The following message was sent from senior Ryan Sawtelle to members of Pepperdine’s College Republicans group via Facebook following Tuesday’s election results:
I’ve received the texts and the emails.
If you choose to wear black tomorrow to mourn the “death of our country” of course I cannot stop you. But this isn’t the death of our country.
It’s a large setback no doubt. Dangerous that a man so far to the opposite side of the principles on which this country was built will be the leader of the free world come January.
Do not sink to that level that the left sunk to in 2000 and 2004. With “Not My President” bumper stickers and other lowball attacks.
That does no one any good.
Educate.
So many people voted in this election that had no idea what they were voting for. Many probably couldn’t pick out Henry Waxman from a lineup; draw a simple supply and demand curve or even tell you the philosophy behind the Founding Fathers making income taxes unconstitutional.
The battleground is not power in numbers but steadfastness in philosophy. If 100 million people say a stupid thing it’s still a stupid thing. Right is right no matter how many people say it is wrong.
Conservatism is right. Not conservatism as we’ve known it through Bush or McCain. Conservatism as it was taught to us by Reagan Goldwater Rand Buckley Hayek Kirk Friedman and Bastiat.
We lost this election partly because we have been slowly losing our way. Conservatism means less government in our lives both socially and economically. It means free markets individual liberty and private property rights. It stands for resisting the government’s use of force as a means to coerce one above that that does not interfere with anyone else’s life liberty or property.
Conservatism as I have defined it IS progression. To be progressive one must venture towards that ideal that has been proven to work. More government (equalling less individual liberty) is not progressive. Less liberty does not work.
Get out there and educate. Read the works of the aforementioned.
The people of this country are losing their way because our philosophy is losing its way.
Know it.
Live it.
Save it.