Monday, February 10, 2014

The Pursuit of Happiness (A Bold GOP Election Strategy)

February 10, 2014 | techno

Since we are approaching Valentine's Day I thought I would post on the subject of happiness, specifically the pursuit of happiness. Think about it: what is romantic love if it is not about the pursuit of happiness? However, I intend to look at the idea of the pursuit of happiness through a political lens, specifically through the federal lens of the Democrats and liberals on one side and the Republicans and conservatives on the other side. Before I state my premise I want to assert that in politics or in war, the dream goal of any army is to outflank the opposing army on both sides, using a pincer movement to encircle the enemy and cause its eventual surrender or annihilation if it can be achieved. Isn't that what the Democrats have been doing to the Republicans since really the 2006 midterm elections (perhaps 2010 is an exception to the rule) and actually a case can be made that this reality has dominated the political landscape since 1992, since the Republicans have only won the popular vote once in the past six presidential elections. I would argue that the Democrats have outflanked our side in two respects: On the issue of LIFE where single women consistently have voted massively for Clinton or Obama. A stat which did not get much airing in the last election: In 2008 single women represented 15% of the electorate; in 2012, 23%. In 2008 69% of single ladies voted for Obama; in 2012-67%. Now you might ask why? Voter intensity. For Republicans to compete against the Left on the issue of LIFE is frankly political suicide as has been proven for the last twenty years. The Dems never have any problem mobilizing their base on the issue of abortion. And on our other flank the Democrats have outflanked our side on the issue of LIBERTY. All you have to do is to look at how free America was before 1992 under Reagan and how oppressive and onerous the laws are now and how intrusive they are into your daily lives including what kind of toilet paper or light bulb you have to use. And the Left and the radical environmentalists have used global warming, green energy programs and the demonization of the petroleum industry to sell the American people it will have to accept less liberty (along with a lower standard of living) if we are to save the planet for future generations. And much of that loss of liberty means paying higher taxes and restricting what Americans can do in their daily lives. Everything since 2001 is on a tighter leash now and the government with the onset of Obamacare is going to know more about every American than the Founding Fathers ever felt necessary. When I grew up I was told by my parents when I concerned myself too much about the affairs of other people 'to mind my own business'. It's funny we don't hear that expression very much any more. Instead being nosy has become a virtue in the 21st century. Republicans and conservatives aren't stupid. They know over the past generation both Democratic and Republican presidents and members of Congress have contributed to this loss or erosion of freedom. All Republican and conservative candidates can do now is to spout platitudes on liberty. They now sound like hypocrites. As the old saying goes, I may be dumb, but I'm not blind. But any army who is subject to a pincer movement is always looking for a breakout point or a vulnerability in the encirclement. Here is my premise: Republicans must acknowledge it will continue to have a difficult time winning national elections in the future while the Left dominates on the issues of life and liberty and instead should build their entire political strategy in 2014 and 2016 on THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. That needs to be our breakout strategy. Think about it: It is the one area where the Democrats and the Left are most vulnerable. Do Leftists ever smile? Are they happy people? Look at them closely. Most of them are sour-pusses. Did you know collectivists believe no individual American has a right to pursue their own happiness if the collective (groups that have been victimized whose wrongs need to be addressed)remains unhappy. As Alinsky put it, Leftists need to rub raw the sores of discontent and galvanize them for radical social change. Folks, when you are constantly in a political struggle and agitating, I would argue it's virtually impossible for those folks who are involved in the struggle to pursue their own individual happiness while part of this collective. The ideas are totally incompatible. For Leftists, their individual happiness for the most part is measured by the achievement of group goals. I am not going to get into the definition of happiness and pursuit of happiness but I do believe our side has an excellent opportunity to tap into a segment of the population whose needs are not being addressed. I'll give you an example where both parties missed the boat on an unexplored political segment. Did you know 8-15% of the world's population is left-handed? For the sake of simplicity let's assume that for the USA. And for most of the world including America before WWII it was considered a negative trait. But as far as I know before WWII no political party made a conscious effort to target the votes of left-handed people. And did you know that left-handed people since the beginning of time to relatively recently have had to endure discrimination of some type which usually involved people of authority literally forcing students to write right-handed or be subject to corporal punishment. There were also old wives tales that all homosexuals were left-handed. Was a political party back then scared they were going to lose