An Open Letter To The Conservative Movement
You’ve Got Mail!
Day Two In A President-Elect Obama World
Yesterday my prescription for the nation was Everyone Take A Deep Breathe. As part of the prescription, I encouraged people to breath in and breath out deeply. Nice cleansing type breathes which would help not only to clear the air, but also clear your head. As we find ourselves in day two of a President-Elect Obama world, the sun once again set last night, and rose again this morning. All remains well in the universe. Well, at least it remains well in our universe. If you’re President-Elect Obama you woke up this morning to the news that Japan is mad at you. That’s right folks, in day two of his now forming administration, it’s being reported that Japan is upset with the new President-Elect already.
News reports out today say the Japanese Olympic Committee is worried Tokyo may lose its bid for the 2016 Olympic Games to Chicago.
I received a number of emails on yesterdays post asking “What’s next?” Probably one of the best comments came from Ken Davis who wrote;
Now that I have taken a breath, I will speak. Before last night I was armed with a vote with which I could fight for what I felt was right. I wasn’t swallowing the conspiracy stuff. But I was seriously concerned about Obama’s stand on many of the issues. I used up my ammo last night. Today, what do I use to fight for what I believe to be right ? I feel a little flat footed and vulnerable. My gun is empty!
Opps, I need more oxygen!!!!
Do I just sit back and pray? Do I retreat from the political fray to live out my faith in a smaller more personal world? Or do I search for five small stones in a creek bed and continue to do battle?
Not bitter, not defeated, just a little out of breath and confused as to where to go from here.
Ken Davis @ LightenUp
(On November 5th, 2008 at 8:56 pm)
Well Ken, I’m glad you asked that question, and thanks for commenting on the post! In response to you, and others who asked similar questions, I hope this Open Letter To The Conservative Movement will help.
Testing, Testing…One, Two, Three…Is This Thing On?
Throughout the day yesterday my in-box, and Google Reader, filled up with rants against the Republican Party for doing us wrong. There were complaints of Senator McCain not being conservative enough for the GOP. There were complaints that it was all Governor Palin’s fault for the loss. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what came pouring in yesterday. It’s been very hard to make sense out of what’s going on when we find ourselves surrounded by so much noise. It seems everyone is clamoring for the microphone, but no one really knows what to say. The sad thing is, as always, the person who screams the loudest, is usually the one who’s heard.
But, just because a person can scream loudly, does not mean the person knows what they’re talking about.
Do I think I have all the answers? Of course not. Do I believe we need responsible, and calm discussion of what to do next? Yes. With that in mind, in this Open Letter To The Conservative Movement, I’d like to outline at least five things requiring attention;
- What Would Regan Do?
- The Routinization Of An Organization
- Old Wine Skins
- Doing A New Thing
- Find True Leaders…Not Pundit Screamers
What Would Regan Do?
An organization known as The Heritage Foundation is doing some great work. They’re called a conservative think tank, and apparently, they’re doing a lot of thinking in that tank. However, the problem with most think tanks is they spend more time living in the past pointing out what’s wrong, instead of trying to figure out how to move forward.
One of the main features on the site is called the What Would Regan Do? question. While on the surface that sounds like a reasonable question. But, what would Regan do if he were here today? He would probably say something like – Stop living in the past, and move forward with a relevant message. – The message should always remain the same. However, as times change, the message needs course adjustments in order to be relevant for the world we’re living in. It’s what I call mainstreaming the message. But alas, that’s a topic for another day. I am by no means saying we need to water down the message. But we must find ways to connect with a 21st Century world, without using 20th Century language.
The Routinization of An Organization
While working on my Doctorate at the Wagner Leadership Institute, Dr. Peter Wagner addressed a topic called the Routinization of An Organization. Big words, which describe the process any organization goes through when things become routine. Dr. Wagner pointed out that no matter how well intentioned any organization is, if they’re not careful, things will become routine. When that happens, principles become nothing more than words on a page in some dusty old employee handbook.
