All Politics are National (Guest Post)

It was famously said “All politics are local”. And there was some truth to that statement in the not-so-distant past. But leftists have changed it to the philosophical opposite. The democrats have always been a collection of diverse pressure groups each with a distinct, though occasionally overlapping, ”cause”. These groups were often at odds to some degree with each other in their interests or pursuits, but they remained silent when another pressure group within the Democrat party is pursuing its interest. That is where the great change has occured. The leaders/organizers of these various groups have learned that by supporting other pressure groups pursuing their interests that they will reciprocate allowing each small pressure group to flex the muscle of roughly half the population.

I saw this firsthand while attending a city council meeting in Arlington, Virginia. This council (5 democrats, no Republicans or others) wants to build a 5 mile long trolley at a cost of at least 300 million dollars. Both sides invited members to speak for or against the proposal. The left had every identifiable pressure group come out to support this fiscal monstrosity. Did you know that Trolley construction is supported 100% by the gay community? So was every community center employee. And apparently blacks like Trolleys more than buses, too.

This was a micro example of what Democrats have done nationally, turning distinct pressure groups into turn-key protesters or supporters, depending on the law/initiative/regulation involved. It’s why gay marriage has gotten support (and legalized) after losing thirty some odd times in state elections. It is why our Republic has become the “tyranny of the majority” of a Democracy.

Republicans have not learned to stick together in response. The second amendment groups remain non-partisan. Pro-life groups will not come out and support other conservative groups or causes. Evangelicals stayed home rather than vote for a Morman (Of the Evangelicals that did vote, 27% voted for Obama). The list goes on and on.

My point is Republicans count on natural overlap between conservatives to create grass roots support, while Democrats have groomed members within a structure to blindly support each other with the understanding that their turn to get what they want will come. When the Democrats controlled Congress with filibuster proof majorities and the Executive Branch, they did nothing for gays. But gays sat patiently and quietly and look what has happened in the last few years. In Virginia, the newly elected Attorney General whose job it is to defend and support the state constitution and laws, decided 12 days after being sworn in to not only not enforce Virginia’s Constitutional Amendment allowing only “one man, one woman” marriage, but to side with the gay couple who brought suit.

Until conservatives learn to unite and support our friends and more importantly help our friends defeat their foes we will keep losing ground and elections. Democrats are winning on every meaningful front because they are fighting every issue and election on a National level. Every Republican candidate will be painted as anti-woman, racist, anti-gay, greedy, etc… while their Democrat counterpart will be for “protecting women’s health”, helping the less fortunate, fighting inequality, and giving everybody a “fair shot”.

The Republicans need to understand that today all politics are National and that they will keep losing elections if their candidates are running on local concerns, trying to resonate with voters, while their opponent is demonizing them with National messaging.