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Optimistic Conservatives

There has been quite a bit of talk lately describing the Democratic Party as the party of obstruction, the party of no solutions or answers. In short, they are the party that comes up with a thousand reasons why any Republican plan won’t work, while not offering any new ideas of their own. Now, I’m sure our liberal friends would contest this, but it is hard to challenge a central tenant of one’s perspective. Conservatives are naturally optimistic, seeing the promise in each new day, and recognizing America’s place as the shining city on the hill. The conservative outlook recognizes America’s high ideals and our noble ventures, and thinking of our faults and mistakes second. Liberals, well, they dwell on any and every mistake the United States has made. A few days ago, at Ford’s Theater, I overheard a Park Ranger discussing almost everything except Lincoln, and it was soon clear that he was extremely liberal. He kept getting back to the idea that this country was “stolen” from the Native Americans. Normally I would have confronted him, and inquired if that meant the entire world was stolen. Did the Normans steal England from the Saxons? Did the Roman’s steal all of Europe from the savages? I was in a rush, otherwise I would have confronted his logic, or lack thereof.

It extends to daily life, and the way conservative’s approach everyday life. PJ O’Rourke once said the only person responsible for you is the person in your driver’s license picture. I think conservatives generally accept that as truth, where liberals believe the opposite; after all, isn’t society responsible for criminal behavior? Conservatives see that people are responsible for their triumphs and their failures. It makes failing very hard, since that means you are responsible for your failure, but it makes success all the sweeter. No one can take your success from you, because you know you have earned it. I moved to DC about a month ago, and it has presented me with numerous trials and tribulations. It has been hard, and I often wonder how someone could make it in life without looking towards a bright horizon, but therein may lie the democrat’s problem today. How can they or their electorate get excited about saying no to everything? How can you rally people around things that won’t be done? Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, and yes, even Bill Clinton rallied people to a cause and towards a better tomorrow. John Kerry tried to rally people to his not being George W. Bush. That’s not a great cause to motivate people. Unfortunately for the democrats, it does not appear that a cause will appear for them. Today, they find themselves on the opposite side of Iraqi Freedom, optional individual Social Security accounts, banning gay marriage and partial birth abortion. Those are causes overwhelmingly supported by the American people, and causes the democrats are nothing but negative. It not enough to claim to be optimistic, you must live it. If you believe Roe v. Wade will be overturned, then live it and be positive. The same can be said of any issue and on almost any side of it. Life is too great a gift to spend it downplaying the possibilities.

Posted by · 9 February 2005 09:18 PM

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