Breaking the Cycle

This is an op-ed written by Bob Beauprez and my brother, Drew, that I thought was worth posting.

BREAKING THE CYCLE

by

The Honorable Bob Beauprez and Drew Ryun

Over the last few weeks, thousands of people have voted in primaries across the United States.  The most important message to those voters is that their job – and their opportunity – doesn’t end when the polls close.  The opportunity to make change happen comes today and every day.

Take the question so many conservatives are asking themselves today: How in the world did we end up here? Did voting for George W. Bush advance the conservative cause? Is voting for Republican candidates the way to achieve conservative policy victories?

No. No matter what party takes control of the House, Senate, or White House, it is simply business as usual, expanding government and empowering politicians on both sides of the aisle who concern themselves primarily with the perpetuation of their own power and the power of government.

For years we the people have fueled a system that has spun further and further out of control. But there is hope. There is now a new way forward to break this cycle. We do not have to rely on the status quo–the same players, the same insiders, the same places, or the same plays–to fight and to win.

The American people are standing up to power, corruption and politicians’ self-interest in a way our democratic republic has not enjoyed since our founding.  They deserve to win back their power and win back their country.

More are joining this movement to engage and empower the American people in a uniquely American way. Citizen control of government was the standard of the American political system for over one hundred years. That is no longer the case, but what was lost can be regained.

Right now, the John Hancock Committee and its like-minded allies are rebuilding the key functions necessary to win in politics and change the system forever. They are all privatized functions, which means we’re not relying on the Republican or Democrat Party, consultants or party insiders, to win our fights. It is the job of party insiders and consultants to protect the party. Our job, as conservatives, is to promote truly conservative ideas and leaders who are critical to preserving freedom and protecting our nation’s future.

This means encouraging free-market, freedom-loving leaders to run as candidates within the two-party system, from school board to United States Senate. It means creating a trusted source of news outside the mainstream media. It means innovating public policy and marketing political ideas. And most importantly, it means building a system to keep elected officials accountable inside and outside of election cycles. All these pieces and more are in motion from Texas to Maine and Missouri to Hawaii.

We are working where the action is and where the people are: in the states and away from Washington, DC.

For too long we conservatives have placed our trust in a party system to win elections, to carry our standard to state capitols and the nation’s capitol, and to represent us behind closed doors. That trust has been squandered.

So, we face a choice: throw up our hands up and say, ”You can’t change the system. Things have always been done this way and they will always be done this way.”

Or, realign resources, redefine the balance of power, and reinvent politics.

To give up is to deny that we are blessed to live in the greatest nation on Earth. It is precisely that belief in American exceptionalism that inspires the revolution currently afoot from coast to coast.

So, consider declaring your independence from the party system, from consultants and party insiders who want to pad their pockets with money and from losing. Try something new.

Take part in the transformation of politics as we’ve known it and take back the country that is rightfully yours.

The Honorable Bob Beauprez represented the 7^th District of Colorado for two terms and is the current Vice-chair of the John Hancock Committee for the States. Drew Ryun, son of former United States Congressman Jim Ryun, served as a deputy director in the Grassroots Division at the Republican National Committee and is the current Executive Director of the John Hancock Committee for the States.