Certain “conservative” writers are concerned that recent exuberant and hyperbolic outbursts à la Michael Savage and Ann Coulter, might somehow harm the conservative cause. They argue that only by careful and reasoned dialogue, will we on the Right be able to convert all those uncommitted people, otherwise of good will. If we come on too strong, we might crack the fragile nascent conservative egg that is developing inside.
This bankrupt point of view would be bad enough if it simply exposed the effeminate and wobbly posture of most of these pundits. But, it also lays bare their complete lack of historical perspective, as well as an astounding ignorance of human nature.
Simply stated, emotional appeals and hype WORK! Whether it is the promotion of unlimited abortion-on-demand via the nebulous vector of “choice”; the balkanization of America by appeals to primitive tribalism; the insidious expansion of government disguised as a protection of “rights”; the decimation of morality under the banner of “tolerance”; the continuing defense of a degenerate former president, his wife, and much of their staff on the basis of an amazingly fortuitous and short-lived “good economy”; or the rewriting of history to reflect the current PC prejudices as well as whitewashing genuine villains—the virtually unchecked success achieved by the Left in promoting their treasonous and evil agenda is proof enough!
If it is true that we are in the midst of a culture war, and that our very way of life in this country is being threatened, then why treat the political combat as a polite contest, complete with self-imposed Marquess of Queensberry rules, that apparently should apply only to our side? How pathetic that at this late stage, many of our supposed allies are so desperate for popular media acceptance, that they willingly succumb to, nay they become, the infamous effete snobs.
About ten days before the 1972 New Hampshire primary, the late Edmund Muskie, a senator from Maine, and leading Democratic presidential candidate up until that point, tried to take on Manchester Union Leader publisher—and arch-conservative—William Loeb. Loeb had written two articles attacking Muskie, one reprinted a letter (actually written by the Nixon campaign, unbeknownst to Loeb) accusing him of anti-French Canadian bigotry (and there are many people of French-Canadian descent in New Hampshire), while the other impugned the reputation of Muskie’s wife. Muskie stood up on a flatbed truck, parked in front of the newspaper’s office, in a driving snowstorm, spoke for a few moments…and then started to cry, effectively ending his political career. It didn’t help either that Muskie did not denounce the letter as the obvious fraud it was. His weakness of character was unmasked in the crystalline new fallen snow!
Contrast this story with that of stand-up Granite Stater James Cleveland, who ran for Congress in 1962. Loeb ran an editorial attacking him for representing a communist in court.
“I did not crawl out of a foxhole in the Pacific Theater,” Cleveland said, “to come back home and crawl on my belly before a junior grade Goebbels whose combat experience has been chiefly confined to lawsuits and character assassinations.”
Cleveland won the election and remained a congressman for many years.
There’s nothing at all wrong with righteous anger, getting in people’s faces, and even calling them names—all in defiance of human respect. Jesus of Nazareth did these things all the time, and we are constantly told to imitate Him. Go forth, then, defend your cause, and do the same.