Establishment: The Conservatives' Race Card

Conservatives are rightly angry with the political establishment.

Free market and limited government advocates were particularly annoyed with Republican President George W. Bush, who expanded government into health care and education in an unprecedented fashion.

"Compassionate conservatism" turned into a face-lift for unchecked government progressivism, all with a warm heart on its sleeve and a deceptive happy face.

From the late 2000s until today, the Tea Party movement mobilized to stop this Big Government insanity.

And long-time Republicans, who have profited from crony arrangements in Congress, were not happy with this development, no more than the openly statist Democrats.

The frustration they have with government is understandable, and they should not relent on pushing back against Washington leadership, whether Democrat or Republican.

Unfortunately, this anti-Establishment attitude has not lent itself to winning elections, and that is where the fight needs to be fought and won.

It is not enough to blast Washingnton, or the political class in your town or state. You have to challenge it, replace it with your values and world view.

Tea Party forces have done have  a great job getting the right people into office, especially forcing the House of Representatives to represent the people, the opinions of every man sitting in their own homes.

Now we have to keep our elected officials accountable, reminding them that all it takes is one primary challenge and a new candidate stepping in on behalf of the constitutents.

The ongoing pressure and power – that has been the weak spot for conservatives. Progressives and Left-wing trolls have long understood the importance of not letting up the pressure. Saul Alinsky codified that in one of his Rules for Radicals.

Righteous, free market and liberty radicals needs to do the same thing. Even when the right candidate, with an R after his name on the ballot, gets elected, We the People have to stand by and keep them in check, make sure that they vote the way we care. As for those candidates who represent us from Day One and want to do well by us, of necessity We the People need to keep on being that representative's supporter. Champions need help all the time.

Now, the supposed lack of consensus among conservatives over particular candidates has created some drawbacks for the long haul. How do disparate elements within our ranks settle for the conservative candidate who is the most electable?

The disagreements need to be smoothed out. Not ever fight can be won, and not every fight will be worth fighting in every election.

Furthermore, what does it take for conservative candidates, individuals who have not thrived outside of the political class, to win? For a while, I have argued that working in city commissions and advisory boards can give conservatives much needed face time with the community as well as connect with potential donors. When I offered that we need people who have experience in city government, I was tarnished with the "Establishment" card.

"You have gone establishment. You support the Establishment." Blah, Blah, Blah.

I have yet to hear conservative activists talk about meaningful means for getting into the inner workings of local or state government to change the way things are done. As soon as someone establishes  — establishment! — name ID and financial backing, they automatically become tainted, and are no longer conservative enough.

It has now dawned on me, that in some ways. conservative WHINOs use the term "Establishment" to shut out reasoned debate, in order to stop people from selecting which fights to wage and win. You are not worried about Big Labor but are focused on Big Green? A critic will then call you "Establishment" and "RINO."

This kind of divisiveness is childish and useless. Furthermore, for conservatives who want to get their right-minded peers elected, but do not want them forming necessary connections with elected officials or raising money through awareness and outreach – how do they want them to win?

For all the conservatives who were unhappy about State Senator Chris McDaniel's loss to Thad Cochran, they need to start asking better questions: why did McDaniel lose the ground game, and what can he and other like-minded conservatives do to win next time?

There are elections which need to be won. It is not enough to be right, to have the right record and character. You have to win  elections. Please do not shout me down with the "Establishment" card, because I have read the Saul Alinsky playbook, and it won't work on me.

Tea Party forces, please don't hate the game ,or the players. Find a way to play the election-campaign game better, and start ousting the nonsensical liberals and unaccountable Republicans. Playing the "Establishment" card is not going to get us winning elections, or influencing state policy.