I was recently sent this article, “Time for Ron Paul Fans to Support the Constitution”. The article is well written and lays out the main arguments why Ron Paul supporters and Libertarians should rally behind Mitt Romney. Unfortunately, this same argument comes out every in every election. And every election we hear the same thing from this group of voters that I refer to as Conservative Puritans, “The Republican candidate is not Conservative enough. Why should I compromise my standards?”
In this response from the Puritans they have keyed in on the single most important term in our political environment – Compromise.
Do I expect the Conservative Puritans to compromise their standards and principles? No, I absolutely do not expect that. But I do expect them to strike a compromise in their vote. The problem is that they do not hold the majority in national politics. Yeah, I know there are a lot of them but they don’t have a majority. We’ve seen that year in and year out in every single election. The Puritans only comprise around 1 – 2{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the Conservative voters nationwide. Unfortunately, that is not enough to further their agenda — yet. I do think the Puritans are making some headway but they’re not there yet.
There are around 312,000,000 people in the United States today. For the sake of argument let’s say Conservatives (as a whole) make up 52{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the population (I don’t know the actual numbers; however, I theorize that Conservatives make up the majority of the population), so that’s 162,240,000. Let’s assume that Puritans make up 2{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of that population, that’s 3,244,800. Now the bulk of that number is concentrated in the south and Midwest of the United States.
A major obstacle that the Puritans have is that their flavor of Conservatism isn’t the same as all Conservatives. This is actually a problem for Conservatives across the board. For example I have some great Conservative friends in the New England regions. Their Conservatism is nowhere near the same as Conservatives here in Texas who are far more Libertarian leaning than they would like to admit. Nevertheless, their Conservatism and my Conservatism have some pretty important similarities. There are enough similarities that I would never presume to strip them of their Conservative label. In fact, these similarities are so important that if anything I would be willing to prioritize my principles and reach out to my New England Conservative friends for a compromise. We find common ground. We have a common goal. Together we can find a path to victory.
More importantly, however, is that by compromising with my New England Conservative friends I have gained some influence on them. I can now continue to talk to them and begin to persuade them towards some of my Conservative principles and vice-versa. Now we are working together and we are gaining. Is it perfect? I doubt either one of us would feel that way. But we are gaining and we are both advancing our agendas.
The single greatest the Puritan Conservatives have is their “My way or the highway” approach. The Puritans refuse to compromise even on the smallest detail. They refuse to lose a battle to win the war; by doing so their numbers either remain static or shrink. They are unable to gain influence with any other Conservative group to advance their agenda and as such they remain isolated in their little pocket of 3 Million voters. The cold hard reality is that 3 Million voters aren’t going to affect policy anywhere.
But there is a more sinister dynamic at play here. My philosophy of seeking a compromise as demonstrated that I don’t want to leave any Conservative or American behind. I know Conservatism will save and preserve our nation. I’m willing to compromise so that all Americans can gain from Conservative principles. The Puritans, however, would just as soon leave me bleeding on the road than to seek a compromise to help as all.
We can argue all day long about the accuracy of the polls; however, let’s assume that the polls are just as close as they appear. I think it’s around 49{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} Obama to 48{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} Romney. Let’s assume that Romney can pick up 1{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the undecided voters so that we are now at a dead heat. Now if the Puritans either don’t vote or cast their vote for another candidate with no chance of winning Romney loses and we are now subjected to four more years of radical Socialist policies. I honestly think this spells the end of our nation. However, if the Puritans will decide to find a compromise with other Conservatives we win 49{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} to 51{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}. Is it perfect? No, but we have stopped the rapid decline of our nation and we now have a chance to begin recovering and restoring our position as a world leader.
And with that scenario you now see why the Puritans don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of affecting policy but nevertheless, are the single most powerful Conservative political arm. And the Puritans are choosing to use their strength sitting on the sidelines pouting and sticking their tongues out at the rest of us. That’s sad.
Finally, let’s thank God our Founding Fathers had the wisdom to seek compromise instead of sticking to their beliefs. Without compromise we wouldn’t be having this discussion because we wouldn’t have ever formed the United States of America in the first place.
