Sunday, April 25, 2010

T.E.A. Parties? The Left Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet!

One of the questions I sometimes get asked is ‘why do you spend so much time on politics? It's not like they listen to us anyway.’ To be honest, I get really frustrated with that attitude, but I can understand where it comes from. People spend a lot of time at work, with kids, paying bills, keeping the house and yard in good condition, keeping the car running, and keeping themselves physically fit. When you get up at 6 AM and are busy until you fall into bed at 11 PM, it's hard to carve out time for political activism. But, there are some things in life that once you've learned them, you can’t unlearn. I read the book “The Case Against Barack Obama” and it was an eye opener for me. It is what got me off the couch and into activism. As I read about how Obama got his start in politics, what he stands for and what he believes, I realized that there was no way we could let this man get elected. Have you noticed that lately there has been some press coverage of Obama’s tutelage at the hands of Frank Marshall Davis? There are people now, in 2010 saying “did you know that he was mentored by a COMMUNIST?” I just reply “Um, yeah, I’ve known about that since early 2008 way before people voted a slogan into the White House.” Mainstream (lamestream!) media outlets spend time interviewing American Idol castoffs or that ‘gameplay’ woman from The Biggest Loser but won’t cast a disparaging glance at the president, the leaders of congress or the agenda being played out by our government.. It’s frustrating, and it’s made all the worse because we as a society have allowed it to come to this.

For the last 100 years we have seen the political ideology of progressivism take root in America. Like a slow acting virus, it has infected our political system. Today, members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (70 representatives and 1 senator) serve as the chair of over half of the standing committees[1]. This is frightening because Progressives view the Constitution as a living document that should be amended to fit the times. Specifically, it should be amended to fit their view of the times. They support people having guns for defense – government people, that is. Ordinary citizens? A different story. The second amendment to them is an antiquated relic that leads to every city becoming like the wild west, despite all evidence to the contrary. Progressives want to change the constitution so it can be used to shackle the people, while the Founders designed it to shackle the very government they created. They wanted the GOVERNMENT to fear the PEOPLE.


But that’s no longer the case. Government is running roughshod over the will of the people. They don’t care about our opinion because they have stacked the deck against us. How? One way is by using gerrymandering – congressional redistricting – to create “safe seats” for their parties. I say ‘parties’ because both major parties do this. The photo at right[2] is Illinois 4th Congressional district. There are no natural features that require it to be drawn this way – it’s done to drive up the number of registered democrat voters in this district. The Republicans have similar districts so both parties play this game, but the progressives have the ulterior motives of wanting to use this tool to create a permanent majority to move their cause forward, while conservatives want to use it to preserve the constitution and protect our liberties. Do you think it’s a coincidence that the commercials you see on TV for the census (paid for with our tax dollars by the way) use the slogan “We can’t move forward until you send it back?” Census data is cross-referenced against the database of registered voters and the redistricting game commences. This is one reason it is crucial we elect solid, conservative leaders to the House and Senate in November.

I truly feel that we are at a crossroads in our nation’s history. We are dangerously close to losing control of our destiny. Right now 47% of the American workers don’t pay any income tax. When that number tips over 50%, to paraphrase Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and other Founders, the republic will cease to exist. We’ll be left with a decaying corpse of liberty; one where our rights are taken away, our wealth (such as it is) will be pillaged and our property will no longer be ours. In the name of ‘redistributive justice’ so that some can have more, the majority will have less.

If you think that I am being alarmist, consider:
  • Our UN delegate has for the first time ever agreed to negotiate a UN driven small arms treaty that has the potential to defer our national sovereignty to the United Nations. Translation: If ratified, you just lost your second amendment rights.
  • Progressives are chasing amnesty for illegal aliens, and some Republicans (Lindsay Graham!) are backing it, ostensibly to court the Hispanic vote. Hispanics vote predominantly for Democrats, and illegal immigrants are among the lowest income earners. That 47% who don’t pay taxes? If amnesty passes that 47% will become 52%, if not higher. Welcome to the Nanny State.
  • Cap & Trade is still on the agenda for the Obama administration. Remember, in his own words he said that under his plan the cost of utilities will “necessarily skyrocket.” While there’s no disclosure of how that excess money will be spent, you can bet it will be on permanently expanding government’s role in our lives.
  • In 2012 you will no longer be able to purchase whatever light bulbs you want. The government has mandated, via the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (created by a Democrat controlled congress and signed by a Republican President) that you must, in your own house, only use the bulbs they approve of.
If they want to control the light bulbs you use, what will be off limits? Will they tell you what clothes you can buy, what kind of toothpaste you can use, what kind of food to buy and in what quantities? Nothing will be off limits if it’s for the ‘greater good.’


