Like some other people I know, I had followed the election with a feverish-cult like obsession that might lead one to believe I had placed sizable bets in Vegas regarding the outcome...I had not. What I had done, was hoped for a result that I grew increasingly convinced was not possible. I awoke to a grim reality on Wednesday...not that Romney had lost or Obama had won, but that the ideology that I have most closely identified with was in a terminal decline and perhaps untenable. That was a difficult day. I've since heard every pundit and faux-pundit (i guess that includes me) on earth spout out about what "republicans need to do". Sometimes these are Democrat pundits whose thinly veiled agenda is hidden behind their feign altruistic desire to "help the republican's out" ...these voices should be muted and tuned out immediately. Then there are the republicans who are ready to become Democrat-light and abandon any policy that has been suggested by the other pundits to be toxic to the party. I've had my fair share of questions on where I stand. I realized I have already answered this question....I wrote a blog in 2010 on the eve of the wave midterm elections, I spoke about what I think the future of the republican party needs, and in that blog lies what I believe is the solution to a republican party that has a future as a national force. here is the link to that piece, you can read after the "here are my thoughts" part: click here Many of these issues have been individually addressed as the solution, but I don't think any one of them alone is the answer.
When the spin stopped last week, and it became clear that the people who are the "brightest and best" old guard pundits were dead wrong, we had to face something...the unofficial leaders of this party do not have their finger on the pulse of our country. Never have I seen such a wide spread epidemic of misplaced confidence, than I did this election cycle. Does the phrase "the emperor has no clothes" mean anything to you? This leads me to ask myself....are we now going to listen to their view of what we need to do to move forward? Perhaps its time to begin to look to new people for solutions, analysis, and most importantly ideas. We cannot continue to recycle talking points that are clearly loosing elections for us. I went into to Tuesday night hopeful....hopeful that I was wrong. Hopeful that the anxiety that had mounted in me would be washed away in an upset...hopeful that the minority of republican analysts and pollsters would leave leave egg on the face of the majority of those who said that Romney had no chance. Hopeful but not blind to the reality. While my fox watching friends thought I was crazy, I knew in my core that a Romney win would be an epic underdog upset. While the election was a huge blow to me, unlike the upper ranks of the republican party, including Romney himself, I was not blindsided by the loss. The overall election results did surprise me, the states that were won, some of the ballot measures that passed in certain states...but I was not shocked that Obama was re-elected. I had stated on Facebook a few days before that I thought Obama would win, as I had also predicted in 2008. Why were the people who are suppose to be the experts so wrong? One might assume that they were just trying to give republican voters hope, but by all accounts, they were all quite confident in their analyses. It is clear to me, that we need to move to new, younger, more relevant people to analyze, problem solve, and idea generate for the conservative movement.....the problem is how? I have ideas, I have analysis, but I have no influence outside of my circle of friends. How do we change things when we have no voice?
One last thing, if you have despaired since the election, as I did for several days, It's time for us to start to engage in the process of problem solving again. It is absolutely an uphill battle, but embedded in our psyche is the folklore of the brave, innovative, relentless spirit of the pioneers of this country, and of the generations who have followed. We can't give up, we aren't the band who played while the titanic sank. I am not. It's hard to keep going when things seem bleak, and no one had more pessimistic words than I did on Nov 7th, but I was wrong. I was so wrong. Don't despair, it was the battle, not the war that we lost.
"We have every right to dream heroic
dreams. Those who say that we’re in a time when there are no heroes,
they just don’t know where to look." Ronald Reagan Inaugural Address 1981
peace,
kg
Friday, November 16, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Dear Future American
I am really no one special, just an average citizen with a blog. I write to you from a complicated time period, but then again, aren't they all? Lately I have been imagining what it is like for you with your liberty receding, your opportunities shrinking, your taxes rising, and the world growing ever darker. I wonder if you resent us, the seemingly frivolous generations of Americans that paved the path for you. If you do, I don't blame you. Watching it unfold is kind of like to watching someone fall, the illusion of slow motion makes it seem as though you could try to help, but you know in reality you are powerless.