James Yaklin
Former HCRP Precinct Chair
Katy, Texas
Without compromise we wouldn't have a tea party, because these two parties compromised us to bloated government and debt. David, It always depends on what the compromise is. In the past, definition of compromise has been we cave. It can no longer be that way. Instead of yelling at conservatives and republicans to compromise, I say look at the left and demand they compromise. They really don't do much of that.
Sally, I pretty much agree with what you said. James is talking about compromising within our own ranks – and he's right, we don't allow that. We have to remember that conservatives can and do disagree but that doesn't make the other conservative a "liberal".
ohhhhhh I think there are trust issues within the party. You know this has been on my mind all day.There are things we can compromise on, but David we have a problem with time and power. We could agree to compromise on some immigration issues, for example…… but we have history that tells us, we compromise, and then with the next round of elecitons, the issue agreed on, becomes one sided again. Sp we say, we will agree to a work program, and a fine…. but in 4 years, the fine is gone, and the work program is diluted to no id and anyone at any time.
James, the "Puritans"arent the problem right now, the Libertarians are. You may not think we are making no impact, but were coming for you wishy washy rinos.
American Conservatism is a political extension of Christian faith…anything less than that is merely closet libertarianism. A capitulation on your values makes those values worth less than the words spoken to defend them, and the words used to support them…thereby making them in essence "worthless." A compromise is what we have been doing with the establishment right, while they in turn have been doing it with the chronic left, for years now. It is why dole failed, and mccain failed, and why romney will most likely fail. Watering down your beliefs never raises the bar, it only helps make it easier for any one to step over it and step over you in their pursuit and lust for antiChristian, anticonservative, anticonstitutional, anticapitalist principles. The GOP recent history is self-evidential of that. You call for a comrpomise.
, as if that is good, as if that has worked so many times that it's been tried in the past…IT HASN'T. A compromise is no more than a defeat without the embarrassment, and only serves to push the ship of America further and further left, since almost all compromises with the left end with the left moving America further and further towards their antichristian lotophagi agenda.
Furthermore, Jesus taught us to do the EXACT opposite…to stand strong in the face of adversity, and not bend like the wind in the face of antichristian enemies. Is our faith so brittle that we choose to abandon it at the first sign of adversity? How true are your American conservative beliefs, let alone your Christian ones, that you would support a practical mirror image of obama? He believes in climate change, in Tarp, in homo marriage, abortion, socialized medicine, is soft on illegal immigration, the growing threat of islamofascism…etc if you wrote down their beliefs on paper, minus their names and any such distinguishing remarks, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between the two.
Mitt Romney is, by all accounts, the best the GOP establishment could muster, and is also the worst choice that legitimate conservatives can make, short of voting for the commie statist from the left side of the aisle. How does one remain faithful to conservative principles of free market initiatives, and God given beliefs, by voting for a Man who is sub par on both? How does one reconcile calling one's self a conservative, while voting for a liberal with an "R" in front of his name?
As Jesus said in the book of Matthew: (paraphrased) many will come in his name, saying that they did what they did for him, for God, and invariably for their country. And he will look at the with a nebulous look, with the inevitable answer being:
"how did you support me, by supporting a Man who is against me?"
The lukewarm will then learn the price for their political compromise.
Voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil. An evil that wears a mask you are far more comfortable in tolerating lies from.
As MLK once famouly stated "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy".
Our conservative legacy will die on the ash heap of history, burned in effigy by those who hate America and all we stand against, so long as we continue to profess the need for "compromise" which is no more than a political placebo for those who need to drink the koolaid medicine in order to feel as though they are helping to improve things. Apparently, praying to God for salvation, as the hebrews did for deliverance from bondage, is less perferable than paying tribute to the golden rino of complacency that the republican party now firmly establishes itself to be, through the endorsement of "obama-lite.
Vote however you wish. I however won't sell out my faith, nor the political extensions of such, by doing either.
lol thanks for dropping by troll.