Posted by
9th & 10th Amendment Man on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 12:18:50 PM
I'm often told by Real Conservatives, hereinafter defined as those who actually revere the Constitution and it's constraints on the power of the federal government, that they won't vote for a Real Conservative candidate from perhaps the Constitution party, or the Libertarian Party. Why? Because even though a candidate from either of those parties may more accurately reflect their conservative beliefs, such a candidate "...can't win, so I would be wasting my vote"; thus, rationalizing their intent to vote for the Republican Candidate from the Republicrat/Democan political duopoly. This, even though the duopoly candidate may only marginally represents any of their convictions as a Real Conservative. Alternatively, they may just decide to not vote at all, somehow reasoning that it's less wasteful of their vote than voting for the candidate who matches their convictions but "Can't win". Sadly this is the insane reasoning that many "Real Conservatives" employ when voting.
This "wasted vote" paranoia is heavily relied upon by the duopoly parties as they play the Good Cop/Bad Cop routine with each other in order to retain the vote of their respective constituency factions; and thus, their mutual back-slapping, 155-year iron grip on power. In the case of the Republicans, their, kool-aid drinking media puppets, Michael Medved, Rush Limbaugh, Hugh Hewitt, Laura Ingraham, Shaun Hannity, Michael Savage, et al, are the pontificating stage props in the Good Cop/Bad Cop routine. They will reliably proclaim, "Sure (insert Republican candidate name here for Good Cop) has compromised on a lot of conservative core principals, but if you don't vote for him/her you'll assure the election of the, (insert Democrat name here for Bad Cop) and you'll be wasting your vote". Thanks to his perpetually repeated ploy, the reverse of which is practiced by the democrats, the duopoly has repeatedly and successfully played their respective constituencies for patsies.
In the case of the Republican politicians, having corralled the real conservative constituents with wasted-vote-paranoia, they ignore their appeals for a smaller, constitutionally constrained federal government. This frees them to slavishly serve the interests of their shadow constituencies, many shared with the Democrats: huge, multi-national corporations, multi-national bankers, environmentalist fanatics and other powerful special interest groups. These entities provide them with the big money they need to maintain their grip on power.
For Real Conservatives, habitually duped by this charade, many end up feeling as though they've wasted their vote anyway. They vote contrary to their convictions, prodded by their duopoly induced paranoia, and then helplessly watch as they're deprived of their liberties and even more power shifts to Washington. They grimace, seeing the country's political spectrum shifting further and further to the left of center (the center correctly being defined as the federal government adhering to the limitations on its power as set forth in the Constitution, not by the duopoly or the media or political pundit's propensity for re-defining the center further and further to the left).
Fortunately, the brave men and women who died to establish our now bastardized constitutional republic were not so easily cowed into compromising their convictions for fear that their efforts to establish independence from King George III would be "wasted". The Good Cop/Bad Cop routine of that day was played out by the British governing authorities and weenie colonists who were loyalists to the British Crown. They argued it would make more sense to be passive, or better yet, actively support the crown in its continued subjugation of themselves and their fellow colonists. After all, Britain, at that time, had the most powerful military force in the world. Resistance would be a "waste", it would be futile. If they resisted things would be far worse for them. If they weren't killed by the mighty British army in battle, they would eventually be hanged for sedition, once the rebellion was inevitably crushed. The minute men responded to this "wasted effort" mentality the same way freedom loving, Real Conservatives should respond to the "wasted vote" rationalization so common today. They acted in accordance with their convictions—voting against tyranny with their muskets, lead balls and black powder. Had they succumbed to the "wasted effort" reasoning of the crown loyalists, they would have stepped into the voting booth of battle, loaded their musket, and shot lead ball votes from the British lines into the lines of their freedom yearning, fellow colonists. Instead, they refused to be cowed and corralled. They stood against all odds, shoulder-to-shoulder with others who refused to be duped into submission to the crown. Each time they fired their vote into the "invincible" British lines, their muskets roared their agreement with the words of Patrick Henry: "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
Our choice is easier to make than that of the minutemen. Currently, we don't have to risk death to vote in accordance with our convictions; therefore, now is the time for all Real Conservatives to show enough courage to reject the duopoly's Good Cop/Bad Cop ruse. Only then will we ever have a realistic hope of regaining the freedom and liberty we once had in this country. Freedom and liberty purchased with the blood of those brave minutemen.