The 2010 primary season was, for the most part, a good one for limited government, freedom-loving conservatives. Most of the high profile challenges against the incumbent or establishment candidates, with Mike Lee, Ken Buck, Joe Miller, and Sharron Angle ended with the grassroots candidate winning. The American people clearly demonstrated that they are tired of long time incumbents, the ruling class, ignoring the will of the people and growing government spending and the role of government in people’s lives.

But we need to put things into perspective: the 2010 primary season must be seen as simply the opening salvo in the American people’s war against statism. It is the first battle in many to come in the war over whether the American people, or the ruling class, will control the American system of government.

Sure, there are reasons to celebrate, but let’s be honest: nothing has been won yet. The primary victories are just that: primary, not general election, victories. And while it’s humorous to see the befuddlement of the establishment as yet another one of its candidates goes down in defeat, think about this: of the 472 U.S. Representatives and Senators running this fall, it is almost guaranteed, in a supposed “anti-incumbent, anti-establishment” election that 80% or more of the incumbents will win this year.

Those statistics are just at the federal level, but they hold true even at the state level: roughly 80% of state house and state senate incumbents will win this fall. The good people over at Ballotpedia.org have even compiled a list of state legislators who will not even be challenged in the general election. The list is uncomfortably long, which is staggering given that this is a Congressional re-districting year due to the census.

All of this to say to the grassroots: there have been great victories, and progress in the right direction. But we must be honest: in 2010, with 80% of the incumbents winning, the ruling class will actually win the first battle in the war. What will be the true test is what the grassroots, and I would say the American people, will do in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014; quite frankly for every election, every year, for the next 10-15 years.

What it comes to is this: If the American people are truly interested in winning the battle over who will run our form of government, if they truly believe that all power inheres in the people, not the ruling class, then they must break the power of the incumbents at all levels of government. If the American people can control the nomination process of a party, or parties, they will control the party, and quite frankly, the system of government.

What those of us who believe in free enterprise and limited government are confronting; an out-of-control bureaucracy, out-of-touch leaders, and fiscal irresponsibility, did not materialize overnight, and will not be changed overnight. It will take time to shift the massive ship of the American state and get it back on course.

I would say that until we see a losing percentage of 50% or more for incumbents at all levels of government we cannot truly say that there is an anti-incumbent wave and that the American people are winning the war against the ruling class. That percentage will not happen in the next election, or even the next after that, but I believe it should the conservative movement’s goal to increase by 5-10% every year the number of incumbents beaten. The starting point is to simply challenge incumbents in primaries (between 2000-2008, a GOP U.S. House member had a 98.3-99.5% chance of winning his or her primary).

I was asked by a reporter the other day if the “civil war” in the Republican Party was over. I told him I didn’t believe that there was a civil war: what’s taking place is people expecting Republican leaders to actually adhere to the principles of the party, and if they don’t, we can find leaders that do. He asked if I thought we’d see more of what took place in the 2010 primary season play out in the future. I told him we were just getting warmed up and to expect more of the same in 2012 and beyond. There are six Republican U.S. Senators that might need to be challenged in 2012. There are dozens of House members, and untold numbers of state legislators, county commissioners, city council and school board members who should also be primaried.

The process of breaking the incumbents’ hold over the American system of government will not be an easy one, but it will be well worth it. A farm team of conservative leaders at all levels of government needs to be identified and groomed, and American Majority is in the process of doing just that. But that is only part of the solution: the American people have to stay engaged and demand greater transparency and accountability from their leaders and government. Furthermore, we must have leaders sent to Washington, DC who believe that power should be devolved from DC and back to as local a level as possible-concentrated power was never what the Founders intended, and in fact, it is precisely what the Founders feared.

If the American people can beat the ruling class, and regain control of the government of “We the People,” they can renew the Founders’ vision for America. If we will renew the great principles of free enterprise and limited government, then we as a nation can rise to even greater heights of freedom and prosperity for all in the 21^st century.

This New Englander is a little fuzzy on Texas history, but one thing I do remember is the true story of the Battle of the Alamo.  It was at that Spanish Mission that about 100 Texans and others stood their ground against overwhelming Mexican forces.  All but two defenders died that day, but the temporary loss would soon become a rallying cry that would to victory.

About six weeks later at the Battle of San Jacinto, the Texan army launched a surprise attack against General Santa Anna’s camp near Lynchburg Ferry.  During the battle the phrase, “Remember the Alamo” was uttered continuously and the Santa Anna’s forces were routed quickly.  Just a few weeks later Santa Anna was captured and the Treaties of Velaso were signed, effectively ending the bloody conflict and paving the way for Texan independence.

I do not wish to trivialize war by comparing the clash between the Texan and Mexican forces to the recent healthcare battle.  I do wish, however, to draw out the sentiments from the conflict because I think they are applicable.

What was witnessed yesterday was an end (not the end) to a protracted battle between statist and anti-statist forces over healthcare legislation.  Despite overwhelming public opposition, the House leadership was able to marshal enough support and endure dozens of defections over concerns of cost and legislators not convinced that the civil rights of the unborn were being protected.

A major battle was lost yesterday.  The will of the people has been arrogantly thwarted.  The future prosperity of our nation has been compromised.  The sustainability of quality medical care has been jeopardized.

But all is certainly not lost.  Just as “Remember the Alamo” became the rallying cry that ultimately brought about victory, so too should the events of yesterday propel those who believe that individual freedom, limited government and personal responsibility leads to a free people and society and prosperity of both the individual and the nation.  These are the foundations our nation was built upon and what made us into the greatest nation history has ever seen.

Today our rallying cry is not “Remember the Alamo,” but “Remember America.”  We cannot disengage from the fight, we must press on.  There are more battles ahead.

We must “Remember America” in midst of every policy debate from the local level on up.

We must “Remember America” as we continue to hold our elected officials accountable to the people they serve.

We must “Remember America” when we head to the ballot box this spring, summer and fall and decide who best represents our nation’s future.

Today we nurse our own wounds, but tomorrow it’s back to work dressing the wounds of nation.  If we “Remember America,” and stay vigilant and engaged for the cause of freedom, not only can we win battles, but we will win ultimate conflict against statism and the tyranny it brings.

So tonight we get to hear the State of the Union, and it will no doubt follow the usual storyline of glossing over the bad, highlighting the good (if there is any?), but in the end not really providing us an honest evaluation of where we stand right now, January 27, 2010. With all that has happened in the past year, I sincerely hope the President will address the nation honestly and openly.

Since January of 2009, we have seen the growth of the government like almost no other period in history: the government takeover of General Motors, government takeover of financial institutions, the massive bailout (that was actually a goody bag for special interests and has done zero for increasing jobs), the explosion in government spending (can someone explain why federal employees making salaries of $100,000 or more jumped from 14% to 19% during the last 18 months? And here I thought there was a recession . . . ), and now government is 40% of GDP, which means since government is bigger, it can insert itself even more into our lives. And I haven’t even mentioned the healthcare bill of 2009, which was a crass grab by our political class to control 1/6th of the American economy.

So what I’d like to see done tonight is just an admission by the President:

“Yes, America, we think the state needs to grow. We think that the increased role of the government in your lives is obviously a great thing (i.e. statism). We think we know better than you.”

Although I do not agree, at least then he would be telling the truth about where the state of our union really lies.

What about you? What would you like to see discussed?