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Americans need to be – and CAN be – convinced that conservatism really is cool

Marketing Conservatism Revisited



In early-2011, I wrote an article which I entitled “Marketing Conservatism”. In it, I described the problems that conservatives (Republicans) have historically encountered getting their message across to non-conservatives.
Notice that I made no mention of communicating conservative principles to LIBERALS. This would be a complete waste of time. Hard-core liberals are a lost cause – so blinded by their ideology that no amount of persuasion (i.e., logic) will sway them. However, in my opinion, there are a significant number of independents and even Democrats that, subjected to an effective campaign of logic (i.e., truth), could be persuaded to support a conservative candidate. Dare I say that a great many Americans support conservative ideals without even realizing it. During the 2012 election season, Republican and conservative interests spent vast sums of money in an unsuccessful effort to get Mitt Romney elected to the presidency. Much of this money was spent airing television ads correctly portraying Obama as a spendthrift who seems to take great pleasure in bankrupting the nation with endless entitlements and other government “investments”. However, after the election, all of these ads disappeared from the airwaves.

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Why not start campaigning NOW for the 2016 presidential election regardless of whom the Republicans nominate as their candidate? As I described in “Marketing Conservatism”, it should not be difficult at all to show liberalism for what it really is: a one-way ticket to The Land of Bankruptcy. Start by showing President Obama, prior to the 2009 election, in his own words, stating that raising the nation’s debt ceiling is “unpatriotic”. Show the clip of him promising to cut the nation’s debt by fifty percent. Contrast this with reality: A debt ceiling that was raised yet again, a downgrade of the country’s debt rating, and the fact that the national debt was not reduced by one-half but was actually INCREASED by fifty percent (from $11 trillion to over $16 trillion). Furthermore, the right should illustrate – by use of a time line – that the economic crisis of 2008 was not entirely the fault of George Bush. The fact of the matter is that there can be shown to be a direct correlation between the Great Recession and the ascension to power of Nancy Pelosi in the House and Harry Reid in the Senate as a result of the 2006 mid-term elections. Show states with strong Republican governors – such as Texas – and the fact that conservative leadership leads to robust economies. Contrast it with states under Democrat control – California is perhaps the most vivid illustration – and highlight the stagnant economies which are caused by bloated bureaucracies, out-of-control spending, and stifling tax structures. A great many Americans possess a strong work ethic. Conservatives can, and should, capitalize upon this by explaining the fact that, for every person living on the public dole, someone else has to work twice as hard to support. Show people toiling at their jobs; contrast that with images of people queued at government offices with their hands out for their government stipend. And, most importantly, show hard-working Americans how their tax dollars are being siphoned off by individuals that, for whatever reason, are NOT getting up and going to work every day. Get these people fired up; get them mad at the fact that they are the ones that are supporting the lazy. Illustrate to young people the magnitude of the nation’s debt and what that means to them and to future generations. Most young people – make that most people, period – cannot even begin to comprehend sixteen trillion of anything. Explain to them that, at one dollar per second – or $86,400 per day – it would take nearly a half-million years to accumulate $16 trillion. Try this: Show a doctor delivering a baby then promptly handing the child a huge bill for fifty thousand dollars. In other words, before a child takes his or her first breath, he or she owes that much as his or her share of the national debt. There is nothing about conservatism for which we should apologize. Conservatives should not compromise their values or soften their stance on any issues. Personal liberty and economic freedom are not values for which anyone should be ashamed. A marketing campaign based upon sound economic principles – debt-free government and robust growth – is something that hard-working Americans can get behind. Now is the time to start campaigning for 2016. There is a tremendous amount of work to do. But the tide, in my opinion, can be turned. Americans need to be – and CAN be – convinced that conservatism really is cool.


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James Sharp -- Bio and Archives

James Sharp is a middle-aged, middle-class, middle-management salesman who believes in secure borders and fighting our enemies with a strong military.  He also believes in limited government, free markets, and unlimited opportunity and personal liberties for all citizens of the U.S.


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