Hello Friends,
Most of us are aware that the many grass roots campaigns are working to good effect. The Democrats/liberals aren't admitting it but their hysterical reactions are proof that once the silent majority becomes more vocal and show they mean business they become paranoid and afraid.
We've seen them try and minimize the Tea Party campaigns that are becoming extremely vocal and the regime with their lackeys in the Main stream media try and turn them into criminals. Take for example the jihadi terrorist attack on Fort Hood. Every body knows it was a terrorist attack and all the evidence proves just that. But rather then call a spade a spade the protesters are the potential terrorists and criminals and the jihadi Maj. Nidal Hasan was a "victim". Why, cos they oppose the Marxist/Socialist agenda of B Hussein Obowma and his regime. No more no less. Oppose him and you are a potential criminal.
The below article explains the grass root movements and what their plan of action should be. It's quite long but well worth the read.
Shalom,
Peter
Posted by David Horowitz on Nov 26th, 2009 and filed under FrontPage.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
A specter is haunting America – the specter of a people rising. Allacross the nation Americans are waking up to the threat of a leftistelite determined to fundamentally change America, push through asocialist agenda, and make every citizen dependent on the state. TheObama machine is spending trillions of tax-payer dollars to financetheir takeover of the American workplace and stifle the independence ofthe American people. But America is resilient nation, built on theprinciples of private property and individual freedom, and theresistance to their socialist plans has already begun.
In May 2009, just five months into the Obama administration, thepeople of California launched a tax revolt in the biggest spendingstate in the nation. So reckless were the leftist Democrats who runCalifornia (and have done so for as long as anyone can remember) thatits deficit alone was larger than the budgets of most other states inthe Union and of many of the nations of the world. Leftwing politiciansdon’t cut budgets; they propose new taxes. And California’s leftwinglegislature did just that. But thanks to a constitutional amendment putin place by the California electorate through the state Initiativeprocess, California legislators can’t raise taxes without a two-thirdsreferendum of the people. So they were forced to hold a specialelection in May to appeal to the electorate to pass five new ballotInitiatives to raise taxes.
But when the votes were counted, all five tax-raising Initiativeshad been defeated by 60% margins. Even in San Francisco. A sixthInitiative designed by tax opponents to punish legislators who do notbalance the budget passed by a more than 70% margin. Even inSan Francisco. If one of the most liberal states in the Union is sayingno to the soak-the-public philosophy of leftwing legislators, Obamasocialism is in big trouble.
The revolt in California quickly spread to the entire nation throughthe efforts of the Tea Parties movement, the most innovative, excitingand powerful grassroots force in the history of American conservatism.It is vital to the health of this country that the Tea Parties movementgrow. More to the point: it is essential to American survival that theTea Parties movement succeed. On the eve of the 2008 presidentialelection, Barack Obama said “We are five days away from fundamentallytransforming America.” The Tea Parties movement is the American peoplesaying no to Obama’s plans for revolution.
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A movement without an effective strategy for defeating its opponentscannot succeed. Therefore it is important to reacquaint ourselves withthe art of political war.
While Democrats are morally bankrupt and clueless aboutpolicy – about what makes things work — they still win electionsbecause they understand a simple fact: American politics is driven bythe romance of the underdog, the story of the little guy who goes upagainst the system and triumphs in the end. It is a story aboutopportunity and fairness. To win the hearts and minds of the Americanvoter, you have to tap the emotions the romance of the underdog evokes.Whoever does so has a winning edge.
America’s heroes are all cut to this common mold. Whether it isGeorge Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Davy Crockett, Thomas Edison, HenryFord, Amelia Earhart, Jackie Robinson, Ronald Reagan or Colin Powell,the theme is always the same: The common man who rises against theodds. America’s political romance is “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington” tomake things right. It is “Meet John Doe” who speaks for the voiceless.It is Luke Skywalker who saves the planet by using the good side of theForce to defeat the Empire. It is the odyssey of individuals whochallenge power, overcome adversity and rise to the top. Everyone inAmerica thinks of themselves as an underdog and aspires to be a hero.
