You really believe what you are saying, I can tell you do. It’s so interesting reading what Liberals believe about this election, it’s as though I’m observing some kind of group denial of reality. But then the same probably appears to be true to you when you read the views of Conservatives. Am I right? Doesn’t one side look at the other and say "wow, those people are suffering from mass hysteria, they don’t even know they are brainwashed and yet they act exactly as if they are"? I think this is a really fascinating phenomenon because there is so much agreement, unity, commitment and identification on both sides of the partisan divide. I think we’re all brainwashed, my theory as a former Sociologist is that it’s a function of both the speed at which information travels, the speed with which ideas disseminate, and the opportunities for reinforcement of ideas by such a large number of people who think and/or feel the same way you do.
Rather than spending this wonderful energy you’ve gathered during the 2004 campaign trying to build an expectation that you’ll be able to change an already-determined outcome, how about accepting the outcome and putting that creative energy to work toward building a newer, stronger vehicle for your ideas? You guys on the Left have done a really marvelous job of galvanizing your base, but I’m not convinced that you actually do outnumber everyone else in the general population this time around, or at least that you outnumber everyone else who came out to vote. I mean it’s always possible that you may be right, but I’m not sure the actual events support your interpretation of them. I’d hate to see you build your hopes up for a big vindication and then be let down again. Personally, I’d feel very badly for you if that happened. I guess that makes me a compassionate Conservative.
Instead of spending 99% of the momentum you’ve got standing against someone (George Bush, the Republicans, etc.), why not decide exactly who and what you stand for and put all your cumulative energy into working toward that? My husband and I discussed many times how much more success John Kerry might have had if only he’d called a meeting with all the generals who endorsed him and plotted out an alternative War Plan for Iraq in addition to criticizing the Bush plan. Trust me folks, no Conservative disagreed with the assertion that the recovery strategy was piss-poor, but Kerry’s "plan" only seemed to echo more of the same and didn’t provide a real alternative in our view.
Embrace the failure of this election, learn from it, and go forward stronger and more cohesive in developing positive plans for the future rather than indulging in a negative diatribe against an enemy which really isn’t even your enemy, it’s just a group of people who doesn’t think the same way you do, who doesn’t share the same priorities even though they probably do care about a lot of the same issues. Don’t be a victim, be a Volunteer. There’s no power in being a victim.
When I was young, I was a Liberal and I loved being a Liberal. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Winston Churchill said that any man under 30 who is not a Liberal has no heart, and any man over 30 who is not a Conservative has no brains. That’s a little harsh, but for a lot of people it’s a workable model of how life plays out over time. Since I’ve been on both sides, maybe that’s why I still have a warm spot in my heart for you guys even though I have changed my attitudes and don’t agree with all of your views any more.
But there is an interesting twist to all this that I think we’ll see more and more of in the next decade. There are getting to be a lot of old fart babyboomers like me who vote Conservative because we want fiscal responsibility (I know, I know what you’re thinking, and YOU’RE RIGHT, spending like a drunken sailor does not constitute fiscal responsibility!), less government, more ownership, and we want to reverse the soft bias of low expectations. But we still care about animal welfare, environmetal issues, corporate crime and greed, education, equal opportunities for everyone, and tolerance for diversity in culture and thought. If you want to read something radically shocking, check out this article in the Washington Post about Matthew Scully, George Bush’s speechwriter, who’s an animal welfare advocate at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50367-2004May23.html.
Some Conservatives support what you may have come to think of as "your causes" openly, we’re starting to put our energies toward solving some of these problems as opposed to blowing up SUV dealerships and creating general havoc without replacing the problem with a viable solution. When activists create general havoc without a viable solution to offer in its place, that’s called "nihilism" and it means replacing something with nothing. It gets everyone very exercised without providing a workable solution.
Now the really shocking thing would be if some idealistic Liberals joined forces with some managerial Conservatives and began solving the world’s problems together. Omigod, could you imagine the power in THAT? Hmm...I wonder if that’s what our Founding Fathers had in mind all along? I wonder if that’s what John Kerry had in mind when he hoped John McCain would consider being his running mate? Who knows? Ok, maybe it’s too soon to suggest that to you guys, but bless your hearts, I do wish you all the best and I hope you put your considerable energies and talents where they can really do the most good.
