While I will be flying east to spend Thanksgiving with my special girl, I’d like you leave you a little reminder of what Thanksgiving has meant to many Americans throughout the generations. I think George Washington summed it up rather well in his Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789:
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and
Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness”:
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our national government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
First off, I want to say this post is not about Barack Obama and his victory November 4. It was an historic victory, though ripe with leftist propaganda and rhetoric. Post-election, I’m attempting to be an optimist, hoping Obama will keep his promise for a centrist “politics of pragmatism.” That’s for another post altogether though. What I really want to talk about is what I see as the conservative movement’s uphill battle in the future.
We’ve all heard the inner ramblings of the conservative movement post-election - the self-exploration and the desire to make up the losses the GOP has endured the last two election cycles. We’ve heard Rush Limbaugh advise true conservatism wins elections every time. We’re heard many more like Laura Ingraham or Sean Hannity advise conservatism needs to get back to its roots. That’s all fine and dandy, but I think the problem is much deeper than any of the so-called “experts” realize.
My belief is that, as a nation, we’ve become too complacent. We’ve taken our liberties and the overwhelming success of free market capitalism for granted. When a nation no longer believes it must work to protect its liberties or becomes complacent in their protection, a nation does not realize what it has lost when it actually does lose it. We’ve become a culture that, instead of asking “Is what the government doing unconstitutional?” instead asks “What can the government do for me?”
In my opinion, this is a disturbing trend, not only from a pro-liberty viewpoint, but from a conservative viewpoint as well. Conservatism tends to stress a self-reliance and personal responsibility. When a government is limited to what it can do, people are left to fend for themselves. Negative rights are the backdrop of any conservative philosophy, that is, government protects the liberty of the individual and is limited in what it may govern. When you have a nation that has become complacent and starts asking what the government can do for it, then liberty falls by the wayside and the people accept a government that takes rights away or limits one’s freedom de facto . Personal responsibility and self-reliance is thrown away because the people consistently ask for help from a proactive government.
In my opinion, our nation’s situation is exactly what Tocqueville talked about in his great work “Democracy in America.” Soft despotism has injected itself into society through regulations that dictate what people may or may not do with their land or themselves. The people have accepted more equality at the expense of individual liberty; the collective nation is valued over the individual who’s rights the Constitution protects. This principle does not bode well for the conservative movement. As more people accept a proactive government in their lives, the less attractive a self-reliant conservatism becomes. Conservatism just didn’t lose because it become something other than what it should have been (increased spending, corruption, etc.) It became less attractive to the populace at large because it was seen as a system that would not help a complacent “What can government do for me?” people.
For conservatism to make a comeback, America needs a new education in self-reliance and the supremacy of the individual over the collective. Without a new focus, conservatism will be unable to build a new political base and will no longer have the power it once did. For a complacent populace, the era of big government hasn’t ended as President Clinton said it would; it has really just begun.
Just a reminder from Federalrepublic.net: If you’re informed and have a vested interest in this election, get out and vote. Otherwise, stay home; don’t be one of those lame, uneducated people who go vote because it’s socially acceptable or “cool.” Thanks.
John McCain and Barack Obama have nothing on these guys. The two major parties have destroyed what debate and discourse should be in American political life. You know something is wrong in this country when Ralph Nader and Bob Barr actually agree with each other on a number of issues. Further, I am worried about the status of American liberty, regardless who wins tomorrow. Both parties make me sick while they usurp and destroy the United States Constitution.
As a sidenote, it doesn’t really matter who wins tomorrow in terms of the Constitution. Both parties have destroyed the Constitution for generations and I don’t suspect that will come to an end anytime soon. John McCain is safer economically, but he’s willing to destroy our liberties for security. Obama is more libertarian when it comes to social issues, but he’s willing to destroy our liberties for a socialist agenda, valuing the collective above the individual. Either way, freedom is lost that will really never be gained back.