In part one, I said that America loves a winner, even if he/she is a crook. This can be
seen by our veneration of famous criminals, shady sports figures and politicians like Bill
Clinton. To understand Clinton, we can look back hundreds of years to the Machiavellian
approach to politics.
I ended part won by raising the question whether goodness can win out over
Machiavellian princes in America in the aftermath of Clinton? I believe goodness can
prevail for several reasons. Machiavellian philosophy says, "You should consider
then, that there are two ways of fighting, one with laws and the other with force. The
first is properly a human method, the second belongs to beasts. But, as the first method
does not always suffice, you sometimes have to turn to the second. Thus a prince must know
how to make good of both the beast and the man."
For over 200 years even in times of war when force was necessary, America has been a
nation of laws and not of men. We have defied the Machiavellian concept that politicians
must act like beasts because of the strength of our respect for the constitution, the law
and an abiding faith in the goodness of the American people. Bill Clinton’s ability
to subvert that tradition puts our future freedom in danger.
The task would be easiest if there was a clear distinction between our two political
parties. The Democrat’s blind support of Clinton’s crimes, lies and immorality
has placed it as enemy number one to our system of government and moral principle. Today,
a vote for a Democrat, is to vote to throw the constitution, rule of law and our moral
foundations out the window. To paraphrase Ross Perot, the giant sucking sound we will hear
if Democrats continue to control the White House and regain control of Congress will be
our freedom and individual responsibility going down the drain. Monica Lewinsky is the
perfect poster girl to keep in mind when you think what the Democratic party stand for and
wants to do to our system of government.
As a Republican, I would love to be able to say my party is the defender of the
constitution, the rule of law, morality and freedom. However, the current leadership of
the party outside of the House Judiciary Committee has not shown the character and
leadership ability to stand up for what is right. The good news is the majority of the
people that make up the party do stand for what is right. The political success of Bill
Clinton has largely been because the leadership of the party didn’t uphold the values
of the party.
The record speaks for itself. In 1980,1984 and 1988, the Republicans won the Presidency
in landslide proportions based on the conservative message of Ronald Reagan. After winning
the presidency because he promised to continue the policies of Ronald Reagan, George Bush
the 1st’s program for a "kinder gentler America" slowly
abandoned a good share of the conservatism that he had promised to support, which is best
summed up by the rejection of his "Read My Lips, No New Taxes" pledge.
Thanks to Reagan’s coattails, the Republicans gained control of the Senate from
1981-1986. Unfortunately, they turned the Senate leadership over to Beltway Bob Dole whose
lack of philosophical direction and political savvy lead the Senate back to minority
status.
In 1994, The Republican’s scored what should have been their greatest victory when
with the sweeping conservative agenda of the contract with America and the leadership of
Newt Gingrich they took control of both houses of Congress. Since then, they have achieved
a lot such as a balanced budget, lower taxes for many American’s and welfare reform.
However, they underestimated Bill Clinton’s lust for power and willingness to pick a
fight. Newt Gingrich started dreaming of the presidency as did Beltway Bob who was still
in charge of the Senate. The movement stalled when they caved into Clinton over the budget
battle that had lead to the partial shutdown of the government. You aren’t going to
win a war if you aren’t willing to fight to the finish.
After this cave in, the Republican’s once again made the mistake of turning its
entire party leadership over to Bob Dole by anointing him as the chosen Presidential
candidate. They should have known Dole’s lame run at the presidency was doomed before
it started. His lack of presidential ability has been proven beyond any doubt with his
stupid commercials discussing his erectile dysfunction. Too bad he wouldn’t have
discovered Viagra a couple years earlier, he might have not have ran such an impotent
campaign for President. The question remains could Elizabeth be running for president to
get away from Bob because Viagra works too well or because it doesn’t work well
enough?
Seriously, Bob Dole and George Bush are good men who I respect very much and for whom I
voted. However, they didn’t have a strong vision of what they believed in and what
they wanted to do for the country. They also wanted to be loved by their political enemies
rather than defeat them, which lead to misguided compromises and ultimate defeat.
