Hennessy's View

Did you know there is no federal holiday called Presidents Day? 

Today is Washington’s Birthday. As a posthumous birthday gift to our first president and commander-in-chief of the army that won our war for independence, I offer a simple wish: that the army of liberty formed in February 2009, known as “the Tea Party,” will resist the temptation to resign.

That’s a great word for what a lot of us feel these days: resignation.  And in that feeling, we mirror the feelings of Washington’s best officers

On February 18, 1779, Washington replied to Brigadier General John Glover’s letter of January 27. This was the famous winter at Valley Forge:

Excuse me Sir, if I hesitate to give my concurrence to the desire you express, of quitting the Army. I have too high an opinion of your value, as an Officer, to do any thing that may contribute to your relinquishing that Character. My earnest wish is, that you may continue in it.

Washington went on to tell Glover he was not alone in his feelings of resignation:

The spirit of resigning, which is now become almost epidemical, is truly painful and alarming. This spirit, prevailing among many of the best Officers, from various inducements, if persisted in, must deeply wound the common cause. You cannot but be convinced, the situation of the Army is such, that it can ill bear the loss of good Officers, and such would do well to consider how much they put to the hazard, by doing any thing to weaken the sinews of our contest, at so critical a time. I am persuaded, if these ideas were properly realized, they would endure great inconveniences and make great sacrifices, rather than withdraw their services.

What’s amazing to me is that Washington offered no sliver bullet.  He held out no ridiculous promises. He did not try to persuade the dispirited officers with some ROI promise.

Instead, he simply pleaded with them using very simple appeals to their character: our cause is just, our sacrifices deserve the full measure of our commitment, the men will follow your extraordinary leadership, and your country needs you now.

Before you resign, try attending the 3rd Anniversary Tea Party.  We may not have a figure as enormous as George Washington’s to inspire new confidence in our little army.  We can, though, reward Washington’s service and commitment to our country. 

We can refuse to be the generation that let the light of liberty go out.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Don’t bother blaming it on poll questions designed to lead respondents.  Never mind that it’s a long way until the election. And stop whining about the White House fudging the numbers on unemployment.

The fact is that Obama’s surging at just the right time. His re-election chances are now above 50 percent. His intrade.com chances of winning are near 60 percent. And he’s raising more money than al of the Republican candidates combined.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Republicans Advertise; Democrats Market:  For decades, conservatives have held marketers in disdain.  They’ve done the same for the fields that support marketing: creative writing, acting, music, art, education, soft sciences, and entertainment.  As a result, fewer and fewer casual voters feel emotionally connected to Republicans.

Unless the GOP figures out how to stop shouting and start connecting, they’ll take a drubbing in November.

Team Obama Will Do Anything to Win: Of course they’ll cheat and break the law. They pretty much tell us so.  That can also work against them. To turn the tide, though, Republicans have to show the cheating, not whine about it.

When Mike Tyson bit off Evander Holyfield’s ear, everyone became a Holyfield fan and turned against Tyson. Had Holyfield blamed the bite for every bad thing that happened thereafter, we’d have tired of him very quickly. And if we hadn’t seen the bite in slow motion, we’d never have believed him.

Be patient. Record everything. Show, don’t tell people.  People will the do the right thing.

Commitment Kills Apathy:  (Yes, I’m sort of in this boat myself. Sort of.)  Casual voters take their cues on whom to support from the passionate politics wonks they know. If you’re one of the wonks and you’re showing apathy, you’re sending a strong signal to the causals.  You’re saying, in effect, “Go ahead and vote for Obama; we’ll try again in 2016.”

Two problems with this approach:  first, if your party isn’t ready to field a viable candidate for President every four years, your party should probably disband.  Second, if we give Obama another 4 years, there might not be an election as we know them in 2016.

If you’re still not committed and you’re still not enthused, then buy a ticket for the 3rd Anniversary Tea Party anyway.  Maybe someone there will inspire you.

Of course, you can always just give up and blame someone else.  That’s becoming the new American way.

Popularity: 2% [?]

The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.

–Albert Einstein

It’s easy to blame the subject for our apathy.  The candidates are uninspiring; the colors are dull; the task is boring.

Blaming the subject is easy because it relieves us, the objects, of any responsibility.  “I can’t make Romney less WASPy.”  “It’s not my fault that the issues don’t interest me.”

Of course, there’s another way to look at things.  We can ask what we can do, what we can make possible. We can stop worrying about the subject and start worrying about the object. 

If you’d like to motivate and educate your object, you can start at the 3rd Anniversary Tea Party next weekend.

Popularity: 1% [?]

When Barack Obama declared that Catholics must either violate their consciences or face government persecution, he wasn’t going after just Catholics.  Nor was he promoting healthcare.

Barack Obama and his myrmidon Kathleen Sebelius tried to erase the First Amendment.  They tried to erase religious freedom.  They tried to take away yet another foundational liberty that made America America.

And they will try again!

Unless you stop them.

But how are you going to stop them alone? 

Well, you are not alone.

On February 24 and 25, you can meet your army and get your training.  You can become a soldier in the war for religious and economic freedom. 

The 3rd Anniversary Tea Party weekend is boot camp for the battle of 2012.  For just $65 for the entire weekend—meals included—you can arm yourself with the latest in political warfare.

Can’t make it both days?  Tickets are available for Friday evening or Saturday, too.

But please sign up now.  We need to know how many soldiers are willing to launch this battle.

If you cannot attend, sponsor someone else to take your place.

Please pray for our mission whether you attend or not.  We need God’s help above all else.

Obama showed us just how far he’s willing to go to eradicate, or at least subdue, religion from the United States. He’s willing to go further. Given another four years and the mandate of re-election, Obama’s change will extinguish hope.

 This is our crusade.  This is our battle. This our prayer.  That we may remain free to worship and live, to work and pray as we think best in pursuit of happiness and a good society.

Popularity: 1% [?]

The latest Public Policy Poll shows Santorum surging—big time. 

Santorum is most appealing to conservatives—from Evangelicals to Tea Partiers:

Santorum is now completely dominating with several key segments of the electorate, especially the most right leaning parts of the party. With those describing themselves as ‘very conservative,’ he’s now winning a majority of voters at 53% to 20% for Gingrich and 15% for Romney.  Santorum gets a majority with Tea Party voters as well at 51% to 24% for Gingrich and 12% for Romney. And with Evangelicals he falls just short of a majority with 45% to 21% for Gingrich and 18% for Romney.

The reason for Santorum’s lead is likeability. Sixty-four percent of Republicans view Senator Santorum favorably—far more than any other candidate.

Mitt Romney’s attack machine, though, is about to aim its distortion guns at the former Senator. Mitt won’t offer a vision, so he’s adopted a slash-and-burn strategy in hopes of driving people to despise his opponents. That strategy might win the nomination, but I fail to see how it will win the election.

Popularity: 1% [?]