An Amnesty Band-Aid

The general outcry of the Republican leadership and the party's intelligencia is that we must moderate our positions on social issues, particularly on illegal immigration.  “We lost the Hispanic vote because we are too hardline on amnesty!” they cry.  However, I would say that the Hispanic vote was lost to the Republicans before the election cycle even began.  This is nothing new; large segments of the Hispanic population have voted overwhelming for Democrats for decades.  Coming out in support of amnesty would be like putting a Band-Aid over a gaping wound in need of stitches.  In other words, we know that it is not the solution to the problem.  We have, in fact, historical evidence of this.  In the 1980s, Reagan granted amnesty to illegal aliens living in the United States.  This neither won the political loyalty of the Hispanic population nor stopped the flow of illegal aliens into this country.  So if amnesty isn’t the key to winning the Hispanic vote, what is?

I would say that the Republicans’ problem is larger than opposition to amnesty; it is about culture and assimilation.  Hispanic culture throughout the Western Hemisphere is as diverse as a cross-section of the cultures in Europe.  Each country (and each region within each country, for that matter) has its own traditions, way of life, and even its own dialect of Spanish.  What is it, then, that leads to Hispanics joining together as a voting bloc in the United States?   One thing that all Spanish-speaking nations have in common is that their populations overwhelming identify themselves as Catholic.  During the 1960s, the Catholic Church in Latin America (and more than a few parishes in North America) experienced the teachings of liberation theology.  This movement was largely a humanistic interpretation of the Scriptures, particularly the New Testament, and gave rise to the idea of “social justice," in the Marxist sense, not just as a political movement but a religious one.  Liberation theology advocates the redistribution of wealth and populist revolts to establish governments that would follow these teachings. 

With help from this movement, almost all Latin American countries were (and some are currently) controlled by regimes that fully embrace Marxism dressing in religious clothing.  To the leaders of these regimes, liberation theology was a means of preempting their own overthrow.  The people would not rise up in revolt because they were taught by their faith’s leaders that social justice is a religious obligation.  They did not hear opposing views or about different economic theories because the government controlled the education system (if there was any education to be had).  In the 1980s, the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith repudiated the Marxist elements of liberation theology because it ultimately led to a situation where “the Church of the people” conflicted with the “hierarchical Church”.  In spite of Vatican’s official disagreement with liberation theology, there are still to this day many priests and bishops (and a few cardinals) that embrace it.  When I lived in the Bay Area, I was hard-pressed to find a parish where priests were not pushing liberalism from the pulpit.  I even walked out of Mass during a homily in which the priest blamed the United States for the events of 9-11.  Little did I know back then (in 2005) that there was another religious leader named Jeremiah Wright who was singing from the same hymnal.

When Hispanics (or members of any other ethnic group) migrate to the United States, they do not leave their traditions and religions behind.  Nor should they; the beauty of our country as founded is that we are by default an inclusive society where all people are free to live as they choose.  Problems arise when no effort is made on the part of the immigrant to learn about the ways and culture of their new home.  In fact, in many states immigrants don’t even have to learn English for day to day interaction with the public. There is no expectation that any immigrant, Hispanic or not, legal or not, has to in any way adapt to the ways of their new homeland.  If we do expect it, liberals call us racists and xenophobes. 

That is what conservatism is up against. We have to undo 40 years of conditioning that has led generations of people to believe that it is a government’s job to make Christian charity compulsory.  Not only that, we also have to undo the conditioning of generations of Americans who were taught that “multiculturalism” means that we cannot and should not expect immigrants to truly adopt the United States as their home and assimilate into American culture.  If it sounds like a tall order, that’s because it is.  In states like California, it may even be impossible.  This is why we need to seek cultural solutions, not political ones, to our current problems.  We must emphasize the common ground that we have and educate everyone on what can be done to meet our common goals.  We all want better for our children.  We want to have the freedom to pursue our dreams and be our best.  We want equality of opportunity for everyone who seeks success.  These are the things that all good people want, regardless of their race, creed, or nationality.

 

A Greasy Paper Bag

A very wise friend of mine once said, “Life’s lessons don’t always come to you wrapped in a pretty package.  Sometimes they get handed to you in a greasy paper bag.”  She told me this when I was at a definite low point in my life. I had been having difficulty with my boss at work and was just laid off.  This happened just as my fiancé was having difficulties at his job.  To add insult to injury, I learned that same week that I had not passed all of the sections of the Professional Engineering exam and would have to wait until October (the weekend we had planned to get married) to re-take it.  However, my friend’s gentle reminder gave me the encouragement that I needed to look at the situation with a clear mind and learn the lessons that were needed to move forward.  Given the way that the election went last night it’s time to roll up our sleeves, dig through the greasy paper bag, and find out what’s in it.

What did we learn about ourselves as a nation?

Mitt Romney was not incorrect when he said that at least 47% of the population was lost to him.  Last night was saw what happens when an administration chooses to buy votes by adding to the welfare rolls and removing any sort of working or job training requirement in order to receive government aid.  Why work for a living?  Working is for suckers!  The people who came out to vote for Obama were voting to preserve their bottomless bag of goodies from “Big Daddy Gubbmit.”  We truly have become a nation of petulant children who expect mommy and daddy to foot the bill on everything from our cell phones to housing, from college tuition to healthcare.  Hence we have the Occupy movement. 

