I am enjoying this conversation on the direction of the GOP and where we go from here. Many of you know my position and some disagree so let me come at this from a different angle. In my opinion, the GOP is nothing more than an  enabler at this point. We are enabling Obama to have someone to blame for his failures, and the liberal media is lapping it up. Everyday we try and save liberals from themselves, is another day that Obama can blame us for “obstructing” his wise and benevolent policies, and that perception will not change anytime soon, so why do we continue to do the same thing expecting different results? That is the definition of insanity.

What I think we should do, is clearly state for the record that we vigorously disagree with the policies prescribed by the Democrats and Obama, but that we do realize that elections have consequences so we will stand aside and allow Obama to implement his policies unchallenged. We all know these policies will fail, in fact they already have, so why are we standing in the way? The people who will be hurt the worst are the people who voted for Obama, so let the pain begin. This is also the only way that we can then clearly lay the blame at the feet of the Democrats and the media won’t even be able to cover for them and that just might help usher in a decade of conservative rule.

Count and Rat Haven have suggested that we simply need to control the message, and that another Reagan is what is needed. I somewhat disagree. While I would love to see another Reagan emerge, I believe our problems are deeper this time around. Our problems are not just the economy as they were with Reagan in 1980, our problem is the demonization of wealth and capitalism that is now ingrained in too many people. It’s the economic illiteracy that we must overcome in addition to selling the virtues of a smaller government, and back in 1980, wealth and success were not seen as the evils as they are today. So it is imperative in my opinion that this younger generation, and the growing minority constituency who all voted for the Obama plan, feel the pain of it first hand.

UPDATE, by Mark Noonan:

Seriously, we have entirely blown it on getting information to people…and Democrats have done the Big Lie better than ever.

Here’s what life will be like for, say, me in 2041:

I’ll have died at the age of 77 of an easily treatable disease which I could not get care for because the National Health Service didn’t have sufficient resources to treat me before the disease went too far.

I’ll have been living from the age of 67 forward in a one-room, government-supplied retirement home which I was forced in to because given the way the economy developed I was never able to secure enough wealth to replace the home I lost in the wake of the 2008 financial crash.

My 401k had been destroyed years previously.  First by a government program to start taxing it, secondly by the massive inflation which was necessary to get our annual deficit to become 15% of GDP. 

While I officially retired at the age of 67 and started to collect my Social Security (worth about 50% less than it is today because during that bout of inflation the government kept insisting, in spite of rising food and fuel prices, that inflation was non-existent and thus SS payments remained constant in dollar amounts while going down in actual value), I actually quit work at the age of 60 because I found out that by a varied combination of government benefits, I could actually get more income by sitting on my duff than by working 40 hours a week.  At that point, it stopped bothering me so much that a cheeseburger costs $12 because Uncle Sam was picking up the tab.  Until, that is, they banned the purchase of cheeseburgers in the interests of cutting National Health Service costs.

I did get some exercise from the age of about 57 on because the government mandates on fuel efficiency priced me out of automobile ownership.  This resulted in a great deal of walking on my part as the inefficient bus system provided by government didn’t get me to where I needed to be when I needed to be there.  I moved out of the suburbs and in to the city center because at least there were stores closer to home:  on the other hand, I had to pay higher prices for the basics because government policy was to forbid “big box” stores in the area because they provided “unfair” competition to the small shops.

I found as I entered my 50’s that food was harder to obtain – the price kept rising and there kept being less of it.  Various agricultural policies were taking more farm land out of production while various taxes were making the production and consumption of things like beef out of the question.  I was given Supplementary Food Insurance which allowed me to buy whole grain bread, government cheese and all the potatoes I could eat.

I got a boost to my health as I gave up cigarette smoking when the banned it outdoors, where I did most of my smoking.  Also, even buying generic smokes at the Indian reservation was running me $80 a carton.  On the other hand, I found out that ‘Capulco Gold Lights were an admirable substitute, though they did make things a bit hazy; on the plus side, I was permitted to fire up a joint even indoors at work!

It is where we’re heading, people, if things go well.  In other words, if the government manages to avoid complete fiscal collapse, this is how it will be.  Unless you are already quite rich or you manage to get juiced in with a high level, government job, this is what life will be like.  We can still avoid this, but only if we crush the left in 2014 and 2016.  If they win in both those years, then get ready for your government-rationed health care, food and housing…as people eke out a miserable, impoverished existence while liberals (living in guarded enclaves) endlessly tell us how great they are making things for us.

The contortions that many conservatives and GOPers have gone through over the last couple of weeks trying to make sense of the election has been amusing, frustrating, and a little disconcerting. I get the sense that some seem to believe that it was simply a function of the base not showing up, or that Romney was weak candidate, and/or that the 47% comment did us in, and that we need to stop denigrating the American voting public, which was George Will’s comment. Some of this I can agree with, but if denigrating the American voting public was the reason for our loss, then how did that same tactic result in Obama’s win? I find Will’s comment to be completely off base and simply a pandering comment to make sure he is invited to the next cocktail party.

