I'll give you an oxymoron... the Republican marcher. If you step outside of religious causes, it's hard to find any incident where Republicans will gather together and march/protest - except for doing so in support of the military. But that's about it. Conservatives don't come together to protest government expansion. Or tax hikes. Or First Amendment infringement. It just doesn't happen. Democrats? Hell, protest and march are long traditions among them. They do a fantastic job of gathering together and speaking out in one voice. Name the cause... Republicans? We outsource that sort of thing, via our representatives in Congress and via talk radio. Otherwise, Republicans are pretty busy about their lives. Rush Limbaugh captialized on this and became the biggest single media influence of the past two decades. Republicans tend not to step out in concert to protest. It's not the cultural mien of the right. Reminds me of the old joke about how you can recognize an extroverted accountant... he stares at your shoes. Right-leaning folk fell in love with blogs because reading and writing blogs are individual activities, not group activities. Works just fine from the comfort of the desk chair at home. What's weird though is that for a group who esteems the founding fathers, they eschew publicity for their right-leaning views today. Somehow, the Boston Tea Party would never happen today is it were up to Republicans. (You can offer that Ron Paul supporters did this very thing recently - yes they did - but they number in the range of 4% at the polls. So in fairness, a few Republicans would do this. You get the point, though...) The sad truth is that Republicans have outsourced their freedom. Hence, we have the candidates that we have today. Reagan tried not once, not twice, but three times to secure the Republican nomination, and that was only after the presidential disasater that was Jimmy Carter. He did it on his own great way - the Great Communicator - but we don't have that today in the party. Fred Thompson comes close in his communication of principles, but that's about it. Rush does a good job educating his audience, but Rush will never run for office. The truth is that conservatives have to take back the party. Locally, involved, vocally, resolved... and that's a culture change. The leaders of the right encourage those of the right to sit at home/work and listen to the radio, not get outside and talk to folks. In fact, a lot of people are kind of embarrassed to show their right-leaning views. Those that do speak out often choose pseudonyms and blog that way. They're concerned about their appearance and the effect of their opinions on their lifestyle and work. I would ask those folks: if freedom means that much to you, and you believe this stuff, are you willing to put your money where your mouth is? Are you willing to sacrifice for the country in which you believe? All of us have passions that matter deeply to us. Would I do anything for my family? You betcha. Would I do anything to make a project at work succeed? For the most part, yes. I've burned 80-hour weeks on projects in the past to hit a deadline. What would you do to do what's necessary to bring America back to its foundational roots? Limited government... low taxes... no curbs on speech or press... strong defense... and so on. I don't think it will take angry mobs assaulting the capital steps. But it does start with a willingness to be known, to take part, and to lend the gifts you have in selfless employ to the cause of our country's direction. Enough with outsourcing. | 
