I am an unashamed conservative, even though my last article had several moderate-to-liberal opinions in my argument, and one of the most satisfying things I've witnessed in the past few years has been the complete and utter frustration of the liberal left in this country. Whether it be from talking to my liberal friends, watching liberals whine on TV, or reading about their plight in newspapers and magazines, I can't seem to go a week without hearing the questions being asked as to how our country can be so conservative when so much seems to be going wrong. They point to the war in Iraq, Osama bin Laden still on the loose, the post-Hurricane Katrina mess, the illegal immigration debacle, the intelligence leaks, the Dubai ports deal that fell through...the list goes on and on with things that have provided liberals with ammo against conservatism in recent years! Even so, conservatism has held its ground, and some evidence even points to our country becoming more conservative! I first want to touch on what I believe led our country to conservatism, and then I want to briefly discuss why conservatism is likely to grow even more in the years ahead!
Love him or hate him, I believe one of the primary catalysts in the conservative boom has been Rush Limbaugh. Before his radio show took the airwaves by storm, Americans were force fed liberal propoganda from outlets such as CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, and CNN. Most Americans accepted the news as gospel, and never took issue with the reporting, since people like Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, and Dan Rather were beloved American icons. However, closer scrutiny would reveal the subtle biases that were inserted into the telecasts, and they continue to be there to this day. These biases were intended to shape the opinion of the country, and until Rush Limbaugh came along, they were largely unchallenged. A modern example of this kind of reporting can be found in the illegal immigration debate, where you will find the word "illegal" rarely if ever used. They frame the issue as an attack on immigration, an attack on immigrants, but conveniently leave out the illegal part. Even though I don't side 100% with conservatism on that particular issue, the wording used by the majority of the mass media shows a startling bias that is obviously intended to shape and mold the consumer's point of view. I don't have a problem with reporters editorializing, as long as it is made clear that the story is an editorial. I do take issue with passing off opinions as "news" however, because most of the public is not discerning and ends up being misled as a result. The Rush Limbaugh show changed a lot of that, though. He gave a voice to those who were muzzled by the liberal media, and let millions of conservatives know that they weren't alone in this country. Rush was provocative, entertaining, and controversial. He got people talking, and word of mouth eventually led to his show taking off to a level of popularity that had never been seen up to that point. As Rush's audience grew, conservatives grew bolder, and little by little, the mass media's grip on the country's mindshare became less and less.
I don't always agree with Rush Limbaugh, but I give him all kinds of credit for his role in bringing a conservative voice to the media. Without Rush Limbaugh, its doubtful we would have stations like FOX News (which admittedly is the polar opposite to the liberal media outlets like CNN, but at least it offers a counter-viewpoint!) Rush also blew open the door to success for other conservative commentators such as Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, Matt Drudge, Michael Reagan, Rusty Humphries, and more. CNN's ratings dipped, nobody watched network news anymore on CBS/NBC/ABC, and FOX News started to enjoy record ratings and growth. You know a man is making an impact when politicians running for the highest office in the land, such as Howard Dean and John Kerry, bring up his name with disgust in their own speeches! Liberals are obsessed with bringing Rush Limbaugh down, because they know the impact he has, and when their own miserable attempts to compete fell flat on their faces (reference Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo), they turned to smearing Rush's name through the prescription drug controversy. Regardless of what the situation may be with his personal problems, the bottom line is that Rush Limbaugh excited the conservative base, got them out to vote, and drew more people in to conservatism through his entertaining and thought provoking rants. He is at the top of the talk radio universe because even people who hate him tune in to hear what he will say next.
I also believe the conservative cause has benefited greatly from grass roots efforts, such as the Right to Life movement. Changing the attitudes of America is a daunting and time consuming task that requires great persistence, perseverance, and patience. While sometimes progress seems slow, attitudes can change when each person does his or her part to help. Right to Life is a great example of this, as while Americans supported the right to an abortion by a huge margin of 65-33% in 1991, the Harris poll finds that support has been in steady decline to where it is nearly a 50/50 issue now! On Thursday, May 4, the Harris poll found that 49% of Americans support the right to an abortion, with 47% opposed and 4% unsure. In spite of the persistent efforts of "pro-choice" groups such as NOW and Planned Parenthood to make America accept abortion on demand even through the third trimester, it is obvious which side of the argument is winning the battle! Granted, not every conservative is pro-life, and not every liberal is pro-choice, but the abortion debate is just one example of many where it can be seen that our country truly is becoming more conserative as a whole. The more liberals scream and holler about it, the more the rest of the country seems to be put off, and proof of that is by President Bush winning a 2nd term by a good margin in the popular vote despite the tough times our country was in and his low approval rating. Things might have been different if someone other than Kerry was nominated for the Democrats, but even so, Bush would have lost by a landslide no matter who he was up against, based on the state of the union alone, had the nation not been generally conservative.
Now I will tie this commentary up with a fact that should have liberals scared to death. Their very own views are leading to their demise! How is that, you might say? Well, people who have abortions are generally liberal. People who oppose abortion are generally conservative. With millions of unborn children tragically being killed every year (that's my own commentary on the situation), what does that mean? Conservatives provide society with more children raised conservative, while liberals take the life away from literally millions of potential voters! When the unaborted children grow up, they will inject more life than ever before into the conservative machine, and the liberal voice will become more and more quieted. I don't take joy from ANY child being aborted, liberal or not, so the political benefit of the abortions is of very little consolation. However, I believe the liberal left will pay a tremendous price for their accepting of such practices. The only possible glimmer of hope they possess would be to have the Hispanics continue to vote on their side, since the Hispanics are having children at a rate that far exceeds the general population. On the flip side, that is why it is so important that the conservatives handle the immigration debate wisely, because the GOP has made huge strides in the Hispanic vote, and if they can secure a majority one day, it will make it virtually impossible for the liberals to hold power again anytime soon!