Thus, when we look back at the last 20 years, a clear pattern emerges for victory. When
Republican’s run on a solid conservative message firmly based in the traditions of
the past with a positive vision for the future of the nation and its people, they win and
win big. When they listen to the media and the liberal minority of the party and move to
the left, they lose. They don’t lose big anymore because the Democratic party has
slowly, but steadily been losing support. Despite the lack of vision and leadership they
have still held control of congress for three straight elections.
If any legitimate success can be gleaned for President Clinton, it has been the passage
of Republican ideas that his propaganda team has spun to give him the credit when it
belonged to the Republican Congress. Although speaking of foreign policy at the time,
Republicans should apply Ronald Reagan’s advice to domestic politics. "A broader
reading of history shows that appeasement, no matter how it is labeled, never fulfills the
hopes of the appeasers."
The difference between the two parties and their competing ideas of governing the
United States was brilliantly explained by Alan Keyes in a recent column written for World
Net Daily. Keyes worked at the United Nations during the Reagan administration, ran
for president in 1996 and is currently a radio talk show hoist who is probably going to
run again in 2000. Keyes says, "One simple principle runs through every part of the
agenda that the Republican party agrees on. We believe in the people’s ability and
capacity to govern themselves. Democrats believe only in the power of government. It is
that simple."
Lower taxes, doing away with regulations, giving power to parents to choose the best
education for their children and allowing people to have the ability to wisely invest
their money to prepare for retirement are all central to the Republican message. To work,
they all are based in the faith that the people of the country have the ability to take
care of themselves and choose what is best for themselves and their families.
I venture that if I asked each individual in the country whether they think they can
take care of themselves and don’t need to be told what to do that nearly all of them
would say yes. Freedom of choice is endowed in every individual by our creator. Even if
you don’t believe in God, it should be obvious that everyone has a unique personality
and has an internal longing for freedom. When the obstacles to this freedom are removed
and faith in themselves is restored, American’s have always done great things and
still can. The great economic prosperity we are experiencing today is the result of the
technological revolution brought about by the renewal of the entrepreneurial spirit
inspired by the Presidency of Ronald Reagan. Reagan would be the first to correctly tell
you that it is the people that should get all the credit.
In addressing, the nation to draw support for his call for major tax cuts in the early
days of his presidency, Reagan succinctly expressed the foundation of his belief in the
American people:
I’ve not taken your time this evening merely to ask you to trust me. Instead, I
ask you to trust yourselves. That’s what America is all about. Our struggle for
nationhood, our unrelenting fight for freedom, our very existence--these have all rested
on the assurance that you must be free to shape your life as you are best able to, that no
one can stop you from reaching higher or take from you the creativity that has made
America the envy of mankind
The successful, principled politician that wants to win should emulate the message and
sincerity of Ronald Reagan. Express faith in people and inspire them to take themselves to
new heights of achievement they never thought possible. The policies of government should
reflect this faith and get out of the way. Ronald’s Reagan’s historic 1981 tax
cut has been savagely attacked by the elitists that want to control society. However, it
is rationally impossible to deny that cutting the marginal rates from 70% to 28% or lower
for all, helped kick start the virtually non-stop financial boom since 1982. It is a
winning message just about every time it is tried.
That begs the question, why then do Democrats like Bill Clinton still have so much
success?. Keyes, hits the nail on the head:
It is very simple. It is because after the Republicans make all those empirical and
economic arguments, the Democrats trump us every time with a moral argument. [they say]
"This is all well and good, but the people of this country can’t be trusted.
They won’t do what is right. They won’t make the right decisions. They
don’t have the moral capacity to do the right thing." And then they accuse
Republicans of being callous. And then the federal education budget, or the welfare
budget, or whatever, is increased.
