How to Save Conservatism:
Part III -- Protect the Wound

[Note: This is part three of a four posts series on revitalizing the conservative movement. The first entry can be found here.]

Protect the wound

Just as there are necessary precautions taken in first aid to protect the wound from further harm, there are steps we need to take to ensure that conservatism does not suffer future damage.

Converts are welcome, but only the tested can lead -- In December of 2005 Human Events, Ronald Reagan's favorite newspaper, listed Mitt Romney as one of the Top 10 RINOs (Republicans in Name Only). Two years later Romney was considered by some pundits to be only one who could unite the "Reagan coalition." Why was a new convert to conservatism crowned by the establishment as the best choice for President? Unfortunately, it says more about the state of our conservatism than it does about the candidate. Even if Romney's conversion into a "full spectrum" conservative is sincere, he was too green, too untested, and too ill-prepared to by the carry our banner. (Romney could be the heir to Ford but not to Reagan.)

To be a leader of the conservative movement requires more than simply paying homage to Reagan and checking off the right boxes on a voter guide. We need men and woman that are capable of making strong arguments for why our principles and policy positions are preferable to the alternatives. In order to do this they must have spent time ruminating on these issues and have developed a full understanding of why they believe what they believe. As Governor Huckabee said in a speech at the Values Voter Summit, "I think it’s important that people sing from their hearts and don’t merely lip-synch the lyrics to our songs."

In the future we must ensure that conservative leaders at all levels--from local school board members to Presidential candidates--are well-versed enough that they can sing in harmony from our songbook.

Groom the Next Generation Now -- A decade ago conservatives championed term limits for members of Congress. Now that the 29th House Republican this year has announced a self-imposed term limit, many conservatives are having second thoughts about the wisdom of that constraint. The reason for the concern is not simply because we are losing conservative legislators but rather that we have not been grooming young leaders to take their place.

For every open Congressional seat--vacated by either a Republican or a Democrat-- we should have a solid, articulate, capable conservative candidate identified and prepared to run an effective campaign for that office. By the time the election season comes around their names should not only be familiar within their district but known throughout the wider conservative movement.

Yet to my knowledge, only one group, the bloggers at RedState, are actively pursuing such a strategy. Over the past year they have made a concerted effort to draw attention to key races at both the state and federal level. However, even with RedState's valiant efforts we probably won't be able to change this situation by the next election cycle. But by taking action now we can raise up a new generation of conservatives so that we will never be in this situation again.

Subsidize Subsidarity -- Principles such as subsidiarity, federalism, and limited government are often considered cornerstones of conservative political thought. But when it comes to their actual implementation they are merely given lip-service. While aspiring young politicos sing the praises of states-rights, they prefer to do so on Capital Hill or in D.C. think tanks rather than in the choirs of their state legislatures or local governments.

The very idea that our most competent conservative statesmen should be working in their actual states or local communities rather than in Washington is considered ludicrous. After all, everyone knows that state and local governments are reserved for the also-rans and has-beens rather than for the able and ambitious.

But mayor's offices, city councils, and state legislatures shore up the "little platoons" that are at the heart of conservative governance. So why then are we not working to put our best and brightest into these offices? Why do push them to take jobs as Senatorial aides rather than as state senators? Why do we lead them to roles as assistants to assistant directors in the Department of Education rather than as leaders on county school boards? Why do we put our rhetoric behind the local and yet but our faith in the federal?

If we want to preserve our movement conservatives must start supporting the principles we claim we believe. One way that we could begin is by "subsidizing" subsidiarity--the tenet that nothing should be done by a larger and more complex organization which can be done as well by a smaller and simpler organization--by using our resources to promote our intellectual and political leaders at the state and local levels of governance.

Next: Part IV -- Treat for Shock