Love him or hate him, I believe one of the primary catalysts in the conservative boom has been Rush Limbaugh. Before his radio show took the airwaves by storm, Americans were force fed liberal propoganda from outlets such as CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, and CNN. Most Americans accepted the news as gospel, and never took issue with the reporting, since people like Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, and Dan Rather were beloved American icons. However, closer scrutiny would reveal the subtle biases that were inserted into the telecasts, and they continue to be there to this day. These biases were intended to shape the opinion of the country, and until Rush Limbaugh came along, they were largely unchallenged. A modern example of this kind of reporting can be found in the illegal immigration debate, where you will find the word "illegal" rarely if ever used. They frame the issue as an attack on immigration, an attack on immigrants, but conveniently leave out the illegal part. Even though I don't side 100% with conservatism on that particular issue, the wording used by the majority of the mass media shows a startling bias that is obviously intended to shape and mold the consumer's point of view. I don't have a problem with reporters editorializing, as long as it is made clear that the story is an editorial. I do take issue with passing off opinions as "news" however, because most of the public is not discerning and ends up being misled as a result. The Rush Limbaugh show changed a lot of that, though. He gave a voice to those who were muzzled by the liberal media, and let millions of conservatives know that they weren't alone in this country. Rush was provocative, entertaining, and controversial. He got people talking, and word of mouth eventually led to his show taking off to a level of popularity that had never been seen up to that point. As Rush's audience grew, conservatives grew bolder, and little by little, the mass media's grip on the country's mindshare became less and less.
I don't always agree with Rush Limbaugh, but I give him all kinds of credit for his role in bringing a conservative voice to the media. Without Rush Limbaugh, its doubtful we would have stations like FOX News (which admittedly is the polar opposite to the liberal media outlets like CNN, but at least it offers a counter-viewpoint!) Rush also blew open the door to success for other conservative commentators such as Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, Matt Drudge, Michael Reagan, Rusty Humphries, and more. CNN's ratings dipped, nobody watched network news anymore on CBS/NBC/ABC, and FOX News started to enjoy record ratings and growth. You know a man is making an impact when politicians running for the highest office in the land, such as Howard Dean and John Kerry, bring up his name with disgust in their own speeches! Liberals are obsessed with bringing Rush Limbaugh down, because they know the impact he has, and when their own miserable attempts to compete fell flat on their faces (reference Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo), they turned to smearing Rush's name through the prescription drug controversy. Regardless of what the situation may be with his personal problems, the bottom line is that Rush Limbaugh excited the conservative base, got them out to vote, and drew more people in to conservatism through his entertaining and thought provoking rants. He is at the top of the talk radio universe because even people who hate him tune in to hear what he will say next.
I also believe the conservative cause has benefited greatly from grass roots efforts, such as the Right to Life movement. Changing the attitudes of America is a daunting and time consuming task that requires great persistence, perseverance, and patience. While sometimes progress seems slow, attitudes can change when each person does his or her part to help. Right to Life is a great example of this, as while Americans supported the right to an abortion by a huge margin of 65-33% in 1991, the Harris poll finds that support has been in steady decline to where it is nearly a 50/50 issue now! On Thursday, May 4, the Harris poll found that 49% of Americans support the right to an abortion, with 47% opposed and 4% unsure. In spite of the persistent efforts of "pro-choice" groups such as NOW and Planned Parenthood to make America accept abortion on demand even through the third trimester, it is obvious which side of the argument is winning the battle! Granted, not every conservative is pro-life, and not every liberal is pro-choice, but the abortion debate is just one example of many where it can be seen that our country truly is becoming more conserative as a whole. The more liberals scream and holler about it, the more the rest of the country seems to be put off, and proof of that is by President Bush winning a 2nd term by a good margin in the popular vote despite the tough times our country was in and his low approval rating. Things might have been different if someone other than Kerry was nominated for the Democrats, but even so, Bush would have lost by a landslide no matter who he was up against, based on the state of the union alone, had the nation not been generally conservative.
Now I will tie this commentary up with a fact that should have liberals scared to death. Their very own views are leading to their demise! How is that, you might say? Well, people who have abortions are generally liberal. People who oppose abortion are generally conservative. With millions of unborn children tragically being killed every year (that's my own commentary on the situation), what does that mean? Conservatives provide society with more children raised conservative, while liberals take the life away from literally millions of potential voters! When the unaborted children grow up, they will inject more life than ever before into the conservative machine, and the liberal voice will become more and more quieted. I don't take joy from ANY child being aborted, liberal or not, so the political benefit of the abortions is of very little consolation. However, I believe the liberal left will pay a tremendous price for their accepting of such practices. The only possible glimmer of hope they possess would be to have the Hispanics continue to vote on their side, since the Hispanics are having children at a rate that far exceeds the general population. On the flip side, that is why it is so important that the conservatives handle the immigration debate wisely, because the GOP has made huge strides in the Hispanic vote, and if they can secure a majority one day, it will make it virtually impossible for the liberals to hold power again anytime soon!