In short, as former crooked Democrat Speaker of the House, George Wright, used to say
in his southern drawl that sounds like one of the characters in the movie Deliverance,
"We just want to help you." It could also be described as appealing to emotion
rather than reason, but I think moral argument is a better description. As the bible says,
"We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God." People do have an evil
streak in them, but instead of trying to bring out the best in us,
Democrats/liberals/socialists/communists/fascists/Machevillians play on our fears to
assert that we must be taken care of by somebody. Of course they are just the ones to do
it. If people are bad, they will waste their money, ignore the poor, kill people etc.
Sure, Democrats talk about freedom a lot, but they define freedom as a release from any
restraints on our evil nature. When people can’t control themselves, then the case
that a government taking care of people has moral resonance no matter how immoral the
intent of those making the argument.
It has been the strong character of the American people, reinforced by the fundamental
non-governmental institutions of religion and family that has allowed us the greatest
freedom and prosperity of any nation since Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. We
don’t need a large government when a nation has people of strong character.
To gain victory for the continued success of limited government, the majority of people
must retain their strong character. For this to happen, it is time for the right side to
wake up and realize the other side is playing to win. We are in a war for the culture,
which transcends politics. In a recent speech at Harvard law school, Charlton Heston had
this to say:
Dedicating the memorial at Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln said of America, "We are
engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether this nation or any nations so conceived and
so dedicated can long endure." Those words are true again. I believe that we are
again engaged in a great civil war, a cultural war that’s about to hijack your
birthright to think and say what resides in your heart. I fear you no longer trust the
pulsing lifeblood of liberty inside you...the stuff that made this country rise from
wilderness into the miracle that it is.
Political victory is important, but to really win the war, it must take place in our
homes, schools, churches and communities. It is fine and vital to have moral people in
government, but we must have the people in the first place. To get those people, good
people must join the fight.
Conservative Religious leaders have involved themselves in politics over the last 20
years as they saw the policies of liberalism declaring war on God and family with
devastating effects. They are right that liberalism needs to be stopped in government.
They are wrong when they think that will solve all the problems.
Before ridding the government of liberalism, they need to defeat it in the church. I
don’t care what denomination of church you attend whether Protestant, Catholic,
Jewish, fundamentalist, evangelical, ecumenical etc, the ministers and ministry of the
Church is likely to have a closer resemblance to a Bill Clinton speech or policy paper
rather anything that comes from the Bible, Torah, or even the Koran. Most ministers are
more concerned with being loved and accepted rather than having their members develop a
loving relationship with God that inspires independence of thought. Just as during the
dark ages, they want members that pay blind allegiance to the institution rather than to
what is right and true. Instead of programs to save souls, they create social clubs and
"support groups" based on psychobabble rather than scripture.
If your particular church, isn’t that way praise the Lord, however, just watch the
last half hour of Pat Robertson’s 700 Club a few times or remember that Focus on the
Family’s, James Dobson is a psychologist or psychiatrist not a minister. I don’t
have anything against these two guys and think they do many good things. However, I think
it helps illustrate just how far liberalism has invaded the church when two of its leaders
spend so much time on things secondary to its proper role. If the Church, will do
it’s proper role of saving souls and fostering people that can stand on their own,
then their will be a majority of good people in government to protect our freedom.
As to individuals, we must learn to have the courage to speak up for right whether it
is at home, church, work or school. In his plea to students at Harvard and all across the
country to stand up for freedom, Charlton Heston had this to say:
The answer’s been here all along. I learned it 36 years ago, on the steps of the
Lincoln memorial in Washington D.C., standing with Dr. Martin Luther King and two hundred
thousand people. You simply...disobey. Peaceably, yes. Respectfully, of course.
