Divided We Stand, United We Fall?

by: Dan Blanchard

As we awaken this morning (Sunday, January 22nd), we don’t know much more about who will be the nominee for the Republican Party than we did three weeks ago. As Senator Rick Santorum observed after yesterday’s primary in South Carolina, “Three states. Three winners. What a country.” Indeed, after a careful re-canvas of the Iowa Caucuses, Rick Santorum, not Mitt Romney, walked away with the win. Then, Romney carried New Hampshire by 16 points over Ron Paul. And last night, Newt Gingrich made a case for his own campaign’s revitalization with 40% of the votes cast, trouncing Romney’s 28% and more than doubling Santorum’s 17%.

To date, only 62 delegates were at stake in the three primaries combined. But the eventual nominee will need 1,144. So, while today’s early political breakfast has been intriguing, it still amounts to scrambled eggs in terms of any real outcome. What has been accomplished (gratefully) is that the sprawling field has been thinned considerably with the exits of Cain, Bachman, Huntsman and, most recently, Perry.

The debates have ranged from pedestrian to predictable to personal. And it has been Newt Gingrich with his often scathing indictments (entirely justified) of elite mainstream media panelists who has most often blown up the Applause Meter. But there is one trend that has been most troubling: The incendiary attacks of each candidate of the other. Predictably, as different candidates have taken turns as the leader-apparent,” the others have turned their collective “barrels” upon him. And the effect has been, at times, a deplorable display of politics at its worst.

Ron Paul declared on late night television of now ex-candidate Michele Bachman: “She doesn’t like Muslims, she hates Muslims; she wants to go get them.”
Santorum’s misrepresentation of Ron Paul’s voting record and therefore, distortion of Paul’s position, on abortion was just plain atrocious.
Both Perry and Gingrich piled on Romney for his role venture capital investments with Bain. While hardly unanimously successful (what business ventures are?), all Bain Capital has done is assume risk and partner with companies like Clear Channel Communications, Domino’s Pizza, Dunkin’ Brands, Staples, Toys ‘R’ Us and other companies you may recognize. Most deplorable about that ambush? Both Perry and Gingrich in any setting other than a high stakes political debate would extol the virtues and historic successes of capitalism!
And then yesterday, Romney’s insiders sent a cake to Gingrich’s campaign to “commemorate” the 15th anniversary of his being censured by Congress in 1997 for his own ethical lapses. Clever? Maybe. Classless? Certainly.

These are all far more consistent with the tactics of the left-to misrepresent, to marginalize and to denigrate their opponents-than they are reflective of sound, healthy conservative principles. Candidates: If you have an argument to make, then make it. Debate the issues. Discuss the facts. And do it in a spirited way. But leave the deplorable tactic of character assassination to the Saul Alinsky lot, who couldn’t make a fair and reasoned argument (one that doesn’t attack the individual himself) if their political life depended on it. The left would like nothing more than to see conservatives (or those who espouse conservatism) to turn on themselves and devour each other and damage their own cause in the process. The “divide and conquer” tactic is as old as the hills, but as effective as ever, IF people abandon principle and become the very thing they claim to oppose.

Finally, to those who are no supporters of “Party Politics”-those of us who believe in Tea Party principles-Constitutionally-limited government, fiscal responsibility, free market solutions-and a relentless drive to hold our elected officials accountable to those principles, may we remember this: That we, too, can be guilty of the same thing among ourselves. On our blogs. On our social networks. Among our various grassroots’ efforts. The only real impediment to the triumph of true conservatism-is we ourselves. We must debate the issues with fervor, but respect one other while doing so. We must not disparage other conservatives while seeking to champion conservative principles! Otherwise, we fall right into that timeless trap and cripple our own cause.

2012 is a crucial year. There is so very much at stake. The very future of the republic and our liberties hang in the balance. Let us band together. Seek common ground. Steel ourselves. Rally ourselves. And form anew a united front for freedom. The motto of our own Commonwealth was never more urgently needed: “United We Stand, Divided We Fall.”

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