The Deafening Silence: Conservative Leadership for the 21st Century

“The ideology of conservatism has failed. The Republican Party is in tatters and will never rise again. Conservatives should just shut up and get out of the way for the new “progressive” regime. Any questioning of any liberal policy is racist.”

This is the story being spewed by the Democrat Party machine and their allies in the liberal media. It is, of course, nonsense. The Democrat Party was shut out of the presidency from 1981-1993 but no one said that the party was dead. The Democrat Party lost seats in Congress in 2002 and 2004, only to come roaring back in 2006 and 2008. Liberal ideology was a stigma through the 1980’s only to come back to haunt us now.

Here is the principle problem with these attacks from the left: there is no one to counter them. The American people, while still remaining center-right, have abandoned hope in the Republican Party and embraced the false prophet. Most of the prominent conservatives from the 1970’s and 1980’s are dying off, literally and figuratively. The only real conservative leaders in the 1990’s were Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh. Gingrich has more baggage than an international airport and Rush is more interested in ratings than policy. The Bush administration is widely, though incorrectly, blamed for all of the problems that plague this country, making anyone connected to that administration toxic. Other conservatives are only interested in their TV presence. As we look for conservative leadership for the 21^st century one thing is clear: the silence is deafening.

There are many who want to take up the mantle of conservative leader but few who are capable. The Republican congressional leadership, save for Eric Cantor, is weak and uncharismatic. Cantor is one to watch. As House Minority Whip, the position Gingrich had before being elected Speaker, he has potential to craft legislative strategy and attract news media. However, since he is new and the minority so small he needs a few years of seasoning before becoming the spokesman for the party. Michael Steele, the new party chairman, wants the party to appeal to nontraditional Republicans, such as minorities, women, and youths. His initial stumbles show how difficult this will be. The calls for his resignation or impeachment show how embedded the problem is. Without attracting new voters the Republicans can never hope to regain power. The only other conservative on the national stage is Mitt Romney. His problems are twofold: religion and experience. Many are unwilling to accept him because he is a Mormon. His extensive and successful experience in business is both a blessing and a curse. While it shows he can manage economics I doubt the American people are willing to trust a venture capitalist CEO at a time when CEO’s are being portrayed as greedy, untrusting and corrupt by the Democrat Party (which is also all of those things).

There are two conservatives who stand out. They are Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin. Huckabee had a successful career as a Baptist minister, lieutenant governor, and spent ten years as governor of Arkansas (the same position held by Bill Clinton, of course). Palin is a successful state governor and managed to excite the right-wing during the last election. They both have one thing in common: they were skewered by the liberal media. Huckabee, because of his religious past, was portrayed as some kind of religious extremist. Palin was portrayed as being stupid because she did not read a major newspaper and had an accent. This shows the biggest problem for the modern conservative movement: avoiding media characterization. I cannot remember the last time a conservative was positively portrayed in the national media. Thus, to start our new beginning, conservatives MUST learn to master media strategy. Without an effective media strategy 2008 will be but a mere taste of what is to come in the future.

In my next post I will further discuss the media woes of conservatives, as well as how conservatives need to win the next generation through education reform and the need for a populist conservative if we ever hope to win the White House again.

{Jastor}

Introducing....JASTOR!!!

For a couple weeks, Jastor has waited patiently on the sidelines of my blog. But today, I bring you, Jastor!

Periodically, I will feature his thoughts, opinions and ideas. His area of coverage: politics and other cultural observations. Since Jastor is not paid, he has some liberties in his writing J

So who is this Jastor?

He hails from the northern part of the United States, raised in a middle-class American family. In the early 2000’s, Jastor packed up and headed south to attend college in Arlington, Virginia. After finishing his undergraduate studies, he went on to law school and will finish his degree this spring.

In 2004, Jastor supported John Kerry for president. After Bush won his re-election, Jastor stayed in his dorm room for 3 days in mourning for the Democratic Party. In the 2008 elections, Jastor supported Hillary Clinton and then John McCain once it became clear that B. Hussein Obama was to be the Democratic presidential candidate.

So where does he stand politically today? After a few influences and further reading on Nixon, Jastor has converted to become a conservative. His knowledge on American politics surpasses most, even giving “experts” and political pundits a run for their money.

Juggling a busy law school schedule, he will only be able to appear about twice a month. I am excited that Jastor has agreed to join as a guest voice on this blog—he truly represents an Anomaly in Generation Y!

Tomorrow, I will feature his first post, “The Deafening Silence: Conservative Leadership for the 21^st Century.”