Nonviolently, absolutely. But when told how to think or what to think or what to say or
how to behave, we don’t. We disobey social protocol that stifles and stigmatizes
personal freedom….Disobedience is in our DNA. We feel innate kinship with that
disobedient spirit that tossed tea into Boston Harbor, that sent Thoreau to jail, that
refused to sit in the back of the bus, that protested a war in Vietnam. In that same
spirit, I am asking you to disavow cultural correctness with massive disobedience of rogue
authority, social directives and onerous law that weaken personal freedom. But be
careful...it hurts. Disobedience demands that you put yourself at risk. Dr. King stood on
lots of balconies. You must be willing to be humiliated...to endure the modern-day
equivalent of the police dogs at Montgomery and the water Cannons at Selma. You must be
willing to experience discomfort...So that this nation may long endure, I urge you to
follow in the hallowed footsteps of the great disobedient’s of history that freed
exiles, founded religions, defeated tyrants, and yes, in the hands of an aroused rabble in
arms and a few great men, by God’s grace, built this country.
I don’t know if I agree with every example Heston gave, but I think that if we
want to turn the culture away from liberalism, we must understand what is at stake and
have the same dedication to stand up for our beliefs as the Civil Rights Movement did in
the 60's. I believe that the majority of American’s still want to have a free society
and have a strong sense of right or wrong even if it is hard to see now and then. Despite
the best efforts of Machiavellian princes, The majority of people are prospering by going
about their lives, taking care of themselves and their families. However, there is nothing
to say that will always be the case when we have Machiavellian princes like Bill Clinton
and Al Gore leading the war to defeat what has made America great. That is why we must
fight to win on all fronts.
On the political front, the next national election will ring in a new century. The key
to victory is for a strong conservative leader to emerge as a candidate for President that
will express Ronald’s Reagan’s faith in the American People and will unabashedly
champion principles and programs of governance consistent with that faith. We must be
challenged to new heights for the 21st century that rise above our greatest
achievements of the 20th century.
This candidate needs to have demonstrated in his/her own life that they have the
character worthy of self-governance and will not try to appease the enemy. In political
terms, the enemy is Democrat’s and in specific Al Gore. Anyone that wants to jump on
the bandwagon and support the basic message of faith in the people should be welcomed as
long as they don’t try to sabotage the efforts. The right candidate will have the
leadership and confidence of somebody that expects victory. He will unite the Republican
party not by compromising his beliefs, but by the strength of his character, which will
rally people to the prospect of victory just as Ronald Reagan did.
Gore will be telling how he is more noble and virtuous than everyone else. Of course he
will claim that makes him the person to take care of all of us. Gore oozes with doom and
gloom. Expressing a positive faith in the people and refuting Gore’s recycled garbage
with the same positive message no matter how much the media and elitists yell and scream
can lead to a great victory that makes a clean sweep of both the executive and legislative
branches of government.
A major strategic goal toward victory is to have a candidate that realizes the
potential of the Internet and other alternative media sources that allow a candidate to
take the message straight to the people and bypass the establishment media who are the
court jesters of the modern Machiavellian princes. We need someone that understand the
virtual unlimited potential of the technological evolution rather than somebody that
falsely claims to have invented the Internet while basically claiming human advancement is
the source of all evil.
The simple, truthful message expressing faith and inherent goodness in the American
people to achieve greatness when the government gets out of the way still resonates and
will win the hearts and votes of the majority of people and should lead to victory in
2000. It is the only way to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If it doesn’t
work, then Machiavellian despotism will eventually prevail until another generation rises
up in revolt or the many Biblical prophecies come to pass of the Second Coming of Christ
to take those that believe in him to heaven, destroy evil and create a new Eden. If it
isn’t time for the latter to happen, then I believe the chances are excellent for a
great cultural renewal and political victory. I remind you once again of the path to
victory for the hearts and votes of the American public of the slayer of Machiavellian
Princes, Ronald Reagan.
You can play a special part in this future. You’ll be its author: Take full
advantage of the wonderful life that lies in store for you. Rejoice in your freedom,
sample the full richness of the opportunities that lie before you. Help one another, trust
in yourselves, and have faith in God, and you’ll find more joy and happiness than you
could imagine. And always remember that you are Americans, and it is your birthright to
dream great dreams in this sweet and blessed land, truly the greatest, freest, strongest
nation on Earth.
To Joe's
previous article (Part I)
