Republican ideals 'Alive and Well'

Since the "hope and change" election of 2008, many in the media, the Democratic Party and even some center-right pundit-elites have busied themselves epitaph-tapping. "Leadership-less," "directionless," and "conviction-less" they grind on the headstone of conservatism's mass grave.

Yet if the recent Conservative Political Action Conference was any indication of the vigor of a movement, the conservatives in America are just the latest subject of a premature - wishful - obituary. Nine thousand conservatives - the largest number since the American Conservative Union's inaugural 1973 event that drew a mere 125 - attended the annual conference in Washington last month.

Conservatives from 48 states gathered to discuss strategies for promoting conservative solutions to the many challenges facing our country and hear from Republican elected officials on the front lines battling congressional Democrats and the Obama administration. Missing was the defeatism and hopelessness so many in the New York/D.C. elite axis have wished upon the movement.

The idea that "conservatism is alive and well" - as asserted by Georgia Congressman Tom Price - was the consensus heard and felt around the hotel hallways and ballrooms. Despite what some might have you believe, the 2008 Republican defeat did not signify an end to the Reagan Era.

The American people did not say "no" to conservatism. President Obama, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were not given a mandate to change the nature of the relationship between government and the American people, who want nothing to do with liberals' war against a free economy and fundamental liberties.

Liberals' destructive ideology harms the country by undermining the very foundation upon which it was built - the individual. From the left's ideals flow fundamentally flawed policies that increase the size and power of government and transfer the decision-making power from the individual to the bureaucrat. Liberals usurp individuality and replace it with a "one-size-fits-all" system. With liberalism, every American can say goodbye to choices on everything from health care to education. Self-determination and self-sufficiency do not, and cannot, exist under their system, which crushes entrepreneurial spirit, destroys the free economy and attempts to force more people into permanent government dependency.

Liberal dominance of the government and the media is a recipe for disaster. The mainstream media have failed the American people. They gave President Obama a free pass during the election, and continue down that destructive path by refusing to hold ruling Democrats accountable with the tough questions a "watchdog" is supposed to ask.

Instead, the mainstream media have decided to whip up false attacks against conservatives. This was evident as the media became transfixed once again on talk radio host Rush Limbaugh's comment - "I hope he (Obama) fails" - and elevated him to leader of the Republican Party, while applying a naked double standard to conservative speech.

Just a few minutes before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, former Bill Clinton adviser James Carville said of President Bush: "I certainly hope he doesn't succeed."

Limbaugh's message was a call to action that thrilled the CPAC throng and placed immense fear into the souls of those who see him as a threat to their success.

Unfortunately, some insecure Republicans, including Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, threw Limbaugh under the bus.

Rush doesn't need defending from Republicans, but as an avid listener - along with millions of other Americans - I believe Rush's principled conservatism is a governing philosophy our public officials would do well to emulate at every level of government.

While the state of the media is abominable and the Democrats usher in an age of socialism, the future of the Republican Party is brighter because of the stronger, essentially American ideas we represent and the increasing number of outlets to discuss ideas the media suppresses and distorts.

Great conservative leaders are stepping up. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is a testament to true leadership, setting the example by placing our nation and his state's economic security and future first.

His rejection of strings-attached federal "stimulus" money not only will help avoid a subjugation of his own state's sovereignty, but stands as a national example of principled opposition to the current attack on federalism.

Conservatives are generating unprecedented activity on the Internet and other media, engaging more people than ever before.

Conservatives, always more focused on substance than style, are learning to embrace modern technology and the 24-hour news cycle. The consensus is we must maximize - use technology not to dilute the message, but to enhance it.

This includes connecting the long-ignored intersection of politics and culture.

Ventures like Big Hollywood and Pajamas Media offer invaluable cross-over.

In addition to correcting the record and changing perceptions, the reach and diversity of conservative voices offer support to those who need information for promoting conservatism, or who have been blacklisted in their industries, communities or on campus.

While Republicans may win or lose an election, timeless conservative beliefs, as modeled best by President Reagan, have demonstrated their staying power by continuing to be the ideological benchmark of political rhetoric, and after the election-dust has settled, governance itself.

The energy at CPAC signaled the revitalization, refocusing and rededication of many Americans horrified with the "change" that has come to Washington.

Democrats from the White House to Congress already have mishandled badly every challenge put before them, and will be held accountable in the next election.

And conservatives have much work to do until then.

Rewinning the heart of America will require that the spark of the CPAC moment not fade, but be remembered as the dawn of revival for better ideas and real solutions.

• Orit Sklar has served as a columnist for FrontPage Magazine, where she primarily covers higher education and First Amendment issues, and has contributed to the Atlanta Jewish Times, focusing on community affairs, as well as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This commentary was provided by Georgia Online News Service.

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