This was an election of big choices, and our side lost. Romney clearly laid out stark differences between his approach and that of Obama’s. Romney was the first candidate that I can remember to courageously put Medicare reform on the table; he was the first candidate to speak to the need of tax reform and put forth a plan, and he was the first candidate to suggest real cuts in the budget, not just a slow down of growth rates. So in my opinion Romney was not weak – he had the right plan, and the American people chose to continue down the irresponsible path we are on. They made that decision based partly on the lies told to them by Obama, the Democrats and the liberal media (think: taxes on the rich and outlawing abortion), but more on their own historical and financial ignorance having been educated in failing schools steeped in liberal philosophy. A philosophy of which blames others for personal failure, and teaches that a large centralized state can, and will, take care of their needs.

We, as conservatives, should certainly plan our attack for 2014 and 2016, by articulating a message that resonates with the growing constituencies of single women and minorities,  but if we are to preserve the ideals of this great nation in the long term, we need to begin a strategy of teaching conservative principles to our children, starting at the elementary levels. It’s much like raising a child as we all have done, and proving to them that conservative philosophy is the most compassionate towards others and offers the most rewarding personal life they will ever know. Those principles include, but not limited to:

1.      Live within your financial means – large debt restricts personal freedom and destroys relationships and lives. Be responsible with your money, and if money is important to you, then pursue education and set goals.

2.      Personal responsibility – bad decisions have consequences and you need to, and will, live with those consequences. Don’t blame others, and don’t repeat your mistakes. Good things happen to those who do their best everyday and make good decisions.

3.      Learn how to fail – no person has ever won all the time. Learning how to fail builds personal strength and character and makes winning that much more rewarding.

4.      Abstinence – abstain from drugs and excessive alcohol use. There has never been one successful alcoholic or drug user, and by engaging in this activity you can assure yourself of future health problems. Abstain from treating your body like an amusement park, whether that be sexually, or by putting ink and bolts into yourself. Treat your mind and body with respect – you only get one.

I am sure other conservative posters here can add to this list, and I hope they do, but these are four principles that I have taught my kids, and all three of them have turned out to be responsible, functioning adults. I desperately want to see this country get back to a shared sense of responsibility for moving our country forward. I look around me anymore and much of what I see is very disheartening – entitlement minded, financially illiterate, selfish, drug addicted, pierced and bolted ignorant masses, more interested in the latest brain dead Jay Z CD, or what the Kardashian’s are doing, and I suspect much of you see the same. The problem is, this is a growing constituency, so if we are to have long-term success, we need to begin building a more solid foundation of responsible, better educated children.

I am tired of this pervasive notion that conservative Republicans are uncompassionate, unfeeling, and detached people while liberal Democrats are believed to be compassionate, and care so much about the well being of the individual. Well that notion simply couldn’t be further from the truth. If Democrats cared so much, wouldn’t they hold up the ideal as something to aspire to? Something to reward? Something to encourage people to realize? The ideal being a life of sobriety, a life of working hard to achieve dreams, a life of personal responsibility, and a life beginning in a two parent household comprised of a mother and father. Substance abuse has destroyed more lives than any war could ever possibly do, yet drugs and certainly alcohol are considered “recreational” in our society, and alcohol is completely accepted, if not encouraged in our society. Very few people have realized their dreams without struggle, yet in this day and age of instant gratification, that concept eludes many of our younger generation. Personal responsibility is also a concept lost on too many people. Decisions have consequences and taking away those consequences denies the individual personal growth and the opportunity to learn how to fail. But most importantly, is helping  ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to be raised in a family with a mother and father.

There is no substitute for that family dynamic and any one that tries to convince you otherwise, is either ignorant, agenda driven, or not overly concerned about the well being of the human condition. A child needs the nurturing and love of a mother, and the love and guidance of  a father, and single parent households, or same sex households can not offer that very important dynamic. Male and females are not only anatomically different, we differ greatly in the way we react with people and certainly our children. Where a mother will wince and cry out for the child to be careful when playing sports, or simply riding a bike, a father will push them, and encourage them to play harder, or take a few risks. When the child is very young, a mother will hold them tight to the bosom and nurture them while a father will tickle their belly and toss them in the air, and these acts of parenting are crucial to a child’s development and well being in life.