There is also an obvious lack of self-esteem in this country!  The exit polling indicates that while voters thought Romney was better equipped to handle the economy, people voted for Obama because he “cares” about people like them.  He “cares” about minorities.  He “cares” about women.  He “cares” about the GLBT community.  This is an effect of the chickafication of society; it’s more important have someone “care” than it is for you to actually care for and like yourself.  Other than pandering to these groups, what has Obama done for them?  The last time I checked, unemployment among minorities is higher than the national average.  Are there no women or gays who have lost their jobs in the last four years?  These groups see themselves as victims, and it’s easier to be a victim and do nothing for one’s self than it is to stand up for one’s self as an individual with dignity and self-worth.  Self-esteem comes from achievement, and I am not talking about the “everyone getting a trophy for participation” kind.

How do we show the way to these lost souls?  It’s simple.  The government cannot possibly sustain the level of current spending, let alone the projected growth in spending.  These entitlements will collapse under their own weight.  When they do, from whence will all the freebies come?  There will be no more freebies.  Sure the government can try to raise taxes and may even succeed in that regard (as with California’s Prop 30).  However, the golden goose is going to croak sometime.  When it does, these people realize that the only way to get and keep what they want is to earn it, we will be there to show them how.  Accomplishment breeds confidence which, in turn, leads to self-esteem.  When victims start to stand up for themselves, liberalism will lose its appeal.

What did we learn about the Republican Party?

We conservatives should never EVER allow the Wizards of Smart in our own party or in the media tell us that we should nominate someone because they are “electable”.  Every time in my lifetime that this has happened, the Republicans have lost the White House.  Every last one of them told us that our only choice was Romney.  I am not making disparaging remarks about Governor Romney.  He is a good, decent man and an all-around class act.  Compared to Obama’s lack of credentials, Romney had an excellent track record on the economy in both his private and political careers.  He was also quite milquetoast compared to the flashy, hip “Campaigner in Chief”.  The one glimmer of what could have been was Romney’s brilliant performance in the first Presidential debate.  I only wish that he had been that articulate and fired up for the whole of the campaign.  Being President is not just a job, it is a vocation.  If one does not have the fire within to be President, one should not run.

The GOP was scared to be seen as the “mean party”.  They didn’t want to look like the boys of Cobra Kai beating up Daniel-San.  They were so concerned with the optics that they forgot the message.  At no point in the campaign did I ever hear of Obama calling on his supporters to quit picking on Romney’s faith.  Neither did I hear him ask for moderation of the comments misrepresenting Bain Capital and the role of private equity investment in our economy.  In fact, he was the source of some of those remarks!

  The Republican Party needs to stop worrying about what liberals will say about them because no matter how many minorities we as a party embrace, no matter how nice we are, no matter how mild-mannered we are, Republicans will always be portrayed as the party of mean, racist, sexist, homophobes who have taken advantage of the poor to gain wealth.  Who are the people that matter?  The conservative base and the folks who do not follow politics but every four years, that’s who.  If a candidate cannot mobilize his base to campaign for him (rather than against the other guy), how can he hope to persuade the people in the middle?

What did conservatives learn about themselves?

Even when we are not entirely enthusiastic about a candidate, look at all the work we can do!  I live in Santa Barbara County, which went blue this election.  Yet everywhere I went, there were signs for Republican congressional and state assembly candidates, as well as Romney-Ryan signs.  Even if there was a lack of enthusiasm, there was a lot of visibility. Imagine if our candidates had been able to fire up the base and get conservatives excited!  I have trouble believing that Lois Capps would even have had a snowball’s chance in hell of re-election if there had been a conservative on the ticket.

We are the ones with the real power in the Republican Party.  The House of Representatives is still in GOP hands because of Tea Party candidates who have held their ground on principles.  It is up to us to take the reins of leadership from the GOP establishment.  Since 2006 they have squandered the blood, sweat, and tears of every single one of us who has worked on the phone banks, sent mailers, posted signs, and faced off debates with acquaintances (sometimes even losing friendships over our beliefs).  The establishment will not give up power easily.  In fact, they may even try to tack farther left to stay in power in Washington, D.C.  We cannot let them!  Hold them accountable because we sent them to D.C. and we can send them home.

What do we do now?

We keep on doing what we have always done: we work hard to support ourselves and our families.  We give to charity to help those less fortunate than ourselves.  We persevere.  Even as the government makes it more difficult to do so, we will find a way.  We need to be vocal about our principles and demonstrate them in our daily lives and lead by example.  I know this sounds like what we were doing in the campaign, but this cannot be an “every four years” sort of thing.  We have to do it every single day.  Regardless of who may or may not be watching, we have to put our best selves forward and be the living examples of how conservatism works.

We must also work for change.  We have midterm elections in two years.  If you have the passion and the drive to do so, run for office.  We need fresh faces and new voices articulating our ideas.  Encourage your friends and family members to run if you don’t have the heart or stomach for it.  Our Founding Fathers envisioned the citizen-statesman, someone who is called from private life to serve his country as an elected representative and then return to private life when his work was done.  It’s time for us to quit looking to the establishment to change their ways and time for us step up.