Conservatives are not engaging

In my opinion, conservatives are in a losing battle against the liberal agenda. It has nothing to do with the merits of either agenda. It has to do with who is disseminating and forcefully, emphatically promoting their agenda most effectively. The liberals, for the large part, are doing it on all fronts relentlessly, including voters, business leaders, politicians, social media and the mass media et al. The larger majority of conservatives are mostly spectators.

Liberals and their leadership apply simple marketing and advertising concepts to make their facts the truth. Employing continuous repetition of messages and wide dissemination of the messages works effectively to make whatever is promoted reality. Conservatives mostly just listen, knowing the lies and distortions are untrue but fail to counter them.

My conclusions here are more anecdotal than based on some broad statistical analysis of surveys, polls or interviews. Within my cohort of conservatives, there is plenty of discussion and criticism of the liberal agenda and behavior. Much of what is discussed is based on keen observations, pragmatic, logical thinking, knowledge of history, human behavior and personal experiences through mostly long lives. The discussions are compelling and content widely accepted within the Cohort, but it ends there. Very few of my conservative friends will engage outside of a private, like-minded group. Therein lies the problem with conservative behavior, which I see across the spectrum much more so than in the liberal ranks.

Most organizations are effective due to strong, inspirational leadership from the top and permeated down through the ranks. In the case of political parties, it is a clear definition and rationale of the platform or agenda. The leadership must be effective in bonding the stake holders in unity and the message must be perpetual. The conservatives have no such leadership hierarchy that is effective. Rather it is fragmented and not united in direction or resolve, as compared to the liberals. The liberals have learned that some must sacrifice personal agendas for the good of the party, and it works.

Donald Trump sacrificed immeasurably giving up his life style, opening himself to constant criticism and ridicule and placed his wealth at some risk to stand up and be counted. Until many more conservatives go beyond the comfort, security and privacy of their homes and publicly engage in moving the conservative agenda forward, they will lose as an ever growing critical mass of liberals increase to a point where there’s no possibility of reversal. Conservatives need to support those that stand up, encourage all conservatives to vote, contact politicians in support or opposition to policies or initiatives, write opinion articles, challenge anyone disseminating poor ideas or false information, and do it continuously and perpetually.

So regardless of the merits of opposing agendas, whoever is strongly led, most effectively pursues their initiatives, publicly support those that stand for them, and actively promote the agenda will succeed while the others watch. If there ever was a time for conservatives to engage, it is profoundly now.

George Thomas
Lake Fredrick, Virginia