Another result of routinization revolves around the fact that organizations become top heavy. Management becomes protective of their position and expect special perks along the way. Management and leaders of such an organization also move into a twofold mindset that says; 1) Don’t question me because I’m the leader. 2) This is the way we’ve always done it. Last, but certainly not least – when the routinization of an organization sets in, budgets become very bloated with overspending in almost every department.
Old Wine Skins
When routinization starts settling into any organization, they quickly become old wine skins. They become rigged and cracked. With that in mind, they become very rigged in how they respond to change. As a matter of fact, in many cases, old wine skins are resistant to change. They give lip-service to change to please those who say change is needed. But in the end, old wine skins simply will not change. Reality is this, you cannot put new wine into an old wine skin. While the old wine skin will appear to be changing, in the end, the old wine skin will break. Some say old wine skins can be made pliable once again. But, that takes a lot of work, much heartache, and many headaches. The bottom line is, very seldom do old wine skins change.
Doing A New Thing
For some reason many people cry for a return to the good old days. While this may seem like a good idea, and in some cases utopia, we can never return to the days of the past. We live in a linear world. Time marches on, moving forward. Of course this is yet another reason why a return to the Regan years simply will not work for the conservative movement. Former President Ronald Regan lived and served at a particular time in history. We are no longer in that time in history. Much has happened since the days of Regan. To ask what Regan would do misses the fact that a new thing is about to take place.
I’m reminded of a scene in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian movie. It appears all is lost, and for some reason the kids have been unable to find Aslan. When the Lion finally arrives on the scene, Lucy asks, “Why didn’t you come and help like you did before Aslan?” To which Aslan responds by saying, “I never do anything the same way twice.” In other words, just because it worked in the past, does not mean it will work again in the future. Instead of looking to the past and doing what worked in the past, we must always be looking for the new thing which is about to spring forth.
Find True Leaders — Not The Screaming Pundits
A number of screaming pundits arrived on the scene during this past election cycle. Time and time again these screaming pundits sat in their self-proclaimed seats of knowledge saying — “Listen to me candidate! I have all the answers! Run your campaign my way, and you are guaranteed a win!” While the problems with such a line of thinking are numerous, I usually respond to such people – If you think you have all the answers…then you should run for a government office. – That usually shuts such a screamer up.
However, another problem with listening to the screaming pundits revolves around the fact that they live in a sound-bite world. While they may sound intelligent, reality is, in many cases, they’re nothing more than opinionated blow-hard-know-it-alls. When push comes to shove, they have a smattering of information and knowledge about many issues. Of course this makes them nothing more than a mile wide, and an inch deep. There’s no depth and no substance. On the surface they sound like they’re all-knowing. But if you try to get them beyond their talking point, they declare — “Get off my air!” — and hang up on you.
So, What Is The Next Step
It is true, many in the conservative movement are concerned about what to do next. How will the movement move forward, and hopefully begin the process of bringing a sense of balance to the nation? Some are throwing their hands up in despair. Others are screaming it’s the current candidates fault. While still others believe they need to reclaim, or even hijack the current Republican party.
Such is not the case. In this Open Letter To The Conservative Movement might I suggest the following steps;
- Stop asking “What would Regan do?” Instead, build on the conservative foundation of solid principals and belief. Asking what Regan would do, keeps us stuck in the past.
- Recognize that the Grand Old Party is just that, an old party. It’s mired in routine, top heavy with a bloated budget and over-protective leaders. The routinization of the GOP has made it stiff and out of date.
- Stop trying to revitalize the old wine skin. It’s just that. It’s old, wrinkled and dry. You can not pour new wine into the old wine skin. It will break.
- Start thinking outside the box. Hold onto the foundation, values and virtues of the founding fathers. But, at the same time, realize it’s time to do something new.
- Find true leaders with an understanding of what the firm foundation is. Get away from the sound-bite screaming pundits. Find leaders who have a conservative foundation already built in and are willing to think outside of the box.
Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus
