Divide and Conquer

I was having a conversation with one of my "moderate" friends over his choice of voting in November's numerous elections. As this would be his first opportunity to participate in our democratic system, I was eager to hear how his rather shifting worldview would manifest itself at the ballot box. How was my genius friend going to determine who would be worthy of his endorsement?

"I'm probably going to flip a coin," he humorously speculates.

"So you don't care that other people will decide how your government works?"

He paused, then replied, "It's not like I would make a difference anyway."

This, my friends, is the tragic reality of why California is often considered "that blue state" which will never awaken from its long, liberal stranglehold. Much talk amongst conservative commentators has been directed towards Obama's admittedly brilliant if not destructive ploy of exploiting class, race, gender, and other differences in order to bring a rough coalition of votes in for his party. Yet I would like to identify one final division that our political culture is creating that will ultimately favor liberal politicians: that between the politically minded and un-minded.

One of the most often cited statistics with regards to elections is the terribly low level of confidence Americans have in their government. As a result, an overwhelming number of our citizens have become discouraged over their prospects of actually making a difference in the political system. And hey, it's not like politics has any real effect on our lives right?

Here is where our left-leaning friends have the advantage: as more and more Americans, especially our youth, have little to no understanding of broader political culture, all it takes is one emotionally-energizing cause to swing their undecided vote into the Democratic camp. Take, for instance, the Occupy Movement. With college unemployment levels at record highs, our otherwise pampered and spoiled young generation has had serious difficulties making ends meet. When faced with the prosperity that some of our elders, such as Mitt Romney (and the Obamas, for that matter) have been able to attain through hard work and perseverance, our un-focused "adults" are only too eager to demand their "fair share."

Dennis Prager's new book Still the Best Hope correctly identifies emotional zeal as a conduit for much support of Leftist causes, and I have been personal witness to far more secular firebrands throwing the word bigot at those opposed to abortion, gay marriage, and the like than any hate-filled "Bible thumpers." But hey, maybe I'm just a sheltered conservative, right? In any case, this sort of emotional passion is igniting segments of our young population who would otherwise be "bystanders," if you will, to the political process. After all, isn't "denying the right to love someone" more effective a political tool than "supporting business freedom and smart economics?'

While I greatly admire Mr. Prager and others' work in bringing clarity and common sense to those tuning in on the radio or on TV, conservatives as a whole must find more outlets to reach the younger generation. Twice in the past two months I've been a guest at speaking events by Anne Coulter, Hugh Hewitt, and Mr. Prager himself. In not one of them have I been able to identify anyone else in the audience of comparable or younger age to myself.

It is not enough to convince yourself American values are the best in the world. Those following in your footsteps most likely are oblivious. And if they don't care about politics now, your local DNC body will be more than willing to make them care later.