you're life. Politics is deadly serious business, but its not everything. We conservatives advocate limited government. Now is the time to live it. The Government is not the country...the people are the country...in addition to keeping up the fight for our principles, go enjoy being one of the people.