Part 2: Remember Phoenix - finding hope in a potential democratic landslide

So my last post was cathartic. It was good to ruminate over where I've come and see how the circle seems to have closed, only the person I am is not the person I was, and for that I'm grateful.

After I finished writing though, I sensed that tightness in my gut again. It's that sense that sneaks in every four years about mid-September. Because I believe that political figures cast a long shadow over the land and have great power to do great good (or conversely, great harm) I begin to fret and even fear over numbers that are sure to rain down late into the evening on November 4.

One side is predicting a landslide on the order of Ronald Reagan's trouncing of Walter Mondale in 1984. With an unprecedented cash advantage (which, incidentally Barack Obama promised not to use in the name of fairness) Barack Obama is making his presence felt in places no democratic candidate has gone before. The Democratic nominee would have you believe places like West Virginia and Indiana are in play once again.

On the other side, you have the Republican party calling foul and bias against the media, and assuring those who care that the race isn't over. In my mind's eye I imagine John McCain on November 5 hoisting a newspaper that says "Obama Defeats McCain" while the ticker tape fills the celebratory Republican air.

I don't know what to make of the polls, and my position is that it's probably not as bad as they say, but it still might not be close enough to matter. So what's a resuscitated conservative with a head and a heart in the game supposed to do in dicey political times like these?

Well, first of all, I can't overstate my belief that God alone is my provider, and if the tax burden became 99%, I have been promised that God would provide for my needs. So I cling to that and try to let that inform my position as much as possible.

I do believe, however, that even in the case of a total Democratic trouncing (they gain the White House and a super-majority in both houses of congress) my hope isn't gone. I believe there will be irreversible or nearly irreversible changes and decisions made (Supreme Court justices, new entitlements, etc), but I believe that out of the ashes a new conservative movement will rise.

I think the Republican party has been conflicted since about 1990. In the exceedingly long shadow of Ronald Reagan, the first President Bush let the hearts of the people slip away amid indecisiveness in Iraq. The Clinton years stand in stark contrast to the moral and economical rise of the Reagan years.

However, it's in the corners of those Clinton years that I find my basis for hope. During the years of Clinton's presidency, Newt Gingrich authored and introduced the Contract With America which was a true conservative movement. It wasn't perfect at all. (I think its tragic flaw was its close alignment with Ralph Reed and the Christian Coalition). Again, I don't believe government will ever be perfect. The reason the Contract with America was a great thing was that it intended 2 things 1) Balance the Budget and 2) limit government. Those are great things.

The reality as I see it is that even if McCain should win, he isn't the future of the Republican Party. Truth be know, I think the future of the party is in people like Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, Tim Pawlenty, and Michelle Bachmann. Now, you'll likely never see any glowing reports or talk about any of these. I expect a revival of the "Fairness Doctrine" which will for all intents and purposes completely silence the last vestiges of conservative media. The airwaves will be left to people like Keith Slobberman, Chris "Igor" Matthews, and Andrea "someone wake up my face" Mitchell. So what you'll begin to see is a grassroots revival of conservatism completely under the radar. You think the polls are lopsided this election cycle...

Just a side note of this: I think one of the major mistakes McCain made during this election was focusing on his ability to "reach across the aisle." You never hear Nanci Pelosi or Harry Reid talking about wanting to reach across the aisle. They talk about wanting to remove the aisle altogether. They don't want to work with Republicans, they want to eradicate them. Please hear me well, talking politically, I don't believe we are dealing with a centrist government. Every "moderate" conservative that McCain was supposed to bring into the fold has gone the other way (see Colin Powell). So stop doing that.

Next: Part 3: Love the One You're With - shrinking the political divide by being who you are.