The momentum is going forward on this bullet train to disaster and i don't see a way to reverse course. I want you to know that I did what could to educate myself and those around me. I was willing to sacrifice the comforts of being coddled by the state, and would willingly pay higher taxes if there was a plan for deep spending cuts that would put our country on a sound fiscal course. It may seem crazy to you, but those people who ring the bell of alarm about the cliff we are going over, are often portrayed as evil, stupid, crazy or all of the above....they are vilified as greedy hoarders who don't care for the poor or the elderly. Hyperbolic lies that solve nothing. Sigh.....I'll get to the divisiveness later.
Some Context: for most of my adult life, we have been a post 9/11 country. I can only imagine what sort of distorted understanding of 9/11 Hollywood has painted for you, but you should know that 9/11 changed everything. We awoke to a scary reality....faceless men in button down shirts can kill massive amounts of people with a $300 plane ticket. Iconic marvels of American industry, architecture, finance, technology and defense can be targeted without a single shot fired in retaliation. Piles of dead private citizens were the trophy that our enemies most treasured. You probably had to be there. I hope to God that you have never been there and the citizens of our country have not had to live through another day like that one. But if that be the case, the price to secure that has been devastating both in financial treasure and human treasure. Besides the fallen heroes, the most tragic and damaging loss is the unity of our people. We live in a divisive time. Our differences have put lava filled oceans between us. The ability to solve problems has fallen victim to the partisan antipathy that has defined the last 10 years. Both parties carry blame for fiscal irresponsibility. Both. I hope I'm voting for someone that will finally address the issue, but he's politician, so......
I am not prone to conspiracies, but sometimes I wonder if there is some sort of intent behind the seemingly suicidal deficit spending of the last 10 years. How can this end well? How can anyone suppose that it will? If me, someone with at best a cursory understanding of economy, can see the dangers of this path, surely the brightest and best can. Surely the Treasury, the Congress, the Senate and the President can. Surely. Right? These are the things that worry me, that cause me wonder what kind of world you live in and how you must look back on the beautiful gift that my grandparent's (the greatest) generation left for us and how it was squandered away.
I hope I am wrong. I hope that the country found a way to control the deficit, rebuild the middle class, Pay china off, strengthen the dollar, and secure the blessings that have met Americans during my lifetime, for you and your children. I hope as you read this, we went to Mars, invented life-changing things, inspired people around the world to democratize, and I hope that you fly around in the latest Ford car powered by a renewable energy source Americans developed. But if you live in a much different, darker world, I can only say, I'm sorry. I wish I could have changed it.
kg
Some Context: for most of my adult life, we have been a post 9/11 country. I can only imagine what sort of distorted understanding of 9/11 Hollywood has painted for you, but you should know that 9/11 changed everything. We awoke to a scary reality....faceless men in button down shirts can kill massive amounts of people with a $300 plane ticket. Iconic marvels of American industry, architecture, finance, technology and defense can be targeted without a single shot fired in retaliation. Piles of dead private citizens were the trophy that our enemies most treasured. You probably had to be there. I hope to God that you have never been there and the citizens of our country have not had to live through another day like that one. But if that be the case, the price to secure that has been devastating both in financial treasure and human treasure. Besides the fallen heroes, the most tragic and damaging loss is the unity of our people. We live in a divisive time. Our differences have put lava filled oceans between us. The ability to solve problems has fallen victim to the partisan antipathy that has defined the last 10 years. Both parties carry blame for fiscal irresponsibility. Both. I hope I'm voting for someone that will finally address the issue, but he's politician, so......