Now I as a conservative fully understand the human condition, and the difficulty it is to reach the ideal. Therefore, I understand single parent households, same sex households, substance addiction, and those who fall short of their dreams and want to help them in any way possible. But that doesn’t mean that we as a society shouldn’t hold up the ideal as the standard, and that of which we should all strive for. Striving for the ideal is not a vice, and falling short isn’t a crime, but unless we all know what the ideal is, how will we ever get there? If Democrats truly cared, they would speak to this issue, yet they don’t, and seem to champion policies that reward falling short, and today we have more children born out of wedlock than ever before, more people in poverty than ever before, and more substance abuses than any time in our history. Conservatives champion policies that encourage people to reach their ideal, and that is where true compassion lies.

In moments of solitude, which are few these days, I often contemplate the state of our union and where we find ourselves not just politically, but socially and morally as well. And one over arching concept keeps coming to mind, and that is, we as a society, particularly our younger generation, have forgotten how to fail. Failure is a very important part of a successful life. It builds character, it strengthens resolve, it teaches caution, and most importantly it builds self reliance. Throughout history, failure has been instrumental in not only shaping the lives of great people, but in shaping the direction of this great country. General Washington lost many a battle in the early days of the revolution before honing his strategic skills and ultimately winning the war. It would have been very easy for Washington to simply give up, after all it was bone chilling cold in many of those of important battles and many men died, yet Washington learned from his mistakes and his failures and pressed forward. But maybe above them all was President Lincoln, whose resolve was only steeled by his failure. In fact I have the following list of Lincoln’s failures posted in my office:

• 1831 – Lost his job
• 1832 – Defeated in run for Illinois State Legislature
• 1833 – Failed in business
• 1834 – Elected to Illinois State Legislature (success)
• 1835 – Sweetheart died
• 1836 – Had nervous breakdown
• 1838 – Defeated in run for Illinois House Speaker
• 1843 – Defeated in run for nomination for U.S. Congress
• 1846 – Elected to Congress (success)
• 1848 – Lost re-nomination
• 1849 – Rejected for land officer position
• 1854 – Defeated in run for U.S. Senate
• 1856 – Defeated in run for nomination for Vice President
• 1858 – Again defeated in run for U.S. Senate
• 1860 – Elected President (success)

How many of us can honestly say we would have kept going? Yet President Lincoln is to this day regarded as one of, if not the greatest President this country has ever elected. Americans need to learn how to fail again, but our politicians win elections by promising to not let anyone fail. Corporations receive bail outs, farmers receive subsidies, and the poor receive an ever growing list of entitlements to the point that failure is becoming a lost concept. We all need to learn that failure is not the end of the world, in fact, it is often times a new beginning. There are many great historical quotes on failure, one of course is “Failure is not falling down, it is not getting back up”, but two of my favorites have always been:

– “Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure”  – William Saroyan.

– “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up”  – Thomas A Edison

I posted this under the category of “Conservative Values” because in my opinion, the concept of failure is lost on most liberals. They are aghast when conservatives suggest that failure is the best option when speaking of auto companies, financial industries, and those individuals who over reach financially. It’s not that we want them to be down and out, it’s that we know what promise failure can bring.

In honor of Thomas Paine, “these are the times that try men’s souls”, I can honestly say that my soul has been tried. The political climate we find ourselves in is surreal, and born of partisan hackery and ignorance. Last week, Harry Reid stated probably the most despicable  statement ever uttered on the Senate Floor, yet the media and ignorant liberals let it go by without question due to their hyper partisanship and ignorance. I say ignorance because of the fact that we do have an IRS and Justice Department charged with vetting and validating tax returns, and if you think someone of Romney’s prominence escaped the eye of those two government watchdogs, you’re sorely lacking in common sense. Combine that with the fact that Romney does not prepare his own taxes, he has highly paid and highly qualified CPA firms compile his returns. CPA firms who are also audited frequently, so to suggest that this highly moral man not only evaded taxes for a number of years but also avoided the scrutiny of the IRS, is just insane. Yet, it goes largely unquestioned, and the burden of proof becomes Romney’s . Let’s also throw in our dear President, who has lectured all of us on several occasions on the importance of civility, and you can imagine why many of our souls have been tried over the last three years. The disingenuous and arrogance emanating from our current crop of liberals is distasteful to say the least.

I am reminded of another one of Paine’s great quotes – “Time makes more converts than reason”, and that is a fact that Democrats bank on. Liberals know that a lie repeated often enough will resonate with the ignorant, and the liberal base is ignorant, make no mistake about that. But the quote from Paine that struck me the most was this:

SOME writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness POSITIVELY by uniting our affections, the latter NEGATIVELY by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.

This is an incredibly profound statement. Paine is speaking to the sense of community driven not by government, but by the individual, both in charity and accomplishment. We desperately need to get back to that place where government is administered at the most local level possible, as defined by our Constitution, where individual charity nurtures those in need, and where individual accomplishment is applauded, not scolded. The ever growing bureaucracy in Washington DC is not the solution to the problem, it is the problem. Can you guess which President stated that?