Conservatives have lost the battle.

Can they still win the war?

Time and time again, when conservatives have a cause worth fighting for, they find themselves holding the short end of the stick.  In my home state of South Dakota, Republicans hold a strong grip on power.  If you aren’t a Republican, your chances of holding office are not very good.  The problem is that the only qualification to be a “Republican” is to SAY you are a Republican.  Voters either believe any politician who claims to be conservative as long as he/she is a “Republican”, or simply assume that every “Republican” is a conservative.  A genuine conservative (one who actually embraces the Republican party platform and has a voting record to back it up) is routinely viewed as a radical and treated with disdain or dismissed by party leaders.  The consequence of this situation is that conservative policies and principles take a back seat.

So is there a solution to this problem?  Perhaps.  Voter score cards have proven to be somewhat effective in contested elections when properly constructed and utilized.  The challenge with scorecards is that, while they are helpful, they are only a defensive play.  Scorecards can only hold elected officials accountable for damage they have ALREADY done.  Obviously that is a good thing, but it doesn’t stop the forward motion of a liberal, tax and spend agenda.  Scorecards which show politicians for who they really are is an important step, but it’s only the first step.

Conservatives need to have a plan that includes legislation to REVERSE the destructive policies of “Republicans” and Democrats.  A great example of the inability of conservatives to move the ball back to the right side of the court is ObamaCare.  On a state and local level, there are plenty of examples as well.

Conservative activists need scorecards, but beyond that, there should be a ten point plan to take back the ground we have already lost.

If we don’t reverse some of the BAD policies and laws already in place, we are still going the wrong direction.

***Gordon Howie is an author and CEO of Life and Liberty Media***

“It’s not about right or left, it’s about Right or Wrong.”

Follow me on Twitter   Gordon Howie @GordonHowieSD

 “friend” me on facebook for daily updates

See more about Texas Longhorn Cattle, Real Estate, Music and Politics at www.ghowie.com

If you want to help spread this conservative Christian commentary and news, please click the “Donate” button and pitch in a few bucks!