I am not prone to conspiracies, but sometimes I wonder if there is some sort of intent behind the seemingly suicidal deficit spending of the last 10 years. How can this end well? How can anyone suppose that it will? If me, someone with at best a cursory understanding of economy, can see the dangers of this path, surely the brightest and best can. Surely the Treasury, the Congress, the Senate and the President can. Surely. Right? These are the things that worry me, that cause me wonder what kind of world you live in and how you must look back on the beautiful gift that my grandparent's (the greatest) generation left for us and how it was squandered away.
I hope I am wrong. I hope that the country found a way to control the deficit, rebuild the middle class, Pay china off, strengthen the dollar, and secure the blessings that have met Americans during my lifetime, for you and your children. I hope as you read this, we went to Mars, invented life-changing things, inspired people around the world to democratize, and I hope that you fly around in the latest Ford car powered by a renewable energy source Americans developed. But if you live in a much different, darker world, I can only say, I'm sorry. I wish I could have changed it.
kg
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Brietbart
Like many others, I awoke Thursday to the shocking news that Andrew Breitbart had passed away at the age of 43. It seems like there have been a slew of famous deaths lately, Davy Jones died just as suddenly the previous day, and of course there was Whitney Houston who died not that long ago. But for reasons I could not fully process, Breitbart's death has been hard to swallow.
I read many tributes to him, as many as I could find...from friends to frenemies to adversaries, I was pleasantly surprised to find kind words all around. His persona did not lend him to sympathy from the left, but it seems he was able to charm and garner respect form even those who disagreed with him. I'm sure those tactless tweets are in abundance, something Andrew was all too familiar with. Famously when Ted Kennedy died, Andrew tweeted "rest in Chappaquiddick", so I'm quite certain that he would relish the idea of foes making similar remarks at his death. In fact, he would probably love for someone to log into Twitter as him and retweet them.
I've been wondering for the last couple of days since this happened...why does this bother me so much? Yes, I went to bighollywood about 50 times a day, but overall, Andrew was not my brand of politico. His fiery, in your face, warrior spirit is antithetical to the measured, calm, and respectful tone I like to take in political discourse. In truth, I tune into Dennis Prager over Mark Levin, and I prefer Sowell to Coulter. Yes, I will definitely miss his tweets (that man kept hours that even I couldn't compete with). Yes, I know the movement I belong to won't find another one like him anytime soon. Yes, He did things that changed the landscape of media for the better, and yes his courage and boldness is rare (esp on the right). Yes, He didn't care if something was unpopular (even amongst conservatives) he went where his conscience took him and there he stood. Yes I admired his courage and commitment to stand with GOPROUD, despite pushback from some conservatives. But still, I didn't know him, I didn't think about him much, I didn't even particularly care to hear him speak. So why is this nagging me so much?
I thought about it, and thought about it, and thought about it..and what i've determined is...it's not that I will miss him, nor that he is irreplaceable, nor any of the political ramifications of his absence...its that he was 43 years old. He died at 43 years old of seemingly natural causes. He wasn't addicted to propofol, or prescription drugs, or an alcohol (that we know of). He wasn't a race-car driver, or skiing down a mountain playing football, or flying a plane with a broken foot in the dark, or a cancer patient, or speeding down a highway drunk...He was just walking in front of his house. He was here, seemingly healthy & alive, being a friend, a Dad, a husband, a warrior....then he was gone. As a teenager, I knew of people dying in their 40s (my dad in fact did), but as a 33 year old, its a much more disconcerting fact of life. Its impossible for me ponder this and not be acutely aware of the sand sliding down the hourglass for everyone I love and myself. This is terrifying and uncomfortable. Its the bitch-slap of Mortality...right in my face.
There's nothing we can do, us mere mortals, to change our fates...but these times can convince us that life is precious, that we can be better procurers of the time we have...that we can make the most of our days, and live life to the fullest. That is until this becomes a memory far enough away from us that we once again forget the fragility of our existence...at which point another wake-up call begins this cycle again. How can we hold onto this realization that we are temporary residents of this place?