The cause of the underdog wins American hearts because it resonateswith our deepest religious and moral convictions of doing good andhelping others. And because it is America’s own story. We began as asmall nation, standing up to the world’s most powerful empire. Wededicated ourselves to the idea that all men are created equal. We area nation of immigrants and a generous people who arrived with nothingand made fortunes in a new world. This is the American Dream.
It’s a story that will get you every time. But at election time,it’s the political left and the Democratic Party who know how to wieldit as a political weapon, and Republicans and conservatives generallywho don’t. Of course the Tea Parties have changed all that. And that isanother sign that we are in an extraordinary political moment. The TeaParties draw on the heritage of America’s own revolution as an underdognation and are the voice of the people, oppressed now by their owngovernment which is out of control and determined to crush them.
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In positioning themselves as champions of the under-represented,neglected and oppressed, leftists employ a version of America’s storythat they have manufactured through their grip on the media and theacademic culture. They have transformed America’s story from an epic offreedom into a tale of racism, exploitation and domination. In theirtelling, American history is no longer a narrative of expandingopportunity, of men and women succeeding against the odds. Instead, itis a Marxist Morality Play about the powerful and their victims.
In staging their political dramas, progressives invariably claim tospeak in the name of America’s alleged “victims.” Every policy of theDemocratic Party is presented as a program to help these“victims”—women, children, minorities and the poor. Simultaneously,Democrats describe Republican policies as programs that will injure theweak, ignore the vulnerable, and keep the powerless down.
Republicans play right into the Democrats’ trap because theyapproach politics as a problem of management. To Republicans, everyissue is a management issue—the utility of a tax cut, the efficiency ofa program, the optimal method for running an enterprise. Republicanstalk like businessmen who want a chance to manage the country so thatit will turn a profit.
There is nothing wrong with instituting good policies and runningthings efficiently or turning a profit. But while Republicans areperforming these Gold Star activities, Democrats are engaged in adifferent kind of drama. They are busy attacking Republicans asservants of the rich, oppressors of the weak and defenders of thestrong. And enemies of “the people.”
Listen to Mario Cuomo describing Republicans to the Democrats’ 1996 National Convention:
We need to work as we have never done before between nowand November 5th to take the Congress back from Newt Gingrich and theRepublicans, because ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, theRepublicans are the real threat. They are the real threat to our women.They are the real threat to our children. They are the real threat toclean water, clean air and the rich landscape of America.
Mario Cuomo knows the language of political war.
Democrats connect emotionally with people’s fears and concerns. Theappeal to help the underdog and defend the victim resonates with allAmericans. This is because Americans are a fair-minded people. Mostsuccessful Americans came from humble origins themselves. They want tohelp others. They want everyone to have the chance to succeed.
So do Republicans and conservatives. But they rarely connect their policies and principles to this political romance.
There’s a good reason for this. Conservatives are busy defending thereal America against the left’s attacks and the anti-Americancaricature they have constructed. Conservatives know that America isstill a land of opportunity and freedom, and that nobody in America isreally “oppressed.” (Otherwise, why would poor, black, Hispanic andAsian minorities be desperately seeking to come here? Why wouldn’t theybe leaving instead?)
But politics isn’t just about reality. If it were, good principlesand good policies would win every time. It’s about images and symbols,and the emotions they evoke. This is a battle that conservativesgenerally lose.
In the romance of the victim, as progressives stage it, Republicansand conservatives are always on the side of the bad guys—the powerful,the male, the white and the wealthy. It’s easy to see how patriotismplays into this trap. Defending America is readily mis-represented asan attitude that says: “I’m all right Jack, so you should be too.” Theleft relishes the opportunity to smear patriots as members of theselfish party instead of as defenders of individual freedom.
