Get informed and refocus... Please...

[Junto]

The election was indeed disappointing, but I can't help but reflect on the lady who chased me down in Sam's just a week before the election.  

The middle-aged woman noticed my McCain/Palin bumper sticker as I drove into the parking lot and wanted to know where I got it.  I was impressed that she was interested enough to track me down as I was wisking through the store.  I'm not much to look at, so I feel her motivations were pure.  I said I was glad to see someone else who was uninhibited enough to say who they favored in the upcoming election and willing to "wear it on their sleeve" (or bumper as the case may be).   I was prepared to listen to what was important to her, why she favored McCain.  I knew that I was going to hear about how the Obama/Biden ticket represented the most liberal segment of the Senate, about their abortion stance, about the associations with a former terrorist, or "spread the wealth", or the potential for an activist liberal Supreme Court.

Nope.  God bless this woman, but all I heard was her understanding that "they still can't seem to find his birth certificate; he may not even be an American".  She seemingly didn't have anything else to be concerned about.

In retrospect, I learned a few things via that exchange, and about myself:  
 1) We needed to do a better job of communicating what was, and continues to be, at stake.  We really need for those who profess to be conservatives to know the issues... and understand them.
 2) We also need to say what we are actually for, moreso than what we are against.   I question whether I was voting more against Obama or for McCain.  
 3) We need to refocus on solutions that reflect our principles. If we do that, I'm confident that a lot will fall into place.  I pray it will.

Junto...

[AmericanPatriot]

I agree.

Our youth is who we need to connect with.  We need a positive answer for them.  Such as, "do you want a $500 check (which amounts to a crumb) and keep me in power message"  OR do you want a"I believe in you and you are worth than a check for $500 to buy you off. I believe that you have the potential to make 20 times that after you get through school and can start your own business."

We need to communicate, however, exactly what the Democrats have done to their future vote with ACORN and to the future financial situation.  They need to know that the Democrats blocked regulation that could have stopped this economic crisis in 2004 and 2005.  They need to know about the $420 per $100,000 on every new mortgage for them, their children, grandchildren etc.  This money will go to?  You guessed it Democrat organizations like ACORN.

Start with you high school children and their friends. Ask questions about what is important to them.Then work off of that.

[JeffS]

Agreed that we need to be informed. I don't really think that this is the problem with the base. I think we are extraordinarily well informed. It's probably what you might hear me harping about often and what was already iterated before me in this thread, we need to communicate. The Republican Party has fallen to a Democratic Party that will say things so bald-facely wrong and yet folks will believe what is being said. The reason is, if what the Democrats say is allowed to be done in a vacuum wherein the Republican Party does not counter or deliver a true message, America will hear and somewhat believe the Democrats. If there is no alternative message to a Pelosi or Reid, we get what we get.

I've watched the aforementioned congressional leaders be allowed to say things that I feel are tantamount to lies and little is done to provide the truth and balance.

I'd suggest that with support of folks like us, the RNC really needs to amped up as a message machine for GOP principles. We'd like to think that this is what is occurring but it really is not. It currently an enfeebled mechanism that seems more comfortable in practices of days past and little interested in using current technologies or having an understanding of the short news cycle and the need for message delivery within that cycle.

[scap]

I agree that we need to start with high schoolers, getting them informed about Republican beliefs and values.  The problem?  High school teachers....during the election, my son came home from high school spewing opinions like he watched MSNBC all day.  My husband and I, in addition to my two other children, are Republican-conservatives.   I know there is no control over college professors, but high school?  This is why by the time kids get into college, they are already programmed to be liberals.

That being said, the Republican Party, on all levels, needs to find themselves.  My husband is a local elected official and the Republican Party in town is run the same way as the RNC -- disorganized with no real message.  I hope this election is a wake-up call to all those who have conservative beliefs and values, unless they want to end up in a Socialist-type country.

[Don Walker]

All of the above comments are good. But we need to remember something- Kids are in school 6-8 hours a day. They are a captive audience to teachers who are members of unions. We know where most unions stand.

In addition, liberals have corralled most school boards. The effect of all this control is that kids have been effectively separated from parental control. They are basically being indoctrinated with liberal values and then sent home to parents that have to deal with the results. How does a parent fight against that when they have only a few hours of time left in the day with the kids?

Even if you attend a good church with the very best preaching, instill the very best values and be an outstanding example of a model citizen, your young, impressionable kids will most likely succumb to the pressure to fit in.

There needs to be a monumental effort by concerned parents across this nation to take back their local school boards. Since that will not happen, those concerned by what is going on in the public schools need to home school or put kids in a proper private or Christian school. These are the only answers.      

[JDubyaHoyt]

This is the most effective "thread" in the forum on this site.  I say "effective", because it gets to the real heart of the matter.

