The road ahead
I think that this comment from “Eric,” our resident strategist, is worth highlighting:
…[I]t’s up to the Republicans to counter the Democrats. It’s up to the Right to counter the Left.
Yes, the Democrats have been taken over by the Left, but it’s a matter of scope. The Left operates in larger scope than the Dems’ elected-office scope, ie, the social-activist scope, which is beyond the scope of the GOP.
In order for the GOP to effectively counter the Democratic wing of the larger Left, the Right must effectively counter the Left across the broader spectrum of the social cultural/political arena, and by the same token, develop the leverage to hold the GOP accountable, if not take over the GOP like the Left has taken over the Dems.
I think that says it quite succinctly.
In addition to all the anger at the GOP, there’s been quite a bit of reactive “I’m ready to give up on politics” sentiment on the right lately—a theme of depression and withdrawal. To those who say, “we vote for conservatives, but what’s the point?,” I’d answer that although I think that attitude is understandable, it could be a recipe for the triumph of evil. We don’t know what has been different as a result of voting for conservatives because we don’t know what would have happened if, for example, Congress and the presidency had been totally dominated by liberals all those years when they were not.
One thing that I think has changed is that, although conservatives don’t dominate the Republican Party, they do constitute a greater percentage of it than they did in recent decades. The solution to the problem of the GOP would be to support more conservatives, and work for that. I am quite puzzled as to why so many on the right appear to give up so easily and quickly. And if you say to me: what do you mean quickly?—I’ll point out that the left has been working for at least 150 years in order to reach the point it’s reached now, maybe even more. And working very very hard, too. I assure you they never give up, although there have been times when it must have looked to them like they were losing.
I realize that the left can point to a consistent record of long, slow victories—a steady march towards more government dependency, for instance. But that’s partly the nature of government in general and of human nature, as well as the left’s “end justifies the means” tactics.
The left has in many ways an easier road to go down because they are swimming with the tide—or what appears to be the tide—of human nature. The right has a harder task; the problem is baked in the cake, because it’s hard to convince government to control less, and to convince people to accept that government’s seductive promise to solve all its cares is a pipe dream. But it’s also human nature to desire independence. So all of this doesn’t mean that the right can’t someday reverse or at least slow and then halt that natural tendency of government and people to revert to what I’d call the “Grand Inquisitor” solution—although to halt it permanently requires more vigilance than the right has been able to exercise so far. As I wrote a while back:
There seems to be something in human nature that inclines societies in this direction. For every person who values liberty, how many are there who would prefer security (or at least what they perceive as security)? I don’t know the ratio and I think it varies over time and place, but right now the latter group appears to be markedly in the ascendance.
But the tendency is there in all times and places, and there are always those who would dearly love to exploit that tendency for the sake of power and control. Sometimes it’s done “for their own good,” and sometimes just for the sake of power and control itself and/or riches and/or glory, although they usually pretend to be more well-intended than that.
In this context, the classic passage from Dostoevsky’s Grand Inquisitor keeps coming to mind. I’ve published it so many times on this blog I’ve lost count, but it never grows old and it never ceases to be relevant—unfortunately:
Oh, never, never can [people] feed themselves without us [the Inquisitors and controllers]! No science will give them bread so long as they remain free. In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet, and say to us, “Make us your slaves, but feed us.” They will understand themselves, at last, that freedom and bread enough for all are inconceivable together, for never, never will they be able to share between them! They will be convinced, too, that they can never be free, for they are weak, vicious, worthless, and rebellious. Thou didst promise them the bread of Heaven, but, I repeat again, can it compare with earthly bread in the eyes of the weak, ever sinful and ignoble race of man?
Heed this from a man who thought that the forces of liberty could fight back against the forces of the Inquisitor, and who lived his life accordingly:
I offer a series of tweets from Dread Pirate Cates on March 3 of this year that reflect the same vision (link below, emphasis mine):
The link:
https://storify.com/drawandstrike/we-re-almost-there-in-taking-over-the-gop-from-bot?awesm=sfy.co_g0NH8&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_content=storify-pingback&utm_campaign=&utm_source=t.co
A final thought: Ilegitimi Non Carborundum (Don’t let the bastards wear you down)!