Ann Coulter has described the motto of the left as this: “Speakloudly and carry a small victim.” For the Democrats, the romance of thevictim stirs the souls of their supporters and energizes their base.Equally important, it provides the nuclear warhead of their politicalattack. Conservatives are targeted victimizers, and leftists as thechampions of the oppressed. Learning how to turn this around will turnaround the political war as well.
Going On The Attack
Fortunately, conservatives can use the left-wing attack againstthem. Contrary to the left’s view, America is not a land of victims. Itis a highly mobile society, with a citizenry that aspires upwards through the system, not against it.
Conservatives can also turn the left’s oppression myth around, and aim its guns at them. In fact, using the romance of the underdog against the left is the best way to neutralize their attack.
The way to do it is to recognize that the most powerfulforces obstructing opportunity for poor and minority Americans, themost powerful forces oppressing them, are progressives, the DemocraticParty, and their political creation—the welfare state.
There is really nothing new in this idea. Conservatives alreadyoppose the programs of the left as obstacles to the production ofwealth and barriers to opportunity for all Americans. What is new isthe idea of connecting this analysis to a political strategy that willgive conservatives a decisive edge in battle—that will neutralize theclass, race and gender warfare attacks of the political left.
The Principles
Here are the principles of political war that the left understands but conservatives do not:
1. Politics is war conducted by other means
2. Politics is a war of position
3. In political wars the aggressor usually prevails
4. Position is defined by fear and hope
5. The weapons of politics are symbols evoking fear and hope
6. Victory lies on the side of the people
Here are the principles explained:
Politics is war conducted by other means.
In political warfare you do not fight just to prevail in anargument, but to destroy the enemy’s fighting ability. Conservativesoften seem to regard political combats as they would a debate beforethe Oxford Political Union, as though winning depends on rationalarguments and carefully articulated principles. But the audience ofpolitics is not made up of Oxford dons, and the rules are entirelydifferent.
For starters, you have only 30 seconds to make your point. Even ifyou had time to develop an argument, the audience you need to reach(the undecided and those in the middle who are not paying muchattention) wouldn’t get it. Your words would go over some of theirheads and the rest would not even hear them (or be quickly forgotten)amidst the bustle and pressure of daily life. Worse, while you’ve beenmaking your argument the other side has already painted you as amean-spirited, border-line racist controlled by religious zealots,securely in the pockets of the rich. Nobody who sees you this way isgoing to listen to you in any case. You’re politically dead.
Politics is war. Don’t forget it.
Politics is a war of position.
In war there are two sides: friends and enemies. Yourtask is to define yourself as the friend of as large a constituencycompatible with your principles as possible, while defining youropponent as their enemy wherever and whenever you can. The act ofdefining combatants is analogous to the military concept of choosingthe terrain of battle.
Choose the terrain that makes the fight as loaded in your favor aspossible. But be careful. American politics takes place in apluralistic framework, where constituencies are diverse and often inconflict. “Fairness” and “tolerance” are the formal rules of democraticengagement. If you appear mean-spirited, nasty, or too judgmental, itwill make the task easier for your opponent to define you as a threat,and therefore as “the enemy.” (See principle 4)
In political warfare, the aggressor usually prevails.
Conservatives often pursue a strategy of waiting for the other sideto attack. In football this is known as a “prevent defense.” Inpolitics it is the strategy of losers.
Aggression is advantageous because politics is a war of position.Position is defined by images that stick. By striking first you candefine the issues and your adversary. Defining the opposition is thedecisive move in all political war. Other things being equal, whoeveris put on the defensive generally winds up on the losing side.
In attacking your opponent, take care to do it right. Going negativeincreases the risk of being defined as an enemy. Therefore, it can becounter-productive. Ruling out the negative, however, can incur an evengreater risk.
Position is defined by fear and hope.
The twin emotions of politics are fear and hope. Those who providepeople with hope become their friends; those who inspire fear becomeenemies. Of the two, hope is the better choice. By offering people hopeand yourself as its provider, you show your better side and maximizeyour potential support.