This Republican organization and that Republican organization are now talking about rebuilding, rebranding and reaching out, and communicating better, etc. etc.,...all of this is great and is important to our future,...but the real issue is our electorate.

Fact:  Addressing today's issues with real conservative principles and free market solutions will solve our problems.

But if the electorate doesn't have the ability to put our issues in historical perspective, doesn't understand what past generations have had to deal with, don't understand simple concepts like free markets, supply and demand, and how prices are determined, they don't have any pride in our country or understand the concept of American exceptionalism, nor do they live a life of volunteering for their own community and therefore naturally look to the government first for help and have no clue about the concept that our rights come from God, not Washington D.C.,......then we're screwed.  

Our message may be great, but it won't penetrate their ignorance.

We recently launched a national movement called MyAmericanism.com.  

Americanism = An attitude, conviction and allegiance to the traditions and institutions of the United States of America.

Its a social community made up of like-minded patriots who want to tackle the real heart of our nations problem.  The point is this:

If we learn, teach and appreciate:
1.  American History
2.  Patriotism
3.  Economics
4.  Volunteerism

..with the people we know, especially our children, we'll produce a generation of citizens that:

...have the ability to:
1.  Understand our nations challenges from a historical and economic perspective.
2.  Avoid falling prey to campaign slogans, clever campaign packaging, political rhetoric, TV ads, mainstream media and college professor biases, platitudes, bumper stickers and soaring political rally speeches.
3.  Reject class warfare.

...and will believe:
1.  In Personal Responsibility
2.  That our rights come from God, not the government.
3.  The best way to take care of our own community is from within the community first.

Its a tall task, but new messaging and strategies and marketing won't do a thing if the people we're reaching out to don't get it and can't understand how important it is that we apply our values and principles to the issues.

Take a look at the site and let me know what you think.  We're still getting things organized and are now putting the framework in place to start the discussions.

http://www.MyAmericanism.com 

This is a grassroots, from-the-ground-up effort to take our country back.  If we don't work on this, all the other efforts will be for naught.

[AmericanPatriot]

Don Walker wrote:

All of the above comments are good. But we need to remember something- Kids are in school 6-8 hours a day. They are a captive audience to teachers who are members of unions. We know where most unions stand.

In addition, liberals have corralled most school boards. The effect of all this control is that kids have been effectively separated from parental control. They are basically being indoctrinated with liberal values and then sent home to parents that have to deal with the results. How does a parent fight against that when they have only a few hours of time left in the day with the kids?

Even if you attend a good church with the very best preaching, instill the very best values and be an outstanding example of a model citizen, your young, impressionable kids will most likely succumb to the pressure to fit in.

There needs to be a monumental effort by concerned parents across this nation to take back their local school boards. Since that will not happen, those concerned by what is going on in the public schools need to home school or put kids in a proper private or Christian school. These are the only answers.      

I understand your angst.  I say you're best ammunition is knowledge.  If you can only watch or listen to two people a day for facts, Glenn Beck who will be joining Fox Cable News in January with his own show is excellent. He has people on that come and give you facts.  Most of his interviews are not the shouting each other down kind that you see on Hannity and Colmes.  He has been hitting hard on this economy even before it appeared to collapse.  TIVO it if you have to.  The kids will like him trust me.  He is FUNNY and articulate.  He gets angry and lets it show.  Then pick another one you get real good hard facts from.  When you have facts to counter the left wing indoctrination your kids get in school then they at least start thinking about it.

One way is to have object lessons.  Have them work for money.  Take a portion as if it is taxes.  Then when they come home from school with good grades, suggest that the teacher should equal and average the grades across the students within their classroom.  This way the ones who didn't work so hard will get a hand out for their grades. (You know take it from the rich syndrome.  Your rich in grades. Start teaching what class warfare REALLY means to them in a personal way.)  Listen to them squeal then when they get the real life idea of what Obama's plans are for giving a 95% tax break to everyone.  When 40% of those getting the tax break pay absolutely NO income taxes, what is that?  WELFARE.  So their averaged grades will be similar.  WELFARE to those who won't work for the grade.  

I'm sure you can find what is their "currency" as a behavioral scientist was say.  What is your childs "currency"? A trip to the mall?  Going skate boarding?   Find that currency and use it in your lessons.

[scap]

Some javascript/style in this post has been disabled (why?)

Sorry it took so long to respond.  That's why I support school vouchers.  You don't have to subject your kids to all liberal views in public schools if you could choose where your child attends school.

 

The public schools are owned by the teacher's union.  They hold the school boards and the parents hostage, threatening walk outs, sick outs, etc., which interferes with the students' education.  Since education is so important to most parents, everyone succumbs to their wishes.

 

It's so difficult to fight all of that. 

---

Get the Moviefone Toolbar. Showtimes, theaters, movie news & more!