If you ever want to get a “liberal”* angry–and who doesn’t–quote from Doestoevski’s “Grand Inquisitor” and pointedly ask him/her if it sounds familiar. I did this on a blog when Obama was first running for president, and the “liberal” outrage was hilarious. Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt, as they say.
*and by “liberal” I mean of course “tax-happy, coercion-addicted, power-tripping State-fellator”
I think one thing conservatives need to remember is that we are a bottom up society. That means we should pay attention to local politics and common sense solutions to local problems. This type of thinking can then work its way up to state level, and you may find the policies of a Scott Walker attracting attention on a national level. You can’t really fight our battles at the touchy-feely level of national politics. There are just too many ideological hurdles to overcome. Instead, it’s better to point to the next state or county where conservative policies are shown to work and cost less. It’s harder to ignore property tax differences than to win a debate over federalism. Maryland didn’t elect a Rep governor because the beltway folks have started reading Hayek. The did it because taxes kept going up and businesses kept leaving for VA or WV.
Sometimes I am greatly disappointed by the gop, but the solution to turning back the tide is as expat notes, to succeed at the local and state level in order to have the possibility of puttting dc back in the box of the 9th and 10th. Just remember its for our grandchildren.
“There is no such thing as a lost cause because there is no such thing as a Gained Cause. We fight for lost causes because we know that our defeat and dismay may be the preface to our successors’ victory, though that victory itself will be temporary; we fight rather to keep something alive than in the expectation that anything will triumph.”
– T S Eliot
“We fight rather to keep something alive”. Well no, we really don’t, not when we tussle in political skirmishes in the midst of a religious war — recall first, God is dead. The Inquisitor’s very appearance makes this abundantly clear.
As Western civilization, based on and nurtured by Christianity, attained ever-greater heights, greater freedoms, greater tolerance for the ‘other’, around it not much of the hardness of life had been ameliorated, let alone done away with. In the midst of malarias, choleras, droughts, plagues, wars, barbaric invasions, the plinth upon which that civilization had been set became stronger, remained strong. Internecine religious/political wars (Christian/Protestant) had not crumbled it, nor cracked it. It was not until the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, the age of anything can be rationalized, even mass murder, that the plinth had been weakened, then cracked, and is now crumbling.
The Inquisitor asks:
“Thou didst promise them the bread of Heaven, but, I repeat again, can it compare with earthly bread in the eyes of the weak, ever sinful and ignoble race of man?”
Until we can answer — yes! it more than compares, it is the greater nourishment; and the ever sinful and ignoble race of man has been redeemed — if we will have it.
The next election will mean diddly-squat to this nation and those of us who will not be consoled by it. The next filled church will be more than consolation — it will mean war — at last.
Paul Ryan has given us an excellent examplle of bottom up.
http://dailysignal.com/2015/03/23/new-documentary-shows-how-community-leaders-are-reducing-poverty/?utm_source=heritagefoundation&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailydigest&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRoisqzNZKXonjHpfsX56e0pX6W0lMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4HS8tkI%2BSLDwEYGJlv6SgFQrLBMa1ozrgOWxU%3D
This link is huge. If it doesn’t work, check out OpportunityLives.com
Somehow I don’t think the people in this documentary will be impressed that Hillary was dead broke when Bill left office. And I don’t think they will care about seeing Race Together on a Starbuck’s cup.
expat — If you go to tinyurl.com you can turn such long links into very short ones, like this for the long one you provided above: http://tinyurl.com/nneraxl
“In order for the GOP to effectively counter the Democratic wing of the larger Left, the Right must effectively counter the Left across the broader spectrum of the social cultural/political arena” Eric
How exactly is the Right going to “effectively counter the Left across the broader spectrum of the social cultural/political arena” when the Left controls academia, the schools and the mass media?
