Again we are coming into another important election season, and everyone is trying to figure out which party is going to pick up the most seats and ultimately control Congress. It may be too late to have much effect on how things will play out in the coming weeks, but as we begin to gear up for another election for our highest office it's time to start discussing the future of the conservative movement in this country...
As evidenced in this this Bloomberg article the fact that there is a rift in the Republican party is nothing new. Both U.S. parties have and will continue to have their factions, but it is when they can't learn to bridge their own differences that they are in true peril of destroying each other. They even risk losing the chance to really move forward the debates with the left. These different factions really need to focus on bridging their differences, moderating their overall platform (while maintaining their own views and agendas of course), and learning how to actually compromise with the other side. As I've mentioned before, compromise is not a sign of weakness it is a sign of statesmanship and, frankly, adulthood (or should be at least).
Is the science behind global warming real? Who cares!! Let's argue about the rate at which we should cut carbon emissions, increase fuel efficiency standards, and phase out fossil fuels. Conservatives shouldn't feel guilty about taking a pro-environmental stance so long as they are within the confines of a fiscally conservative framework that isn't about us sacrificing our entire American way of life. Are carbon or any other chemical emissions causing long term climate damage? Again it matters, but that's not what the argument should be about. The point is that we're still emitting tons of materials into the atmosphere that aren't natural. Things like cancer, emphysema, and smoggy air are seen and experienced by people from all walks of life daily. These things can be tied to these sources of pollutants just as much as they can be to our hormone-laden foods, sun tanning, and dealing with ridiculous stress levels at our jobs.
On immigration- why must the conservative stance so often sound like a KKK rallying cry? Many immigrants are hard working members of our society and do take jobs that our people don't have the skill sets for. Should we allow every single person to stay? No, but nor should we try rounding them up like the Gestapo and busing them all to the other side of the border. Not only will this process be expensive, but it will be counter productive. As long as they are employed, don't have a criminal background, and are willing to take the path to citizenship let them do it. Turn them into hard-working, tax paying Americans. Speaking of our own citizens who don't have jobs, part of this process should be shortening unemployment benefits and using some of that money for job re-training programs. Schools for skilled tradesman are either non-existent or a joke in this country.
This is just part one of a series that will focus on moderating the Republican platform while maintaining pretty darn conservative values. The party that can shift the conversation, is the one that will control the message. So long as you allow yourself to be painted into a corner by your opponent it doesn't matter how ineffective they are or how much they don't do so long as they continue the assault on you..
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