right-handed voters by embracing left-handed voters? If they were I've never read about it. Do you think that in most presidential elections held after the Civil War up to WWII that left-handed people if they voted as a bloc could have swung several close elections? Now you might ask what strategy would you employ to attract left-handed voters? Gee, would it make sense to acknowledge that left-handed people are OK, that they shouldn't be discriminated against, and they would be welcome in the GOP? Even if the Dems follow suit you can always argue you were the trendsetter. So what percentage of Americans believe in the concept of the individual pursuit of happiness. I have no figures but a lot more than you would ever imagine. Enough voters to cause a tectonic shift in the political landscape. And how do you attract these voters? By telling them it is OK for them to pursue their own happiness regardless of government policy or what is happening in society, that individuals who pursue their own happiness should not be discriminated against, and that the GOP would welcome individuals who pursue their own happiness to their tent, assuming they can legally vote. As for illegal immigrants, they have every right to pursue their own happiness in their country of origin but our government has the right to deport them if they choose to pursue their happiness in America. Yes, The GOP would be branded by the media as "the happiness party." But would that be so bad? Consider the names that the GOP has been called in the past and the Republican brand: If a survey was done strictly of independents of what adjective would best characterize Republicans and conservatives, happy or unhappy, I bet the majority would say unhappy. How do you change that characterization? By declaring you believe in the pursuit of happiness and declare your party platform will be built around the idea. Now once the Republican party and conservatives do that then the question will be in what context does our side believe one should be allowed to pursue his or her own happiness and what limits or constraints if any should be imposed by government? Here are 10 suggestions: 1)Adult men and women who are capable and not permanently incapacitated (18 or older) equally are entitled to pursue their own happiness regardless of social pressures to conform or the authoritarian desires or principles of the federal or state governments. There is nothing wrong being an iconoclast or unconventional. The GOP should consistently provide moral support to private initiatives which facilitate individuals to fulfill their human potential (eg. Hillsdale College) and believe it is a God-given right for them to take the opportunity to do so. However, the GOP should not penalize any individual who chooses not to pursue their happiness as part of society. (You have every right to pursue your happiness if you want to become a hermit.) By the same token, we believe the government should be completely neutral and not seek to intervene or interfere one way or another. Finally with every action there is a reaction. You may be pursuing your happiness driving drunk but you are also breaking the law and deserve to be punished. This is a key distinction: to support the right to become drunk but to condemn the action of driving drunk. Or to put it another way, we support the 2nd Amendment as a way an individual can pursue his or her happiness owning weapons but condemn any wanton act of violence with a weapon. Now when it comes to the use of drugs, here is where I would draw the line: Grow or cultivate the product for your own use to pursue your own happiness but you have no right under God to peddle drugs to make other users eventually unhappy by them becoming addicted to your product and you profiting by that addiction. Let them pursue their own happiness like you have. And if a person want to grow pot so he/she can medically benefit from and pursue his/her happiness (lower pain or suffering) what is wrong with that? 2)Government cannot help or should not try to help anybody to pursue one's own happiness. That is not the role of government. And our side should pound the theme that a welfare check does not give anyone the incentive to pursue their own happiness but rather the opportunity to tread water or to stew in their own vomit. 3)If a woman believes she is pursuing her happiness by having an abortion, then I believe as a society we should NOT interfere with her plans, but by the same token the government has no business funding Planned Parenthood or paying for abortions with taxpayer dollars. Let a woman pursue her happiness on her own dime. In the same vein if a person chooses to take his or her own life (through an assisted suicide) and pursue their happiness in this manner, they should have every right to do so. 4)To admit the pursuit of happiness is an extremely important element in first finding love and then cementing the relationship and that individuals should be encouraged to pursue their happiness through a loving relationship if that is their choice. And the GOP should not restrict the definition to a man and a woman (both consenting adults). A loving relationship is a loving relationship. And that also extends to marriage. But where the GOP could make a major breakthrough with single folks is to acknowledge that millions of singles are either not ready or have no desire to pursue their happiness through a loving relationship and that they have every right to do so even if they pursue "swinging" or Narcissistic lifestyles which fundamentally conflict with those who are married or older. Again this is a case of supporting the right but condemning the the results of the action (celebrities entering rehab) 5)Brilliant men and women are the happiest when they are pursuing their own happiness through their creative juices/business endeavors. Government has no business meddling in these endeavors citing the public good. Bureaucrats who prevent these men and women from exercising their geniuses because of a political agenda are pure evil. Read Atlas Shrugged for more on this theme. 