The Left has engaged in a multi-generational process of indoctrination into its memes and narrative and 24/7 engages in obfuscation, lies and accusations of those on the Right to keep the LIVs in the dark. The result of that is its useful idiot ‘true believers’ and LIVs.
Information is processed through the filters of our beliefs and attitudes. As we here know, its a rare person who ever allows fact, logic and reason to question those beliefs. So too with the LIVs, we all have much experience with just how resistant LIVs are to anything that disputes their comfortable assumptions and certainties.
neo rightly points out that, “the left has been working for at least 150 years in order to reach the point it’s reached now, maybe even more. And working very very hard, too.” Plus the left has a strangle-hold on the organs of informational dissemination, which means that making real progress in “effectively counter[ing] the Left across the broader spectrum of the social cultural/political arena” is a multi-generational process.
However, neo among others, has also rightly pointed out how close the Left is to reaching a tipping point where it cannot be constitutionally defeated at the polls. The demographic trends are grim and unyeilding.
Throw in a little cheating in carefully selected districts in swing states and arguably, we have already passed that point.
Which leaves a very harsh dose of reality as the only remedy left, which is what is going to happen.
The Left with its control of the schools and mass media, its belief that the ideological ends justify any means necessary, its broad based campaign of attacking American societal consensus in every area and avenue and its activist liberal judiciary has and will eviscerate any effective countering of the Left “across the broader spectrum of the social cultural/political arena”.
Couple that with a public that increasingly demands equality of outcome and you arrive at Ludwig von Mises’ insight; “Political ideas that have dominated the public mind for decades cannot be refuted through rational arguments. They must run their course in life and cannot collapse otherwise than in great catastrophe…”
I don’t think the hold the Left has on most garden-variety Democrats is really that strong. It relies too much on lies and distortions and slander of the opposition. It’s a house of cards.
In other words, they can be gotten round. Simple points: such as, “Gun control freaks are like someone who says, after every DWI crash, ‘Let’s confiscate everyone else’s river’s license!'”
We need to hammer holes in the edifice of lies. One whacking great hole at a time.
The ratchet only moves left. The hope for smaller, more accountable government is as much of a pipe dream as peace in the middle east. It’s fine to dream but I’d still recommend stocking up on canned goods and ammo. Peace be upon you.
KLSmith,
I’m not sure that we can’t turn things back. the Paul Ryan work, Steve Forbes’ new push for a flat tax (recent speech at American Heritage), and articles like this
http://dailysignal.com/2015/03/23/new-documentary-shows-how-community-leaders-are-reducing-poverty/?utm_source=heritagefoundation&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailydigest&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRoisqzNZKXonjHpfsX56e0pX6W0lMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4HS8tkI%2BSLDwEYGJlv6SgFQrLBMa1ozrgOWxU%3D
in which the fact that no one is talking about the problems of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown before age 18 are discussed, may start some people thinking about whether the left has only superficially tried to advance blacks. I think Forbes made a good talk about people wanting more simplicity and visible equal treatment of tax laws. There is something very down to earth about the way these concerns are shown that can perhaps counter the prevailing stereotype that conservatives don’t care about people. All seem to be talking about empowering people rather than creating grand government schemes.
I do think Cherry could have gone a step or two further by talking about the role young women play in setting standards for young men and finding ways to bind them to the family.
Ann,
I should stop pasting articles from e-mails, which is why they have all that extra garbage. It doesn’t appear till after I’ve clicked to insert it so it’s hard to tell whether you need a tiny Url.
expat: I’d love to be wrong.
I think the weight of reality, whether fast or slow, will increasingly help us out. We don’t necessarily need to convince people to switch their ideas. (Though if you are good at that, keep going.) We need to keep presenting that there is an intellectually credible place to jump when they become disillusioned.
In fact, I think “disillusionment” is the theme to present to the young. A lot of them are already halfway there after voting for Obama coolness (“Look! A president who takes selfies! OMG!”) and finding that their own lives are actually a little worse. Come to think of it, if this were a Republican president the media would already be doing interviews and talking on the Sunday morning shows about why the young are disillusioned (hoping it will self-fulfill).