From the book by Sam Carpenter, a chapter from Making Oregon Great Again: Guide to the Grassroots Revitalization of the Oregon Republican Party (and the Defeat of the Ruling Class).
Download the entire book for free at www.makeoregongreatagain.com/book
CHAPTER 3
Myth #3: Oregon is a Liberal State and we MUST Move to the Left if we are to win elections!
That theory is precisely wrong, whether analyzing the outdated Right vs. Left clash, or the newer and more accurate Ruling Class vs. Country Class matchup. History proves it in both comparisons.
Here’s the classic mantra, from the Republican Ruling Class 10%: “Before it’s too late, we have to stop moving to the Right! We must move to the center! We must STOP the right-wing extremists of the party!” (Remember that in this PC culture, “center” is the code-word for “Left.”)
There you go: in the red vs. blue comparison, we must become more blue!
Ok, even with this outdated red vs. blue/Left vs. Right argument, continuing to do what we’ve been doing for so many years is preposterous. I ask Establishment Republicans, in what ways, specifically, have we moved to the Right? Seriously. Give me examples.
Truth is, of course – and as evidenced by the Buehler candidacy – we’ve moved dramatically to the Left over the years, and we can see where it has taken us.
Be ready for this move-to-the-center dictate to, unabated, continue to be the Ruling Class’s prime Left vs. Right argument. I cringe every time I hear it. Here are two very recent examples…
I noted this Knute Buehler quote in the Preface but it is worth repeating here: he said “I think there is a natural temptation for Republicans to retreat, to dig into well-tread trenches, and play the role of opponents to everything, to be the party of ‘no,’” Buehler said. “That is not a recipe for future success.”
Jessica Gomez, failed senate candidate from Medford, said this to an obscure progressive political blogger on the same day: “The Party is getting smaller, not bigger, and those remaining loyalists are trying to take over the party machinery and move it even further to the right.”
OK, so we haven’t moved Left enough? Apparently, Knute Buehler was not progressive enough.
But what about the bigger and more accurate comparison, that this is not red vs. blue, but Ruling Class vs. Country class? In this comparison, we have the Ruling Class Republican Establishment and Democrat progressives agreeing completely with each other that change is not necessary. Things are fine as-is. You and me, the Country Class? We are adamant that change must happen NOW. Big change! And remember, this isn’t just about Republicans. This is about regular people of all ideologies and political parties. Each one of us in the Country Class, no matter the party affiliation, is getting hammered with taxes, regulations, bad schools, crime, illegal immigration problems, and on and on…
So, whatever comparison one wants to use, and of course I believe the Ruling Class vs. the Country Class analysis is much more valid than the red vs. blue/Right vs. Left comparison, both powerfully argue that the ORP applecart must be flipped over, and flipped over NOW.
And get ready for this: In this campaign for control of the ORP, I am going to be called a “divisive extremist.” And so will you if you support me. Get ready for it.
It’s nuts! The Ruling Class Establishment on our side has nothing – no history of success, and no plan for the future that is different than what they’ve done up until now.
I published this post in early February 2018 on our Make Oregon Great Again website: “THE LEFT DOES NOT WANT TO FACE A REAL CONSERVATIVE! Tell me again exactly WHY we need a ‘moderate’ in order to beat the radical progressive far-Left? That’s what they want us to think! They know we can win. So, they act like we don’t exist. They prop up “moderate” Republican primary candidates with one hand, while demoralizing conservative Republicans with the other. It’s their ongoing campaign strategy to divide and depress us. They’ve done it every election since 1986 – and we’ve played along every time.”
If we must insist on weighing the political leanings of the populace based on registered political affiliations alone, and assume straight-ticket voting, then yes there is a disadvantage for Republicans in the voter registration numbers. But this means little! In a general election, it’s the votes that count, and it doesn’t matter where those votes come from.
It’s the primary elections that we grassroots conservatives must win!
Let’s break this down. Yes, as of this writing, and per the Oregon Secretary of State (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Oregon), Democrat voters outnumber Republican voters 36% to 26%, but there is another 35% segment comprised of Unaffiliated and Independent voters who, according to some scientific polls, have moved conservative by a margin of 60-40. (There are many formerly beleaguered ex-Republican conservatives in those ranks). There are Libertarians and the other parties, too, loving President Trump’s message of limiting government’s overreach. And regarding Democrats: they are not bullheaded, straight-ticket voters. Over twenty percent of Democrats will be voting our way in 2020 if we properly present the message. I can’t imagine even 1% of Republicans voting Democrat, can you?