Legacy is something we tend to think of developing at a much later age, but the truth is our legacy is written each day we walk the earth. Today I watched Andrew's CPAC speech from a couple weeks ago. He was disheveled, and looked like he had gained a few pounds, but I found no sign of a man days away from a natural death. What I saw was something I would have missed had I watched it when it aired...It was a man certain of his purpose, certain of who he was, and fearlessly living his convictions. This is his public legacy. The Bigs, Drudge, the media powerhouses he brought down, ACORN, his proteges, that his his professional legacy. His wife, his 4 children, his loyal and heartbroken friends...they are his personal legacy.
What is yours?
Carpe Diem,
~ kg
I read many tributes to him, as many as I could find...from friends to frenemies to adversaries, I was pleasantly surprised to find kind words all around. His persona did not lend him to sympathy from the left, but it seems he was able to charm and garner respect form even those who disagreed with him. I'm sure those tactless tweets are in abundance, something Andrew was all too familiar with. Famously when Ted Kennedy died, Andrew tweeted "rest in Chappaquiddick", so I'm quite certain that he would relish the idea of foes making similar remarks at his death. In fact, he would probably love for someone to log into Twitter as him and retweet them.
I've been wondering for the last couple of days since this happened...why does this bother me so much? Yes, I went to bighollywood about 50 times a day, but overall, Andrew was not my brand of politico. His fiery, in your face, warrior spirit is antithetical to the measured, calm, and respectful tone I like to take in political discourse. In truth, I tune into Dennis Prager over Mark Levin, and I prefer Sowell to Coulter. Yes, I will definitely miss his tweets (that man kept hours that even I couldn't compete with). Yes, I know the movement I belong to won't find another one like him anytime soon. Yes, He did things that changed the landscape of media for the better, and yes his courage and boldness is rare (esp on the right). Yes, He didn't care if something was unpopular (even amongst conservatives) he went where his conscience took him and there he stood. Yes I admired his courage and commitment to stand with GOPROUD, despite pushback from some conservatives. But still, I didn't know him, I didn't think about him much, I didn't even particularly care to hear him speak. So why is this nagging me so much?
I thought about it, and thought about it, and thought about it..and what i've determined is...it's not that I will miss him, nor that he is irreplaceable, nor any of the political ramifications of his absence...its that he was 43 years old. He died at 43 years old of seemingly natural causes. He wasn't addicted to propofol, or prescription drugs, or an alcohol (that we know of). He wasn't a race-car driver, or skiing down a mountain playing football, or flying a plane with a broken foot in the dark, or a cancer patient, or speeding down a highway drunk...He was just walking in front of his house. He was here, seemingly healthy & alive, being a friend, a Dad, a husband, a warrior....then he was gone. As a teenager, I knew of people dying in their 40s (my dad in fact did), but as a 33 year old, its a much more disconcerting fact of life. Its impossible for me ponder this and not be acutely aware of the sand sliding down the hourglass for everyone I love and myself. This is terrifying and uncomfortable. Its the bitch-slap of Mortality...right in my face.
There's nothing we can do, us mere mortals, to change our fates...but these times can convince us that life is precious, that we can be better procurers of the time we have...that we can make the most of our days, and live life to the fullest. That is until this becomes a memory far enough away from us that we once again forget the fragility of our existence...at which point another wake-up call begins this cycle again. How can we hold onto this realization that we are temporary residents of this place?
Legacy is something we tend to think of developing at a much later age, but the truth is our legacy is written each day we walk the earth. Today I watched Andrew's CPAC speech from a couple weeks ago. He was disheveled, and looked like he had gained a few pounds, but I found no sign of a man days away from a natural death. What I saw was something I would have missed had I watched it when it aired...It was a man certain of his purpose, certain of who he was, and fearlessly living his convictions. This is his public legacy. The Bigs, Drudge, the media powerhouses he brought down, ACORN, his proteges, that his his professional legacy. His wife, his 4 children, his loyal and heartbroken friends...they are his personal legacy.
What is yours?
Carpe Diem,
~ kg
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