Posted by
Crescen7(Regis Matejcik) on Thursday, November 06, 2008 11:11:59 AM
Karl Rove may be a brilliant political strategist. It seems he's undefeated. But he's left a scar on the Conservative movement that must be quickly and thoroughly removed.
Rove may not have introduced the concept to the Republican Party, but he certainly expanded and relied on "Identity Politics" more than any Republican in the past. For those unfamiliar with the term, identity politics is the political strategy of pandering to a perceived segmented identity of the electorate. While Rove believed strongly in "energizing the base" as a staple of his political strategy, he rejected the concept of persuasion and ideological discourse to attempt to broaden the appeal of the party; and rather opted for the strategy to "pick off" identifiable segments of voters by blatant pandering.
George Bush felt the need to increase his appeal to geezers (er that would be senior citizens). That brought us the almost incalculable burden of a government backed prescription drug program. There was the need to shore up the vote among the Ohio/Pennsylvania steel workers. That brought us the a tariff on imported steel. There was a potential weakness in the much heralded "soccer mom" segment; and hence we were gifted with "no child left behind." Perhaps most importantly, seeking a boost from the growing Latino population; there was a desperate attempt to force a through legislation known as "Comprehensive Immigration Reform."
Traditionally, identity politics has been the domain of the left. This is why the left is comprised of widely disparate identity groups that often have little in common. Blacks, gays, latinos, environmentalists, labor unions, homeless, and ivory tower professors often agree on little other than they need to vote Democrat. Since Democrat philosophy cedes all wealth and power to Government, it is ideologically consistent with the Democrat message to make specific offerings to these seemingly disparate "identities." By contrast, the Conservative message of limited Government, individual liberty, and limitless opportunity is ideologically incompatible with the pandering of identity politics.
One cannot make a sustained argument for limited Government while promising gifts from the public largess.
John McCain has not through out his career, and certainly did not during his Presidential campaign, promote the advantages of conservatism as a consistent campaign message. His campaign was littered with poorly thought out "counter gifts" to voters in response to Obama's virtual Christmas list of free health care, mortgage relief, and education funding. The muddled message of giving away government largess in a more judicious fashion than ones opponent does little to excite those that believe in true conservative principles.
This is not to say that reaching out to various groups is not important. It is vitally important to reach out to every citizen in the United States. The outreach however must be one of persuasion, not pandering. We must explain clearly that the principles of limited government, and empowered individuals are beneficial to EVERYONE. We must explain that blacks, gays, latinos, environmentalists, labor unions, homeless, and ivory tower professors alike benefit from being free of Goverment limitations on their own god given abilities, and that the acceptance of largess places burdens on the productive sectors of society that ultimately limit their possibilities to achieve greatness - or even mediocrity.
We must aggressivly deny and denounce every mention of Identity Politics. We must consistently reinforce the message that conservativism is blind to color, creed, ethnicity and gender. If we succumb to the temptation of pandering to various groups with competing gifts confiscated from the public coffers, we will continue to be defeated at the polls by Democrats who can do so with greater philosphical consistency and zeal.