Tyranny is No Respector of Election Cycles

November was rough, but it’s time to get back to work. Pick your lip up off the floor, scrape the Romney/Ryan sticker off your back windshield (replace it with something like a Gonzalez or Gadsden Flag, or course) and get back to work. America needs you now more than ever. 

In case you don’t believe me, while we dawdle, Democrats are unleashing statist fury on states like Texas.  Last week, Politico reported:

National Democrats are taking steps to create a large-scale independent group aimed at turning traditionally conservative Texas into a prime electoral battleground, crafting a new initiative to identify and mobilize progressive voters in the rapidly-changing state, strategists familiar with the plans told POLITICO.

The organization, dubbed “Battleground Texas,” plans to engage the state’s rapidly growing Latino population, as well as African-American voters and other Democratic-leaning constituencies that have been underrepresented at the ballot box in recent cycles. Two sources said the contemplated budget would run into the tens of millions of dollars over several years – a project Democrats hope has enough heft to help turn what has long been an electoral pipe dream into reality.

RNC Chairman, Reince Priebus, recently announced an aggressive agenda.  “As a party, we must recognize that we live in an era of permanent politics,” Priebus said. “We must stop living nominee-to-nominee, campaign to campaign.” Priebus suggested developing a national ground infrastructure. While this is certainly a great idea, Obama for America, now Organizing for Action, already has a framework in place. With field offices in major cities nationwide, they’ve been organizing communities for years. Once again, we’re behind the curve… sort of. 

While winning races is crucial to turning the legislative tide, winning the culture war and taking back our communities is equally as important.  Thankfully we don’t have to wait for the GOP infrastructure.  With Tea Party groups scattered all over the U.S., we’ve already begun this process. We’ve discussed at length the need for community involvement and now’s as good a time as any to take a crack at it.  We cannot wait for an election year to hope voters buy our candidates when they’re not even sold on our ideas.  With an unbound Obama in his second term, we have an excellent opportunity to provide a contrast to statism; we’d be foolish not to take advantage of the chance.  Tyranny is no respector of election cycles. 

The right insists on making the same strategic error time and time again. Collectively, we keep looking for one big break.  Whether it’s in the form of a politician, pundit or piece of legislation, we continue to put our stock in what we hope will materialize into the seminal moment of American political enlightenment.  But while we are looking for our pie in the sky, the nuke to obliterate statism, the left is content to win the war, one battle at a time. Rather than pitching a fit each time we’re politically out maneuvered, our time would be better spent focusing and advancing conservatism one step at a time.  The heart and soul of America will not be wooed with hallmark legislation, but must be courted attentively. We have to set our sights on winning the war and the best way to do that is to start by winning a battle.

“Educate and inform the whole mass of people.  Enable them to see that it is their interest to preserve peace and order, and they will preserve them.  And it requires no very high degree of education to convince them of this.  They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.” — Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1787