Tuesday, January 12, 2010

By Jacob M. Jordan

In June of 2009, Gallup released a poll that showed that Conservatism is still the largest ideological group in America.  The poll indicated that 40% of Americans consider themselves to be “conservative.”  35% call themselves “moderate,” while only 21% term themselves as being “liberal.” These staggering numbers—released five months after Obama’s inauguration—become even more significant when you consider the Tea Parties and town hall meetings that had not even begun to peak when the numbers were released.  A grass roots movement swept up America, with minimal institutional guidance.  Sure, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin et al. encouraged the movement, but their role in driving the momentum was passive.  Conservative talk-show hosts were in a state of reaction. 

Politicians, in the process of trying to get elected, spend millions upon millions in trying to generate an atmosphere conducive to their election.  To generate such an environment is one thing; for it to sustain itself is another.   The movement that got Obama elected was an example of a political climate that facilitated an election, yet quickly lost its momentum following the candidate's electoral  victory.  Democrats, more so than the GOP, are experts at temporarily hobbling together otherwise disparate interests groups and utilizing vote-fraud in getting elected.  They construct a vision of unification just long enough to create an attractive veneer of solidarity; once they are in the door, however, the party cannibalizes itself—revealing itself to be a hodgepodge assortment of backbiters and special interest groups.

The conservative grassroots movement, however, has not yet aligned itself with one particular leader.  Whoever the figure is that enters into this political environment will have to have the ability to survive within conditions very different from what the GOP is used to.  Whether the demand for conservative genuineness takes the form of a “purity test” or not, the potential leader will have to undergo a grassroots vetting process, and survival during this process will be more likely in the case of a somewhat unknown figure.  Someone like Palin definitely comes to mind, although even she may have too much exposure at this point (although I do believe the media is, in fact, scared of Palin).  The point is to convince the grassroots movement that you mean business—this applies to the lowest office to the highest.  While the moderate  vote is a necessity (as is usually the case), the GOP candidate will first have to go through a rite of purification with an augmented and revitalized base.