Selling conservatism

There’s been an interesting conversation threading out here about the tea party events scheduled around the country and around the US.

I want to throw another couple of thoughts into the fray. First, I think these rallies could be a very good thing. Public expression and debate is almost always valuable.

Our society is a noisy, diverse, argumentative culture; I happen to love it that way.

But I hope conservatives won’t miss an opportunity here. What do I mean?

I worry that too many conservatives are jumping to the end of the argument, which goes something like this:

Government spending is bad, Obama is bad, so be afraid — be VERY afraid.

For years, the Right has assumed that a silent majority of Americans (to use Barry Goldwaters phrase) would simply “get” that idea.

Offer voters a legitimately small-government choice and they’ll take it every time. Right?

I don’t think so. Not anymore. Public opinion polls, election results, and the behavior of average Americans (who are demanding more healthcare, more education, more of everything from their government) suggest that we love our BIG government.

So the folks holding rallies around the country need to put aside the “end of American civilization as we know it” rhetoric and start making their case.

If stimulus spending isn’t the right way to navigate this economic nightmare, what is? If more regulation isn’t a way to prevent future bank meltdowns, what is the alternative?

For the tens of millions of Americans who rely on government for at least a part of their healthcare, housing, jobs, and education — what’s a better way?

I know it’s boring — at least compared to images of Adolph Hitler and Stalin — to lay out a reasoned argument. But the truth is that Americans aren’t buying that firebrand stuff.

So maybe these rallies will be a defining moment for the Right.

Either they’ll be the start of a new, healthily grassroots argument for small-government America — or they’ll be another lurch toward the fringe.