The Conservative Catastrophe: How, Why, Etc.
Conservatives have a Winning Agenda but a Losing Record
US Conservatives are losing — Big Time. They blame the media, major Dem donors, and a variety of other sources. Although those are indeed factors, IMO these losses are primarily because US Conservative organizations have failed to acknowledge and address four (4) major deficiencies. Note that in every one of these situations, the Left does a MUCH better job. Also note that each of these is relatively easily fixable — IF they are acknowledged and prioritized.
1 - Failure to Work Together
Believe it or not, there are 150± US national Conservative-leaning organizations! Do they get together and work out policy priorities, strategies, assignments, etc. (like the Left does)? NO! Evidently they have not heard of — or don’t believe — the idiom: United We Stand, Divided We Fall!
Furthermore, I have been unable to find any Conservative organization that has even put together a comprehensive list of their US allies — much less an email list to keep in touch and share ideas. That omission is simply stunning.
When I have spoken to high-level people at some of the major US Conservative organizations, they acknowledge that they do not work closely with other similar organizations. I was told that their major justification is that doing so “will likely reduce our donor contributions.” IMO it is exactly the opposite, as existing donors would give likely more (and new donors would likely come off the sidelines), when they finally see quality teamwork efforts going on.
2 - Failure to have Unified Sensible Messages
On many important issues, the startling answer is that Conservatives do not have a unified sensible message. Take Energy policy as an example. What is the unified sensible message on renewables? Unfortunately, Conservatives are all over the map regarding whether renewables are a good thing or not. Even worse — much worse — many Conservatives have directly adopted the Left’s mantra “All of the above.” The Left’s mantra!!!
Even ignoring that obvious red flag, the fact is that “all of the above” means that on our electric grid we should give a pass to very expensive, extremely unreliable, and environmentally destructive electrical energy sources. What sense does that make?
This is the type of self-defeating inanity that comes from not working together.
3 - Failure to utilize Sophisticated Communication to convey their Messages
Most Conservative believe that their positions (e.g., secure borders, right to life, etc.) should be so self-evident that they sell themselves. I hear from MANY Conservatives who sincerely believe that “the facts will win the day.” Sorry, but that is not true.
Yes, we need the facts on issues such as climate change. However, unless we can effectively communicate simple, accurate, compelling messages to the public, we will continue to lose.
The Left has put a lot of effort into doing just that. A good example is that they have introduced a wide selection of marketing soundbites into the language. They do this as they are well aware that those who control the words, control the narrative.
For instance, take “wind farm.” Nothing is being “farmed” other than subsidies. The Left’s communication experts knew that depositing a large industrial complex into rural settings, would not go well. So, as a preemptive strike, they named this industrial facility a “wind farm.” The intent was to take the focus off the industrial reality by using a phrase that made it seem bucolic and pastoral.
This is an example of the Left using powerful sophisticated communication. Here is a list I put together of some other misleading marketing terms created by the Left, plus some alternative words we should use instead. How about “All of the Sensible” instead of the absurd “All of the Above”? Not only do those on the Right rarely create such terminology, but (even worse) all the time I hear intelligent people on the Right using the Left’s marketing phrases. Enough already!
4 - Failure to have an Optimum Marketing Strategy
Since organizations on the Right rarely work together, it’s no surprise that they have not agreed on and utilized an optimum marketing strategy. Each Conservative organization is essentially doing their own thing.
Consider this stark difference: One of the Left’s key marketing strategies is to win over people in groups, while Conservatives’ strategy is to win over people as individuals. A good example of this is how the Left has targeted our academic system (i.e., a large group of students). Which side do you think will end up with larger numbers?
There are plenty of wealthy US Conservatives who would be glad to contribute to effective Conservative organizations. However, these intelligent, savvy people are well aware of the above deficiencies, so why would they throw good money after bad?
Donors to Conservative organizations should condition their donation on getting satisfactory answers and actions to achieve the above four issues. Money needs to talk. So, be sure you know exactly what your donation is buying. Don’t be satisfied with platitudes or broad “feel good” generalizations!
Here are other materials by this scientist that you might find interesting:
WiseEnergy.org: discusses the science (or lack thereof) behind our energy options.
C19Science.info: covers the lack of genuine science behind our COVID-19 policies.
Election-Integrity.info: multiple major reports on the election integrity issue.
Media Balance Newsletter: a free, twice-a-month newsletter that covers what the mainstream media does not, on issues from: COVID to climate, elections to education, renewables to religion, etc. Here are the Newsletter’s 2022 Archives. Send me an email to get your free copy. When emailing me, please make sure to include your full name, and the state where you live. (Of course, you can cancel the Media Balance Newsletter at any time - but why would you?)
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Great points all, John. Hits at the core of our conservative problem.
Insightful analysis ... I would definitely add COMPLAINING to the list. Dems complain all day, every dqy about how they are mistreated and/or discriminated against. If fact, they have a bad, bad case of liberal privilege.