You really believe what you are saying, I can tell you do. It’s so interesting reading what Liberals believe about this election, it’s as though I’m observing some kind of group denial of reality. But then the same probably appears to be true to you when you read the views of Conservatives. Am I right? Doesn’t one side look at the other and say "wow, those people are suffering from mass hysteria, they don’t even know they are brainwashed and yet they act exactly as if they are"? I think this is a really fascinating phenomenon because there is so much agreement, unity, commitment and identification on both sides of the partisan divide. I think we’re all brainwashed, my theory as a former Sociologist is that it’s a function of both the speed at which information travels, the speed with which ideas disseminate, and the opportunities for reinforcement of ideas by such a large number of people who think and/or feel the same way you do.
Rather than spending this wonderful energy you’ve gathered during the 2004 campaign trying to build an expectation that you’ll be able to change an already-determined outcome, how about accepting the outcome and putting that creative energy to work toward building a newer, stronger vehicle for your ideas? You guys on the Left have done a really marvelous job of galvanizing your base, but I’m not convinced that you actually do outnumber everyone else in the general population this time around, or at least that you outnumber everyone else who came out to vote. I mean it’s always possible that you may be right, but I’m not sure the actual events support your interpretation of them. I’d hate to see you build your hopes up for a big vindication and then be let down again. Personally, I’d feel very badly for you if that happened. I guess that makes me a compassionate Conservative.
Instead of spending 99% of the momentum you’ve got standing against someone (George Bush, the Republicans, etc.), why not decide exactly who and what you stand for and put all your cumulative energy into working toward that? My husband and I discussed many times how much more success John Kerry might have had if only he’d called a meeting with all the generals who endorsed him and plotted out an alternative War Plan for Iraq in addition to criticizing the Bush plan. Trust me folks, no Conservative disagreed with the assertion that the recovery strategy was piss-poor, but Kerry’s "plan" only seemed to echo more of the same and didn’t provide a real alternative in our view.
Embrace the failure of this election, learn from it, and go forward stronger and more cohesive in developing positive plans for the future rather than indulging in a negative diatribe against an enemy which really isn’t even your enemy, it’s just a group of people who doesn’t think the same way you do, who doesn’t share the same priorities even though they probably do care about a lot of the same issues. Don’t be a victim, be a Volunteer. There’s no power in being a victim.
When I was young, I was a Liberal and I loved being a Liberal. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Winston Churchill said that any man under 30 who is not a Liberal has no heart, and any man over 30 who is not a Conservative has no brains. That’s a little harsh, but for a lot of people it’s a workable model of how life plays out over time. Since I’ve been on both sides, maybe that’s why I still have a warm spot in my heart for you guys even though I have changed my attitudes and don’t agree with all of your views any more.
But there is an interesting twist to all this that I think we’ll see more and more of in the next decade. There are getting to be a lot of old fart babyboomers like me who vote Conservative because we want fiscal responsibility (I know, I know what you’re thinking, and YOU’RE RIGHT, spending like a drunken sailor does not constitute fiscal responsibility!), less government, more ownership, and we want to reverse the soft bias of low expectations. But we still care about animal welfare, environmetal issues, corporate crime and greed, education, equal opportunities for everyone, and tolerance for diversity in culture and thought. If you want to read something radically shocking, check out this article in the Washington Post about Matthew Scully, George Bush’s speechwriter, who’s an animal welfare advocate at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50367-2004May23.html.
Some Conservatives support what you may have come to think of as "your causes" openly, we’re starting to put our energies toward solving some of these problems as opposed to blowing up SUV dealerships and creating general havoc without replacing the problem with a viable solution. When activists create general havoc without a viable solution to offer in its place, that’s called "nihilism" and it means replacing something with nothing. It gets everyone very exercised without providing a workable solution.
Now the really shocking thing would be if some idealistic Liberals joined forces with some managerial Conservatives and began solving the world’s problems together. Omigod, could you imagine the power in THAT? Hmm...I wonder if that’s what our Founding Fathers had in mind all along? I wonder if that’s what John Kerry had in mind when he hoped John McCain would consider being his running mate? Who knows? Ok, maybe it’s too soon to suggest that to you guys, but bless your hearts, I do wish you all the best and I hope you put your considerable energies and talents where they can really do the most good.
A well wishing conservative from California