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At Least One Thing Conservatives Need to Learn From Liberals
March 31, 2010
When I was seeking employment late last year I was drawn to American Majority for several reasons: their principled philosophy of lower taxes, less government intervention and more economic freedom and liberty, the great team of conservative leaders across the country, and their wonderful educational workshops that provide both activists and candidates with a wealth of resources and knowledge in what it takes to become effective political leaders. But one thing stood out above all the rest, that being American Majority’s overarching mission statement: to create a farm team of conservative local officials from the bottom-up that will shape our country’s political thought process for years to come.
The idea of changing the political landscape at a grassroots level regrettably is a relatively new phenomenon within the conservative community. However, those on the other side of the political spectrum have studied and implemented this organizational mindset with great success for years. One of those credited with creating the current grassroots political movement is an individual by the name of Saul Alinsky. Never heard of him? Well, you should. Alinsky was a high-profile community organizer in the progressive movement dating back over a half-century ago. Among his admirers are such current politicians as Hillary Clinton and President Obama. And yet while being strongly associated with a liberal agenda, Alinsky was indeed good at what he did strictly from an organizational perspective. So effective in fact that conservative author William F. Buckley once said he was “very close to being an organizational genius” and that recently on his book tour Karl Rove named “Rules of Radicals” written by Alinsky as a book that every field rep on a campaign should read.
In no way shape or form do we at American Majority associate ourselves with the policies and message that Alinsky and others adhered to and articulated. Yet, we do strongly believe, like Alinsky, that developing a grassroots force of community leaders that focuses on specific philosophical views is essential to changing the political system. And so you ask, so what can I do to get involved in “our conservative movement” to confront these tactics that we have seen from our politicians in Washington and that have been on display in the media? Well, for starters, sign up or request one of American Majority’s activist and candidate trainings at a venue near you.
Together, we can and will make a difference in advocating and implementing the principles of liberty and freedom. As we gear up for another round of tax day tea parties and rallies, keep in mind that organizing politically at the local level does not belong to the Left, in fact, the numbers and entrepreneurial spirit of the conservative movement favor us in grassroots activism. Remember that American Majority is here to help you take back your community, your state, and eventually the nation.
“Take back” from who? America doesn’t belong to the right or left, it belongs to everyone. If we truly value democracy, we must accept the will of the voters to elect whoever they want to represent them.
Another galvanizing aspect of the Progressive Grass Roots efforts was new ideas. The Conservatives keep pumping the same short term ideas they have been floating for the last 30 years. Many of these ideas have been proven wrong, like trickle down economics. Or they are short sighted like drilling in the ANWR. I think everyone would be ok with drilling there if the drillers 1] guaranteed minimal destruction of wildlife and ecosystems and 2] a guarantee they will clean everything up when they are done vs say declaring bankruptcy once we are off oil leaving the tax payer to clean up. The Conservatives rarely take views that protect the long term benefit for future generations. Baby boomers are the worst for this. Both Dem and GOP baby boomers ran up trillions of 30 year debt knowing they will be dead when the bill comes.
So you need grass roots, but your ideas have to be new, fair, long term, and not selfish.
I must respectfully disagree with the commenter who says that “new ideas” are what propelled the modern progressive movement. In reality, there is no such thing as new ideas. If you look throughout history, you see the same kinds of debates being waged. How much crops should be stored in case of famine? What revenues can be levied for times of war? Does property belong to the tribe or to the individual?
Sure, specific circumstances change, but the underlying principles do not. The the notion that progressives are the source of “new ideas” is false. Neither are conservatives the source of new ideas. Where the battle is won in lost is whose set of principles win the day in terms of messaging and persuasion of the general public.
While progressives use buzz words like “trickle down economics” “fairness” and “inclusive,” conservatives use words like “individual freedom,” “personal responsibility” and “equality of opportunity.” The effectiveness of these statements has nothing to do with their veracity, however.
Too often ideological battles are fought, not over principles, but at surface levels over buzz words and inaccurate characterizations, and that is why the general public often tunes out such debate.
No ideological camp has done a particularly good job at communicating their underlying principles in recent years. Americans are looking for a clear and organic message that speaks to them. But until that happens, they will remain skeptical of all comers.
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Hooie said: “Or they are short sighted like drilling in the ANWR. I think everyone would be ok with drilling there if the drillers 1] guaranteed minimal destruction of wildlife and ecosystems and 2] a guarantee they will clean everything up when they are done vs say declaring bankruptcy once we are off oil leaving the tax payer to clean up.”
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1. Our oil companies do work very hard to minimize environmental impact. It is foreign oil companies that disregard the environment.
2. You think oil company executives are so stupid that they’ll run their businesses into the ground when oil runs out? Haven’t you been watching TV? They all realize that they are in the ENERGY business, not just oil. They won’t go out of business when oil runs out. They are smarter than that.