Donn't chase the conservative chimera - You'll catch nothing but wind

I met a man recently running for governor of Illinois on the Constitution Party ticket. He hopes to gain the support of the many supporters of a defeated conservative candidate in the Republican Primary who lost out to establishment backed nominee. I wished him luck and hoped he would be able to bring many of these supporters into his tent, but I also gave him a piece of advice.

Don't chase the "conservative" chimera.

You'll capture nothing but air.

A person running for office has to have more than just have an appeal to ideology. Ideology is just but one-dimension to the average voter but there are so many more. Like where that voter is from, the voter's religion, schooling, employment, friends, business associates and the like. Even what car they drive.

Non-major party candidates make the mistake of thinking that a simple appeal to ideology will be enough to carry them. Oh, if only voters voted with their hearts more often. They rarely do, their heads play a big role along with their identities as well.

As I told this gubernatorial candidate from Illinois, don't just appeal to ideology. Appeal to the fact you're the lone downstate candidate in the race. Appeal to the fact you are the lone Protestant in the race. Appeal to people you're background in the Marines and as businessmen. A good campaign is a good narrative. If you provide a voter a story, a background that goes beyond politics that they can latch onto and see you for more than just another politician, the better off you will be. Look at how much mileage Virginia Governor Tim Kaine received playing up his time being a missionary in Central America. Look at how Jimmy Carter played his many backgrounds as farmer, nuclear engineer, Navy man and Sunday school teacher into winning the White House. Voters want to hope and to believe they're voting for more than just someone looking to sleep in the governor's mansion.

Beyond this piece of political science 101, there's something else that should be pointed out to show why ideology alone is a loser in U.S. politics.

Pure conservative ideology, like pure liberal ideology, just doesn't sell.

I know that may come as a shock to all those who are regular listeners to talk-radio programs and think they are part of an army of millions just waiting for the call to attack, but it's the hard truth and if you don't believe me, just look at the Alabama GOP gubernatorial primary.

What was first thought was going to be a competitive election between incumbent Ed Reilly and former state supreme court chief justice Roy Moore, is turning into a walkover if you believe the polls, a 64-20 percent spread according to recent numbers in Reilly's favor, the establishment backed candidate who tried to raise state income taxes.

Now why would this be? Where are all the so-called religious conservatives that are supposedly so numerous in Alabama? Where did they all go? Where did all voters go that supported Moore in the past? Why have they deserted him all of sudden? Moore is a very conservative man, a very religious man; shouldn't that be more than enough in Alabama? Who says you can't be conservative enough?

Well, apparently the voters are saying this if you believe the polls. And it really isn't surprising if you recall there were very few people willing to stand on the steps of the state Supreme Court building in Montgomery willing to block the deputies from removing the Ten Commandments monument that Moore had installed when he became chief justice. There weren't that many at all. Moore's conservatism, like that of the Constitution Party, is one that requires people to stand up and fight and resist. If there was little resistance to removal of the monument, then there's going to be few followers for his campaign like it or not. Voters in Alabama were apparently willing to give Moore their votes to sit on the bench, especially after he captured GOP nomination to run against heathen Democrats. But in a Republican primary and for the office of governor, an executive position, ideology matters little here, especially if Reilly hugs a conservative line as well. If Moore were to somehow pull off the upset, it would have to be because he gave voters more of a reason to consider him beyond his views.

It's sad to see those who profited from Moore's coattails at the polls and then betrayed him when push came to shove would triumph over him, but it just proves the chimera conservatism has become. Most candidates may pay lip service to its ideals and talking points and give a nod to Ronald Reagan as their inspiration, but you would be hard pressed to find Burkean scholars among them as they push for more government spending. What does its say when Milton Friedman gets more publicity these days than Russell Kirk does? It says that politics still has an edge over ideology because most voters aren't conservative scholars nor should we expect them to vote like such.

This does not mean, nor am I trying to say, that candidates like the one I met should hide their views, fudge or hedge or equivocate their ideas. There's too much of that going on these days and it really wouldn’t make much of a difference. What it does say is that any candidate for office has to present themselves in as many dimensions as possible to voters who vote in many dimensions. And the same goes for parties as well. Trying to out-conservative the Republicans may gain the CP a few converts, but it's not going to make them a more effective party by appealing to just ideology alone. There's got to be more there for people to take notice.