What 2004 Taught the Left

Conservatives and Leftists occupy two parallel universes in the lesson drawn from the 2004 election. Conservatives believe they scored a great victory via their alternative media getting out the narrative of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, despite the major media first ignoring it, then slandering them, then burying admission of a few irrefutable indictments, then refusing to investigate more, then decrying the unwashed meddling in politics. For the most part, conservatives have rested on that laurel. Worse, professional politicians unite to squelch the possibility that their kind may be challenged by citizen upstarts.

The Left, instead of chastened, is actually emboldened by the major media’s treatment of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Their allies in the major media exercise Orwellian semantics to create a noun “swiftboating” to mean unfounded political attacks. The Left sees the opportunity in this to subdue or even silence conservatives.

They’ve created another Orwellian word-perversion, relabeling radical Leftists as “progressives,” to create today’s version of a popular front to suck in gullible liberals to radical agendas.

The progressives seek to reverse the open marketplace for speech, ideas and action that conservatives have enjoyed for the past few decades to get their messages out. This can be seen in progressives push for a return to government-enforced rationing of who appears on radio or TV talk shows, for increased government restrictions upon campaigning or supporting causes and candidates, for campaigns directed at radio and TV stations and their sponsors to take conservatives off the air. Soros money can be found behind much of this.

Conservatives protest these incursions against free speech. But, for the most part, conservatives are too much acting like deer in the headlights, either fattened and lazy from their previous ascendancy or disheartened by some of their kind having tawdry skeletons or looking for a “George to do it” instead of themselves (and then criticizing our lone George – Bush, that is – for not doing enough by himself).

Sure, conservatives do have many spokepeople who are exerting themselves. But, most allied politicians, foundations, and citizens are hiding in the shadows.

Instead, they must come out, boldly, forcefully and united into the light, energetically fight back, and fund major exposes that shine light and fumigant on the Leftist termites determined to undermine the house of free speech. Or, find themselves shut up.