August 29, 2012

Conservatism is big tent politics

The liberal media meme is, as it has always been, that the Republican party - the GOP - is racist, sexist and everybody-phobic.  That's nonsense. But the meme persists, even though by not-so-subtle but not well publicized methods.  They are manufacturing their own slant on the news like never before (evidence below). The problem with the perception they are trying to maintain, is that it does not fit with the reality of the GOP, let alone conservatism, which is definitely big tent politics if you stop to think about it.

First, the MSNBC example of blatant media bias and spin.  Via Breitbart:
Early on during the convention coverage last night, NBC's Chief White House Correspondent, Chuck Todd and his goatee, roamed the floor of the convention hall to reassure MSNBC viewers that the only reason people of color were showing up on their television screens was due to the fact that the GOP strategically placed non-white convention-goers for maximum camera advantage.

In other words, Todd and his goatee told the audience that non-white convention-goers were nothing more than tokens.

Chuck Todd is nothing if not a helluva race-baiting shill for Obama.

Then NBC did something truly amazing...

Not one speech by a person of color was broadcast on MSNBC...

Not even Artur Davis, and his speech was a very big deal.
That is not only "amazing" - it's disgusting.  The media often tries to hide and distort the Republican reality on race because it serves the Democratic liberal agenda by retaining votes without liberal politicians really having to work for those votes.  It's truly underhanded.

But what's more worrisome is that the GOP isn't effectively countering the myth that it is a "whites only" party and even when they do try to counter it, they are stymied by agenda-driven liberal media.  The underlying problem is really that this is all about visuals, and not about conservatism being an inclusive philosophy.  That's where the focus needs to be.

Shortly after the 2008 election I blogged quite a bit about the way to disperse the message of conservatism being in much more in line with different "interest groups" than those groups might realize. It's truly important to make the case to the right groups in the right way, and to do it persistently, not just at election time.  That sort of effort would help make the MSNBC dirty trick of yesterday ineffective to many viewers.

I'm not going to make the entire case here that conservatism is big tent politics because it would take too much time to do so.  However, the typical liberal view is that people cannot be self-sufficient -so they need government support. The typical liberal view is that people cannot be trusted to make the right decisions, so they must be (highly) regulated.  The typical liberal view is that people are at the mercy of their environment (be it big business, the weather, cruel parents, etc.) so they therefore should not be held accountable for their own actions.  The typical liberal view is that any sort of behavior is permissible so any form of behavior should not be criticized (unless it involves traditional values).  That type of thinking leads to oppressive rules and it stifles innovation and will eventually strangle not only individuals but also ultimately the country.

That contrasts with the conservative viewpoint that people have their own best interests at heart.  People know their own best interests better than some bureaucrat.  People acting in their own best interests try to improve their situation and in the process, benefit society.  Being closer to the problem means you are closer to the right solution. Freedom spawns innovation.  Freedom spawns creativity.  Freedom spawns co-operation and believe it or not, understanding.  Freedom does not absolve us of personal responsibility however.  Freedom does not absolve us of having to be respectful of the liberty and dignity of others.

Given that contrast, how anyone stuck in a traditional Democratic demographic would at least not open their mind to hearing from the other side is not only maddening, it is also quite sad.  Conservatism should be an easy sale to most every group in America.  It teaches equality and liberty for all.  The problem is that groups have been very effectively pegged into Special Interest Groups by liberals.  Every group is promised betterment at the expense of others.  People are pitted against one another and it's not limited to class warfare, it's race versus race, it's unions versus companies, anything that will allow them to promise one group to advance at the expense of their supposed opposition.

That persistent pitching of a world view is not only worth fighting against, it's incumbent upon conservatives to do so.

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