Conservatives by nature do not covet power in the way that Democrats covet power. Because of that inherent difference, Democrats have a distinct advantage when it comes to elections. In general, Democrat voters are more motivated than conservative voters. In general, Democrats are more motivated to actually become candidates than Republicans. Those advantages are difficult for the average Republican candidate to overcome when it comes to elections.

It is time for conservatives to become interested in elections. Elections have consequences. If you were a conservative voter who stayed home on Election Day because of some slight, is Obama leading the country in the way you want it led? Are you happy that the country is taking over the auto industry and the banking industry? Are you happy that the country will be deciding how much money you and I can make? If so, then you were justified in staying home, you got the government that you wanted. If not, then you better wake up and decide that you will not take another election off.

The best conservatives in the country need to become candidates for office. I know that getting a root canal done without anesthesia is better than running for office, but the alternative is losing the country forever. It is 2009, 2010 is just around the corner. Candidates for office need to start now, if they have any chance of being elected to political office. They have to raise a lot of money and get their names out before the public. The candidates that will win these elections over the Democrats in power will be the ones that have innovative conservative ideas and stick to their guns. We cannot have candidates that cozy up to Democrats or think that big government is the answer. Those are the ones that brought us to this point.

Winning an office in 2010 will put some people on the map for Presidential consideration. We need a Republican candidate for office that is articulate in conservative principles and not Democrat-lite like our last Republican candidate. I do not know who that will be. I know that people are talking about Sarah Palin and Bobby Jindal in that vein. They both have strong backgrounds and would make excellent candidates. Sarah Palin has made some mistakes recently, though those can be forgiven. Bobby Jindal was not as dynamic as I would have liked in the answer to Barack Obama recently. That does not mean either is out of the running. Both are well in front of the pack for 2012. If Bobby Jindal is not as dynamic as we would like, maybe he could be a VP first. Then he could grow into the job and show what he can do.

Conservatives perceive power as a way to empower the individual. That results in the conservative giving away his power over time. Since a conservative wants to take care of his corner of the world, that suits conservatives just fine. Conservatives also expect that everyone else will want to take care of their part of the world. That is called individual responsibility. That is the entire premise behind conservative principles. Conservative principles are best outlined in the Constitution of the United States. We need to have candidates that stand behind the Constitution.

Democrats, socialists and liberals all perceive power as a way to make others do what they are supposed to do. They perceive power as a way to make the world into what they think the world should be. They believe the government should be there to take care of everyone and force everyone to conform to some set standard. All socialists (Nazi’s, communists and just socialists) believe that the government should run everything and that everyone should be dependent on the government. Classic liberals are somewhere between the socialist and the conservative. They believe in individual rights, but that the government should be there as a safety net to help anyone in “need”. It was a small step for liberals of the past to become socialists of the now.

We as conservatives cannot let socialists run our government. We have to step up and be the “citizen representative” that was envisioned by our Founding Fathers. If you ask why I do not step up and be a candidate, I am older and in ill health. I would not be able to defeat a socialist that was younger and more vigorous.  It is up to those of you between 20-40 to step up and hold the banner high. Veterans make the best candidates because they have been taught that honor and courage can win the day. We can take the country back if we act quickly. We have not gone too far down the socialist road to turn back and be America again. But, we have to rally around “good” strong conservative candidates, not these Democrat-lite Republicans that masquerade as conservatives.