Introduction

At least initially, I’d like this blog to be more about political discourse than an example of political discourse. We have plenty of sites out there from the entire political spectrum that promote their views well.

I have my biases, and although I intend for my audience to be largely conservative, when those of other persuasions come my way, I promise to do my best to be fair. Nevertheless, if you’re here looking for a debate, even though you may get one, this isn’t the blog for you.

I’m here to analyze how the right and left present their arguments, why I believe that in the long term the left is winning, and how the right can regain its advantage. Each side appeals to certain aspects of human nature, and the left is gradually training society to value those aspects of human nature that serve its political ends best--we should do likewise.

Our current conflict is A Conflict of Visions, as Dr. Sowell so adequately puts it. In this book, Dr. Sowell discusses how one’s political views reflect one’s fundamental approach to the world. Perhaps political views should be thought through and logically analyzed, but they are largely felt instead.

Each side of the debate thinks the other illogical and blames the other for emphasizing emotion. To an extent, each side is correct, for the logic of each is based on premises the other rejects, and each emphasizes emotions the other believes to be inappropriate. Both sides claim to oppose using fear to promote one’s agenda, but few of us are bothered by neocon “alarmism” in regards to terrorism and Gore’s Inconvenient Truth. We pick the fear we approve of and accuse the other guy of appealing to our lower instincts.

Furthermore, our definitions of such fundamental terms as “security,” “fairness,” “justice,” “equality,” and “freedom” differ according to our respective visions. Hence, our perpetual talking at instead of to one another.

I would argue that despite the remarkable abilities of Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter at talking at their opponents, debaters such as they have become a disproportionate face of the conservative movement, great at humiliating but not to great at reaching out. Debaters will always have their role (and in some ways their role should be expanded), but we also need more and better persuaders.

There are at least three prerequisites to effective direct persuasion (as opposed to indirect persuasion through humiliation which I‘ll go into later). First, one must be comprehend the underlying vision of one’s opponent, as ridiculous as it may seem. For a lie to be effective, it must subtly distort of a truth. Blacks do have it rough in this country (although they have it rougher everywhere else). Corporate CEO’s often do make amounts of money that seem absurd (but they also create wealth for the rest of us in ways most of us can never comprehend). The Iraqi people do want to be left alone (although I‘m not so sure they‘d like us to abandon them to Al Queda or Al Sadr). Nevertheless, after one discovers that the moderate liberal in one’s midst feels this way, after being exposed to a wider and more realistic vision, they can be persuaded.

The third prerequisite is an “opponent” with whom one can discuss issues in good faith (which requires that you do the same). Some on the left, for a myriad of reasons, have adopted their views with a fervor that will not be overcome short of a Damascus moment (if even that would work). These folks are so thoroughly convinced that they are right that they will not even consider what you have to say. Their entire goal is to “beat” you. They will change the subject, use ad hominem attacks, and evade or lie or do whatever it takes to either prove that they are right or shut you up.

I in no way assert that only leftists can be this way. However, I have encountered hundreds of trolls on other sites that have developed the remarkable ability to argue against a person while never actually addressing any of the points that person makes. I’ve also seen conservative speakers get shouted off college campuses with regularity and haven't seen this happen to many leftists.

Third, one must have access, and this is the left’s greatest advantage. Most Americans go through the public school system, and most teachers aren’t Republican or libertarian. Our universities are even more slanted. Most reporters may have no intention of indoctrinating the American public with their own worldview, but I doubt many of them are even aware of how blithely they overlook perspectives that oppose their own. And despite the occasional episode of South Park, the entertainment industry is leftist, pure and simple. Can anyone name an album as popular as Green Day’s American Idiot with conservative views?

Unfortunately, I don’t see us addressing any of these three points to the necessary extent. How we should proceed shall be the topic of my future posts.