Path to conservative political victory: G.A.P. Plan (Grow A Pair)

by Keith C. Drake, Ph.D.

I’m tired of playing nice and losing. Something’s got to change.

In recent years, conservatives’ approach of compromising, apologizing, and taking the “high road” has increasingly led to electoral losses and the erosion of our fundamental freedoms. We keep doing the same thing with the same results.

It’s time to stop apologizing; it’s time to stop running scared. It’s time to stop trying to placate the other guys. It’s not with the left does, and they win. They do it by demonizing conservatives and those who stand up for liberty. We’ve been bringing a knife to a gun fight; we’re being shot before we get close enough to stab.

It’s time to use the same hard-ball tactics as liberals, although with a different focus.

What’s the one success conservatives have had recently? The Tea Party. From local elections to statewide races to federal contests, Tea Party candidates have won races where they weren’t originally given a chance. What one word describes the Tea Party movement? Vocal. The Tea Party is loud, clear, and fearless.

And that’s what it’s going to take — a bold new approach. Here’s how — my Rules for Conservatives:

1. No more Mr. Nice Guy
2. Don’t chase the rabbit
3. Focus on the root cause

Let me explain …

1.         No More Mr. Nice Guy

Let’s start playing by their rules

Here are six words that will strike fear in the heart of any liberal: “We will play by your rules.” Let’s begin using their rhetoric: if we are the “radical right” then lets refer to them as the “fanatical left” — only fair, right? If we’re “racist” for opposing Barack 0bama’s policies, then let’s call liberals racist for opposing Clarence Thomas, Ben Carson, Walter Williams, Herman Cain, Condoleezza Rice, Alan Keyes. Only fair, right?

Also, stop please referring to liberals as “progressives”–there’s nothing progressive about their socialist throwback ideals. We use the term only because they began using it–we played nice and tagged along. They switched to calling themselves progressives simply because of a growing negative connotation with the term “liberal.” So when someone refers to “progressives,” interrupt them as say, “Oh, do you mean ‘liberals? Yes, I thought so.”

First, Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals is a must read. When you do you’ll realize it’s the playbook for obama and his many willing minions. It’ll smack you clean upside the head: “Wow, that’s what’s been happening!”

There’s no reason we can’t employ many of its strategies, such as:

• Rule 5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.”
• Rule 8: “Keep the pressure on. Never let up.”
• Rule 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”

Read on to learn how to put these rules into action …

2.         Don’t Chase the Rabbit

Stick with three issues (local, state, national) and don’t be distracted

Conservatives tend to become distracted by liberals when debating an issue. Liberals change the subject just when we are winning an argument, and we let them, willingly. This happens from individual conversations with pretentious, holier-than-though war (but only when a Republican is in the White House) protesters through the national debates we see play out on the major political television shows. Shame on us.

Here’s the approach: pick three issues — one national, one state, and one local — and stick with them. At the national level the issue is, of course, 0bamacare. Don’t be distracted by chatter about alleged “income inequity”–that’s simply a distraction.

Hit them over and over again until they say uncle, and bring them back when they wander off. “Yes, Trevor, you may have a point about the ecosystem and saving the prickly sand marsh mollusk, but we’re actually talking about how 0bamacare is causing millions of people to lose the health care plan they like … so can we continue with that issue?”

3.         Focus on the True Root Cause

Forget criticizing the government official; demonize the voter who put them in office

Now here’s the key: demonize the individual voter, not the government official — this is the formula for success. The individual voter is the root cause of our society’s downward slide–they are the ones that put the dishonest officials in office (voter fraud aside). So let’s put the responsibility where it belongs.

Recall Alinsky Rule 12: ” Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions.” 0bama and most elected officials should be viewed as institutions. So forget them. Go after the people who voted for them and shame them for their vote.

Here’s an example, the next time someone remarks about their health care costs increasing (or that their previous plan was cancelled), tell them: “If you voted for 0bama and lost your health care insurance, it is your own fault and shame on you. You knew this was going to happen — or at least you should have known if you had been paying attention. This is your own fault.”

Putting it all Together

With a little practice, some forethought, and a bit of gumption you can flip the table on liberals and give them a dose of what they’ve been dishing out for years now. It’s helpful to have folks to learn from like Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and Mike Lee … those who are loud, clear, and fearless. Watch them and how they operate — you’ll see.

And don’t forget to learn from the shameless liberals and how they steer us off the road and down the ravine. They have no fear when it comes to demonizing conservatives, only they too often fabricate their “facts.” We on the right have sufficient facts, so we don’t have to lie like liberals do–we merely have to tell the truth. But we need to do so in a way that puts liberals on their heels. Just give it a try, and you’ll find that you too can Grow A Pair!

Keith C. Drake, Ph.D., is former Chairman of the Albemarle County (VA) Republicans (2001-08), founder of the Albemarle Truth in Taxation Alliance (2007-11), and co-founder of the Jefferson Area Tea Party (2009-11). He is a staunch conservative who believes focus on personal responsibility and individual liberty is the core of our political culture. He currently resides in Houston, TX, but hopes to return someday to the homeland in Central Virginia.