The UN treaty and the light bulb legislation are what I call ‘changes at the periphery’ – changes that occur without fanfare or much notice. Once these changes take hold, the next change moves closer to the middle. It’s insidious and done by design because progressives know they can’t take on something like the second amendment head on. They know they can’t send people into your house and force you to use a different light bulb (at least not yet...). However, if they make these changes at the periphery they effectively accomplish the same goal.

So, the elections this fall are crucial. They may very well be the last chance we have to preserve American Exceptionalism. If we succeed in bringing conservative values back to Congress, we have a shot at turning this ship away from the progressive iceberg. But we all have to pitch in. Politics can no longer be a spectator sport. In 2008 incumbent congressmen raised nearly four times as much money as their challengers. The senate was even worse, with incumbents raising nearly eight times as much for their campaigns as the challengers. It’s hard to get the message out if you can’t afford to buy the air time. So now, in addition to the writing, the blogging, and the Facebook posting, I’m taking it to the streets, and so should you. There are several things we can do, and what follows is by no means an exhaustive list. However, it’s a great start.

First, we need to be vocal and support our conservative candidates. Talk to our friends, use social media, volunteer for campaigns, and yes, financially support candidates even if they’re out of our districts or not in our states.

Second, we have to be aware of the issues and spread them like gospel. Speak to the facts, open and honestly. Progressives can’t argue on the facts. They can’t win an honest debate, so they resort to emotional arguments ("Don't you care about those less fortunate than you?") or personal attacks ("RACIST!") to guilt people into supporting them or to distract from the issues.  However, fair-minded people CAN be won over by a thoughtful, fact based argument. In my own family (where I am, to my knowledge, the only registered Republican) I have gotten signatures on the Initiative 42[3] petition from family members who I assumed would support the UN treaty if for no other reason than it was Hillary Clinton who signed on to it. It turns out that even my more liberal relatives don’t care much for the UN. If I hadn’t had the conversation I would not have known that and would be several signatures shy of where I am now.

Third, we have to get out and VOTE and push others to get out and vote as well. Turnout for mid-term elections is historically light, and we can’t afford to let the other side out-vote us because our base stays home. And ultimately, we must unite behind one candidate. We can’t let a Ross Perot scenario play out where we divide our votes and let an incumbent weasel keep their seat because we were divided among ourselves. We won’t get a conservative candidate on every ballot this fall, but enough of them will make it on to make the difference. Remember, in 1994 we had a Republican revolution, where fully a third of the Republican candidates were seeking to unseat incumbents, and they did it. The next year they ushered in a wave of reforms and balanced the budget for the first time…ever? I don’t know and I’m too lazy too look that one up. The point is, we don’t have to have the perfect candidates all at once, and frankly it’s foolish to think that we accomplish such a feat. But remember the ‘changes at the periphery’ model…we get the majorities back, seed the stock with some true conservatives, and wind the engine up again for 2012.

If we do these things, all of us, and we are relentless about it, we can take the country back. But we have to get on a war footing, be willing to sacrifice time and money to secure our victory. We must with every step move forward, never give an inch and we must keep the volume TURNED UP. As we do, watch the media and the organizations on the left go crazy trying to discredit us and defame us. And as they lose ground, lose the battle of wills, and ultimately lose their control of Congress, it will be fun to watch them completely melt down.
Yours in Liberty,
Rich Baker

[1] Glen Beck, Common Sense, p66.
[2] http://maptogether.org/blogs/jim/fair-maps-for-illinois
[4] See www.initiative42.com for additional information. If you live in Colorado, particularly in the Boulder/Longmont/Loveland area and want to sign the petition, let me know and I can meet you and get your signature.