6) Focus on the Declaration of Independence and Jefferson's claim that Americans are endowed by their Creator with an inalienable right to pursue one's happiness. This will really separate the wheat from the chaff. RINO's will out themselves if they oppose Jefferson or God. 7)Develop government policies and support and change laws to encourage the individual pursuit of happiness. This would entail government stepping aside and being like the rest of us, interested spectators not referees. 8)Promote the idea a man or a woman should strive to be the best he or she can be while pursuing one's own happiness and that the journey is more important than the destination. America became exceptional because men and women of yesteryear were allowed to pursue their dreams over an extended period of time. They knew Rome wasn't built in a day. The Left acts like Utopia is just around the corner. Critics will cite slavery as a major period of American history where Black people were not able to pursue their happiness. The Dems would argue A/A need to pursue their happiness at the expense of the white man or woman while our side should advance the idea whatever your color you have every right to pursue your own happiness under present day circumstances. This is 2014 not 1850. A God-given right exists regardless of what has happened in the past. It cannot be abrogated by government or by man. 9)Explain that the pursuit of happiness comes with no guarantees. Incumbent on pursuing your happiness is to develop a game plan or a strategy, having a strong desire and determination to succeed and never giving up. Still you could fail. But there is nothing wrong with failing while pursuing your happiness. You learn from your mistakes and trial and error. You could find out on your second or third try what you're good in and then you'll be able to pursue your happiness to your heart's delight. 10)For individuals to pursue their happiness to the max, a low tax regime with little red tape is necessary. Incumbent in pursuing your own happiness is having the means/capital to do so and expecting to be rewarded. There must be a potential jackpot waiting at the end of the rainbow or the existence of a long-term incentive that cannot be terminated by regulation or law. Would anyone invest in a worthless piece of ground if there was no potential for profit on the land? This idea needs to be explained to voters. Capitalism works if the government allows it to work. Think about it: What is the one common denominator present in politics in 2014? One word: UNHAPPINESS (by a hell of a lot of disgruntled voters, especially because of Obamacare) Imagine a GOP politician standing up in front of an audience and saying: I am running for office and before I decided to run for office I pursued my own happiness the best way I knew how. I have pursued my happiness through my marriage to my wife and she has pursued her own happiness with me through our union; we have three decent children who we have taught they also have a God-given right to pursue their own individual happiness apart from us when they become adults. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe each one of you in the audience has a God-given right to pursue your own happiness too. Notice I didn't say you have a right to be happy. There is a key distinction here. The Left has it all wrong. No government, politician or bureaucrat can wave a magic wand and make you happy. And that goes for any external or cultural influence. You may feel ecstatic at seeing your team win the World Series but the emotion doesn't last, did it? That kind of happiness is fleeting and not the kind of happiness I'm referring to. Pursuing your own happiness as a God-given right implies you are pursuing something of lasting value or of significant importance to you at the time. Let me now say I will never judge any of you on whether your pursuit or dream has merit. As a human being I have no right to judge another man's pursuit of happiness and as an aspiring politician I already have enough on my plate without looking into the hearts and minds of men and women. But I will say you have every right to pursue your happiness as you see fit but the government has a right to prosecute you if you break the law. A father may cross in the middle of a busy thoroughfare to save his son from being run over (his pursuit of happiness) while breaking the traffic code. If the city wants to prosecute him for holding up traffic it has every legal right to do so. But the man has all my respect in the world for thinking enough of his son to endanger his own life. The pursuit of happiness is a right that President Obama and I have differing views on: the President believes each American has to adjust or temper his/her own individual standards or values of pursuing happiness to the current political and social landscape and consider becoming more altruistic especially paying higher taxes and losing one's former health care provider while I believe it is a right that no man has a right to seek to undermine or dilute. The right is absolute because it was endowed by God. Jefferson got it right President Obama. In your own words this idea is above your pay grade. You have no right to tell any American how he or she must pursue his or her happiness. With all due respect sir, butt out!

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