Can Conservatives Take Back the USA ?

Like many other conservatives in the United States, I've been discouraged about the condition of my country. It has seemed almost each day I've heard about some new assault on our liberty as citizens. There are threats to private property rights. Our president seems to want to destroy rather than uphold our Constitution, and the congressmen we elect don't do as they promised they would do.

Our president undermined the welfare reform act passed in the administration of President Clinton by using an executive order to remove the work requirement, overstepping his authority, and no one could seem to stop him. The healthcare legislation shoved down our throats by Congress costs way more than was budgeted for it, robs Medicare to help meet the added expenses, and threatens religious liberty by forcing churches to support things they believe are immoral.

Our president has added trillions to the national debt, making serfs of future generations, and he blames his predecessor. Unemployment is at an all-time high. To make us feel better, we're told this is the new normal. Is there anything non-socialists can do to stem the tide that's pushing us toward socialism and loss of personal liberty? Can we do anything to avoid falling off a financial cliff? How is it that a minority of voters can thwart the will of the majority so easily?

Until this week, I was very discouraged, trying to fight each battle as I became aware of it, and feeling there was not enough of me to go around. Before the Republican Convention in Florida, my expectations were low. I was not a Romney supporter, but was planning to vote for him anyway because of the alternative being completely unacceptable. The speakers at the convention gave me new hope. I began to believe I could honestly vote for someone instead of just against someone.

Second, I received a review copy of a book, Confrontational Politics, by Senator H. L. Richardson, from an old friend who works for its publisher, Nordskog. This book explains why conservatives have not been able to affect the change they'd like to see, and it explains what we have to do to take our country back. As I revised this after the 2012 election and Obama's narrow victory, like many I was discouraged. Our victory party was not the celebration we had hoped for. Like many others, I had worked hard during the campaign, but we didn't win. We were tired. It was tempting to throw in the towel.

The next night, those who had worked hard to win met again for our regular monthly Tea Party meeting. The leadership did not expect many people would come, but many new faces joined the reliable core group. I know more of the core group would have been there, but they were already off fighting another battle with a local government agency. As we regrouped, we formulated a new stategy for the next round in 2014 midterm elections. You win some, and you lose some. But in spite of that, you can't just give up and resign oneself to the "new normal." We're not giving up. We will learn to be more effective.

I took the picture above at a political discussion sponsored by a Hispanic group in Atascadero, California, between two candidates for a local supervisor race. The man in front of the flag is the liberal candidate we wanted to replace with his conservative opponent . Working together, we were able to win. The victory changed the balance of the Board of Supervisors in favor of the conservatives, and we are hoping that will help prevent more regulations that are choking our local businesses and maybe roll back some of the worst that have been imposed.

I took the photo on this module on April 25, 2012, when the NorCal Tea Party Bus Tour came to a rally in the City Park in Paso Robles, California.

I'm assuming that good citizens vote, but they might not vote in every election -- especially the local ones. Hardly anyone runs for office, but a few give money to help candidates and causes they believe in. Some go a bit further and attend city council, county board meetings, and meetings of unelected commissions (planning commission, air or water pollution boards, etc) to see what's going on or to speak out on important issues.

Some people leave going to those meetings to others because they have no interest or they have to work when such meetings are being held. They believe that voting alone is enough.Some just feel overwhelmed by all the assaults on their liberty and believe nothing they can do would help anyway and just accept whatever will happen, even as they complain about it.

Others believe it's important to monitor what elected officials do and hold their feet to the fire, knowing that many politicians say what they need to in order to be elected or reelected, and then ignore their constituents once they get into office. Some people see burdensome regulations about to hit them, and they try to fight them at the local level before they take effect. Some citizens join others of like mind in grassroots movements such as a tea party group so they can have a greater impact by being active together for more leverage on election officials. These people may walk precincts for candidates, contribute financially to campaigns, put up signs on their property, make phone calls to get out the vote, and personally help chosen candidates and causes in other ways. They may also circulate and sign petitions, blog, and promote their causes and candidates in conversations with friends in person or with social media.In the picture below, my husband is signing a petition at a political rally.

A political activist can be a professional or a volunteer. A volunteer can be working with a political grassroots organization or party or even as an individual, blogging for a cause or political candidate. He or she just might be a concerned citizen who occasionally goes to a government meeting (town hall, city council, county board, etc) or grassroots protest or rally to bring an official's attention to a position on a certain issue. An activist does something a bit more than vote and put on a bumper stick or wear a campaign button, though she might also do those things. All candidates for public office or members of government commissions count as activists.A non activist may vote, but otherwise is not eager to get into political conversations with friends or acquaintances and does not contribute time or money to political causes or candidates. He or she is willing to stay out of controversies and meetings and accept whatever happens. Politics are simply not in this person's list of priorities though he or she may do his or her civic "duty" and vote in major elections.i took the picture in this module at a tea party rally on April 25, 2012. The man with the microphone is Kevin Rice, a conservative political activist who is making a run for a local city council seat in San Luis Obispo, California. The woman looking on also spoke at this rally, but i don't have her name.

I took this photo in Paso Robles, April 25, 2012. The North San Luis Obispo County Tea Party sponsored a visit by the Norcal California Tea Party's Constitutional Bus Tour, bring speakers and special music at a rally. Some of our local people also participated in making this happen. Some of our leaders are having a discussion in this photo, or just waiting for the event to begin. All some people see of the tea party movement are its various rallies. They may wonder if the tea party groups do anything else.

Ordinary citizens can make a big difference in fighting city hall. Al Fonzi of Atascadero is one who did. He is more politically active than the average citizen in his city. His wife currently sits on the city council. And he organized a group of ordinary citizens, many of whom had never been politically active before, into an effective weapon against excessive regulations that threatened the use of their property. He explains what they did in this video I made when he spoke to our local tea party group.

I met Alex Alexiev and his wife through our local tea party group. Alex was born in Bulgaria, and has personally experienced tyranny. He is a recognized authority in national security matters who worked as a senior analyst and project director for the Rand Corporation's National Security Division. He has also written several books. He is a frequent guest on our local radio station to speak on matters of national security. In the video below, you will have a chance to hear the speech he gave at a local Freedom Rally on February 23, 2013.

Those who are just getting their feet wet as political conservative activists have a lot to learn before they will be effective. Besides the books I have recommended, some important information is available in these links.

Please share your experiences, especially what you may have learned in political discussions with friends or in getting politically more active. Do you have questions which haven't been addressed here?