But fear is a powerful and indispensable weapon. If your opponentdefines you negatively enough, he will diminish your ability to offerhope. This is why Democrats are so determined to portray conservativesas mean-spirited, and hostile to minorities, the middle class and thepoor.
It is important to work away from the negative images your opponentwants to pin on you. If you know you are going to be attacked asintolerant and bigoted it’s a good idea to lead with a position that isinclusive and fair-minded. If you are going to be framed asmean-spirited and ungenerous, it’s a good idea to put on a smile andlead with symbols that project generosity and charity.
The weapons of politics are symbols evoking fear and hope.
Conservatives lose a lot of political battles because they comeacross as hard-edged, scolding, scowling and sanctimonious. A good ruleof thumb says be just the opposite. You have to convince people youcare about them before they’ll care about what you have to say.
When you do get to speak, don’t forget that a sound-bite is all youhave. Whatever you have to say, make sure to say it loud and clear.Keep it simple and keep it short. (A slogan is always better). Repeatit often. Get it on television. Radio is good, but with few exceptions,only television reaches a public that is electorally significant. Inpolitics, television is reality.
Of course, you have a base of supporters who will listen for hoursto what you have to say if that’s what you want. In the battles facingyou, they will play an important role. Therefore, what you say to themis also important. But it is not going to decide elections. Theaudiences that will determine your fate are audiences that you willfirst have to persuade. You will have to find a way to reach them andget them to listen. And get them to support you. With these audiences,you will never have time for real arguments or proper analyses.Images—symbols and sound-bites—will always prevail.
Therefore it is absolutely essential to focus your message andrepeat it over and over again. Lack of focus will derail your message.If you make too many points, your message will be diffused and nothingwill get through. The result will be the same as if you had made nopoint at all.
Leftists have a party line. When they are fighting an issue theyfocus their agenda. During legislative battles, every time a Democratsteps in front of the cameras there is at least one line in his speechthat is shared with his colleagues. “Tax breaks for the wealthy at theexpense of the poor,” is one example. Repetition insures that themessage will get through.
When Republicans speak during legislative battles, they all march toa different drummer. There are many messages instead of one. Onemessage is a sound-bite. Many messages are an indecipherable noise. Theresult of many messages is that there is no message.
Symbols and sound-bites determine the vote. These are what hitpeople in the gut before they have time to think. And these are whatpeople remember. Symbols are the impressions that last, and whatultimately defines you.
Carefully chosen words and phrases are more important thanparagraphs, speeches, party platforms and manifestos. What you projectthrough images is what you are.
Victory lies on the side of the people.
This is the bottom line for each of the principles and for all ofthe principles. You must define yourself in ways that peopleunderstand. You must give people hope in your victory, and make themfear the victory of your opponent. You can accomplish both byidentifying yourself and your issues with the underdog and the victim,with minorities and the disadvantaged, with the ordinary Janes and Joes.
This is what leftists do best, and conservatives often neglect to doat all. Every political statement by a leftist is an effort to say: “Wecare about women, children, minorities, working Americans and thepoor.” And: “Conservatives are mean-spirited, serve the rich and don’tcare about you.” This is the left’s strategy of political war. Ifconservatives are to win the political war we have to turn these imagesaround.
We also have to make our campaigns a cause. During the Cold War,conservatives had a cause. They were saving the country from Communism.It was a cause that resonated at every level with the American people.The poorest citizen understood that their freedom was at stake inmaking sure that conservatives were elected to conduct the nation’sdefense.
In a democracy, the cause that fires up passions is the cause of thepeople. That is why politicians like to run “against Washington” andagainst anything that represents the “powers that be.” As the left hasshown, the idea of justice is a powerful motivator. It will energizethe troops and fuel the campaigns that are necessary to win thepolitical war. Conservatives believe in economic opportunity andindividual freedom. The core of our ideas is freedom and justice forall. If we can make this intelligible to the American electorate, wewill become the majority again and stop the socialist juggernaut thatthreatens our American future.