Prudence is a Virtue

As Donald Trump said on the night of his election “politics is a complicated business”. Republicans for over 60 years have made it more complicated than it needs to be. Both Governors Batt and Otter expressed after several years in office the simple fact that getting elected is a very different process than “governing”. When running for office, candidates need to define differences between themselves and those they are running against. Differences in how specific issues define competing candidates are exploited in a fashion that will make one candidate look better and thus more electable than the person they are running against. Emotions and passions help create divisions that put logic and reason on the sidelines. This is simple marketing. Create a need and a unique niche for what you are peddling—make yourself a “false profit”—only I can fix this and elect me to take you to the promised land.

Once elected, politicians must rely on a different set of skills. Differentiating one candidate from another is now replaced by the need for cooperation and forming coalitions. This is against the nature of “rugged individualists” who run as conservatives, and then find themselves isolated from the legislative process. Integrating factions into coalitions is second nature to progressive community organizer democrats most who have derived their power from a legacy hierarchy of privilege or from monied special interest corporate lobbyist.

I have great respect for people who put themselves on the line and expose themselves and their families to the scrutiny that is part of the “deal” when one runs for office. Whether Democrat or Republican, progressive or conservative political courage is to be respected, but the reason for a politician wanting to be immersed in the trials and tribulations of politics also needs to be examined. We should remain vigilant about the motives of anyone wanting to participate in the political process. Are they running to fulfill their own egos, are they wanting access to power, or are they truly wanting to be servants for WE THE PEOPLE? Do they think they are part of a charitable enterprise when they vote for increased transfer payments to government welfare agencies? I have always been attracted to politicians who were reluctant to serve and humble in understanding their responsibilities. Politicians at any level of government who allow themselves to be influenced by special interests or by those doing business with government agencies that are in charge of regulating the business-campaign contributor who then give campaign contributions to the politician have always given me cause for concern.

I was never a fan of Kevin McCarthy. I thought he was a puppet for the old school Republican Establishment. After one year as speaker, I thought he did a fantastic job in using the process to lever whatever position conservatives had in defining and passing legislation. With a Democratic Senate led by Chuck Schummer, and a President Biden led by Barak Obama operatives in the West Wing, there was very little a 5 vote Republican majority could do in the House of Representatives. What Mr. Mcarthy had that many conservatives—including Mathew Gaetz lack is political PRUDENCE. Wanting to fight and knowing when and where to fight and what weapon to use in the fight is one of the lessons we can learn from history—David set the table to his advantage in his clash with Goliath. Military Generals know that a tactical organized retreat can be used to a strategic advantage. So do businessmen and farmers. The first rule of medicine is “do no harm”. The first rule of surgery is that “the enemy of good is better”.

As Milton Freidman warned, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Mr. Gaetz and his 8 coconspirators lost sight of the ultimate goal—the 2024 election. At a time when the Dems are imploding themselves with high inflation, high interest rates, boarder insecurity, energy independence today an afterthought and subjugated to faux climate warming siren cat calls, and most importantly a demoralized, decimated, and operationally underprepared military, 8 selfish people joined the Democratic minority in the House to change the political narrative. Republicans are clutching defeat from the arms of victory.

Our Founding Fathers did not foresee political parties or the role of “special interest lobbyist fundraisers” as Matt Gaetz would say. They did anticipate the obstacles of “faction” as outlined by James Madison in Federalist #10.

Our Republican form of government—as opposed to democracy, with the ideas of Federalism and the division of powers between legislative, executive and judicial branches of government was a way to circumvent the “violence of faction”. And just what is faction? Mr. Madison informs us in the opening paragraph of Federalist #10:

“A number of citizens amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by common impulse, of passion or interest adverse to the rights of other citizens, or the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.”

He goes on to warn us that by trying to remove “the mischief of faction” we have two choices—removing its causes or controlling its effects. By trying to remove faction by removing its’ causes or controlling its” effects we risk losing individual liberty. “The protection of these faculties is the first job of government.”

What has happened to Republicans is that we have chosen the wrong time and place to fight. Our first fight is to win the 2024 election. Our next fight is to fight the special interests and corporate monied interest lobbyists in our State at the National level—in both parties. Our tactics must support our long-term strategies. My hope and prayer are that we conservatives can survive this error in political tactics and move on to 2024 and win. We are a divided nation. No matter what moving forward, we must win the hearts and souls of the great middle one third of Americans who don’t identify either as Republicans or Democrats or as Conservative or Progressive. How conservatives look at each other won’t win the day—I wish that wasn’t the case. We must appear to be competent and credible—and might I add unified, to those in the middle who will decide who will be our next President and who will sit in our next Congress.

PRUDENCE IS A VIRTUE In politics and life.