Move the Middle

 

In the latest Ricochet podcast, Lawrence Fox ends the interview on a high note by calling on a bit of common sense that has escaped right-wing politicos for decades: You don’t win politics by moving to the middle. You win by moving the middle toward you.

While we are at it, move the left and the right as well. We have all strayed from better living.

Steve Hayward is correct. For America to thrive (or survive), the left needs to be redeemed and not just beaten in elections. A country cannot long endure half its citizens hating the others and objecting to all that they stand for, including free expression.

Too often, the right as well as left surrenders truth for comfort. Modern leftists often hate to be challenged, but at least they show passion for their values.

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is loving something more than what you risk. Do conservatives love truth and justice enough to advocate it even when there are harsh consequences? Is it more important that your children be free of harassment or that they learn to be virtuous persons who are free in their hearts?

Courage is attractive. Intelligent and disciplined conviction is attractive. Joy and optimism are attractive. Live boldly by the virtues you cherish and discontented people will wonder how they can get a little of that.

Don’t talk only to voters who seem most agreeable. Don’t talk only to the undecided. Just talk. Be plain so that you are trustworthy. Then speak of values grander than yourself and allow for people to surprise you with interest. One never knows who can be persuaded and when.

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There are 34 comments.

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  1. Old Bathos Member
    Old Bathos
    @OldBathos

    We should be heartened by the fact that the enemy is going for incredibly stupid targets:  Dr Seuss?!  And impossibly stupid objectives:  Women’s Olympic medals going to competitors with Y chromosomes.  Usually, totalitarians get total control before telling Winston to see the wrong number of fingers held up.  

     

    • #31
  2. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    We all know that women’s sports exists because on average, men at their best are better than women at their best at most sports.  But I think there are sports in which women are inherently equal or superior.  I’d be interested to see when the first transsexual male (I suppose that would mean identifying as a female) tries to enter women’s gymnastics, especially the balance beam.

    • #32
  3. Goldgeller Member
    Goldgeller
    @Goldgeller

    Old Bathos (View Comment):

    We should be heartened by the fact that the enemy is going for incredibly stupid targets: Dr Seuss?! And impossibly stupid objectives: Women’s Olympic medals going to competitors with Y chromosomes. Usually, totalitarians get total control before telling Winston to see the wrong number of fingers held up.

    I’d say no, because they are softening everyone up to accept that predations into even seemingly innocuous things is okay. It’s both a flex and a practice run. Test the language and the “politics” (“optics”) at the extrme. Milo, Alex Jones, Ricky Vaughn’s twitter accounts. Once you get the talk paths move to Trump. Then work on applying it to things like Dr. Seuss and Ryan T Anderson’s book. I have hope that they will either overreach or start to eat their own before they get to the Bible but we all know that’s where this is going. Look at how many people are genuinely offended at Chik-Fil-A. The censors have been practicing their language and talk paths. 

    • #33
  4. EJHill Podcaster
    EJHill
    @EJHill

    Old Bathos: And impossibly stupid objectives: Women’s Olympic medals going to competitors with Y chromosomes.

    Manfred Ewald was a man ahead of his time.

    • #34
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