[seebee]

I appreciated the guts of two high school boys this summer.  Three years ago when our governor, who happens to be a very unpopular democrat from Chicago and a friend of Tony Rezko, was running for reelection, he took advantage of an entire high school in Rochester, Illinois by staging an eleborate pep rally/campaign photo-op at the high school and promised them funds to build a very-much needed new high school.  Rochester high school is still waiting to see the money.  In the mean time, Illinois Governor, Rod Blagojevich promised a school in southern Illinois they would get the money.  He did give $1 million to a friend who was running a non-existant private school in Chicago.  When it was discovered there was no school, he gave another $million to a Chicago church that had been burned.  The two boys from Rochester High School went to Governor's Day at our State Fair and in front of the press asked Governor Blagojevich "Where is the money?"  and of course put it on u-tube.  Rochester High School is still waiting.  Those students learned a different way to look at politicians.  The community passed a referendum and built a new high school.

The only solution the democrats seem to have for our ailing schools is to throw more money at the problem.  Our schools are in the same shape as our government.  They are bureaucratic nightmares!  Maybe having less money is a blessing in disguise.  Perhaps schools will have to go back to teaching "the basics".

[John Ansell]

We must pledge to never vote L.O.T.E. from here on out.  We need to press the people who rep US to Rep US.  Not the special interest, nor the Power Brokers.  We need leaders to listen to the people and go by their wants.  

Drill here.  That's wanted, it's needed.

No amnesty: not only is that wanted, it's demanded.

Return Values to our schools:  It's a must.

Fair elections: Epic.

Newt/Jidal in 20012: priceless.

[cffdvdlb]

Junto,

I forgive you.  You aren't the only one who may have voted more against someone than for someone.  I voted to keep the Republic, and hence, personalities didn't enter into my decision.  We must keep our representative Republic before we can sustain it and perfect it.  For many of us, it will be a major shift in mindset if we are to keep our Republic alive and well.  

Herein is the challenge.  We ask the wrong questions of our candidates.  We ask "What are you going to do for us?" instead of "How can we all work together to keep our Republic and maintain it?"  "How do we correct the errors into which we have fallen?"  "How can we get involved to right the ship of this union and sail away from the safety of the harbor to help those who are in distress?"  

Broken principle must be answered either with a sincere will to change the mindset that causes the break with universal law or to go the way of all other nations and civilizations that have added their names to the list of failures in human history.  I choose to change the mindset, because our experiment is only a little over two hundred-twenty years old.  We are a young nation learning our way.  We needn't give up the ship because of errors that we have made either purposefully or ignorantly.  And we needn't play the "blame game".  This gets us nowhere.  Let's get to the heart of the opportunities that we area facing, and be honest, accepting the responsibility for our failure.  Thomas Edison once informed a journalist who had accused him of failing to invent the incandescent light bulb with the sound words, "I haven't failed, sir, I have discovered 10,000 ways it cannot work."  Let's trust that we don't have to have this many errors to arrive at the "more perfect union" that maintaining our Republic will absolutely bring to us.    

The Roman military command for "About face!", in Latin, was "Repent!"  It is simply an about face from the direction in which we are going.  I used to tell my son, that whenever he got lost, all he needs is a map and a compass to find his way back.  If you don't know where you are on the map, then take a 180 degree reading from the direction in which you are traveling, and you will eventually find your way to civilization once again.  It is the same thing for us as a party and as a nation.  As we make a 180 degree turn away from the direction we are heading, we will right ourselves.  Our map is the "Declaration of Independence",  the "Constitution of the United States of America", and the sacred writings, not necessarily in that order.  Our compass is the universal law of "What we sow, we shall absolutely and abundantly reap."

The battle is in our minds, because our hearts know the direction in which to travel.  The opportunity is to win our minds with our hearts and be the nation of our founders' vision, because they were not the original builders and purveyers of that vision.  Our Creator and all of the host of heaven taught them these principles and how they should be integrated into a representative Republic in which the people would rule by consent, not by majority.

The choice is up to each one of us, because the decisions that we make as individuals affect every other citizen of this nation and the world.  We are truly all one flesh, and we are to live as though this is the reality of life.  The first principles of our nation must be the glue that holds us together in tough times.  

Therefore, if through false pride and tyranny my government desires to take from my abundance to give to someone that can have his own abundance by her own effort and, thereby, cause his own star to shine, then that is as one who plunders from one to cause indebtedness and soul imprisonment in another.  And you know, that other one never sees the true fruit of that which was legally plundered and doled out to her.  The whole act becomes a dead weight on society and the nation, and it affects every other act that is done, either to support it or to condemn it.  Hence, the downward spiral toward oblivion continues.  

But, this needn't be.  We can learn from human history, and we can prevent the same errors from happening over and over again.  God bless you!  And so it is!  David H. Coffey