Loren, you used the term "older people" to define a subset of people. Who, exactly, make up "older people" in your definition here? I might be reading it differently than you intended, but my takeaway was that it was meant to imply a derisiveness regarding the worldview, intentions, and organizing actions of these "older people".
That's a great question, and I certainly don't intend it to sound derisive. I'm glad they're showing up--better late than never. And to some I'm an "older person" too. :) That said, political conservatism near me has an extremely late-to-the-party vibe. There is a growing subset of people that are finally realizing they've been sold a bill of goods by their ostensible representatives in the Republican party, and they're finally organizing for themselves. Below that is a seething sense that they've been lied to, which is why many of these newly forming groups also seem to quietly NOT use Republican labels even though the audience skews that way in any conversation (and the Q&A at this particular meeting demonstrated that).
The biggest challenge these new groups face, though, is that they are composed of people who have spent so long trusting "leaders" to be actual representatives that they're having a hard time shedding the habit. So they're pretty easy prey for Law and Order messaging, which uses "trust us with power over you, to protect you" messaging as its lifeblood.
To be clear, these people are not bad. Their growing presence in local activism is important, and welcome. Because they are older, many also have a little extra time and a little extra money, both of which are critical lubricants in the activist machine. If they can resist being lulled back to sleep by the siren song of saviors, they're going to really shake things up. My point here, though, is that while they're realizing they need to be up and at 'em, they're not quite there yet.
Thank you for that clarification. I think you nailed it perfectly. It's been my overarching complaint about blindly following the GOP machine for a long time now. I get that "goin' through the party motions" vibe at some (most) of these 'conservative' meetings as well. Just never really put any words to it.
In regards to the GOP -- and local Conservatism in general -- I boiled it down to the old trope "What have you done for me lately?!"
Answer? Not a helluva lot. And very little hope that things are going to meaningfully change in the near term.
YES, parents are the first line of defense for their children, and YES the most important work we will ever do is within the walls of our own home.
Loren, you used the term "older people" to define a subset of people. Who, exactly, make up "older people" in your definition here? I might be reading it differently than you intended, but my takeaway was that it was meant to imply a derisiveness regarding the worldview, intentions, and organizing actions of these "older people".
That's a great question, and I certainly don't intend it to sound derisive. I'm glad they're showing up--better late than never. And to some I'm an "older person" too. :) That said, political conservatism near me has an extremely late-to-the-party vibe. There is a growing subset of people that are finally realizing they've been sold a bill of goods by their ostensible representatives in the Republican party, and they're finally organizing for themselves. Below that is a seething sense that they've been lied to, which is why many of these newly forming groups also seem to quietly NOT use Republican labels even though the audience skews that way in any conversation (and the Q&A at this particular meeting demonstrated that).
The biggest challenge these new groups face, though, is that they are composed of people who have spent so long trusting "leaders" to be actual representatives that they're having a hard time shedding the habit. So they're pretty easy prey for Law and Order messaging, which uses "trust us with power over you, to protect you" messaging as its lifeblood.
To be clear, these people are not bad. Their growing presence in local activism is important, and welcome. Because they are older, many also have a little extra time and a little extra money, both of which are critical lubricants in the activist machine. If they can resist being lulled back to sleep by the siren song of saviors, they're going to really shake things up. My point here, though, is that while they're realizing they need to be up and at 'em, they're not quite there yet.
Thank you for that clarification. I think you nailed it perfectly. It's been my overarching complaint about blindly following the GOP machine for a long time now. I get that "goin' through the party motions" vibe at some (most) of these 'conservative' meetings as well. Just never really put any words to it.
In regards to the GOP -- and local Conservatism in general -- I boiled it down to the old trope "What have you done for me lately?!"
Answer? Not a helluva lot. And very little hope that things are going to meaningfully change in the near term.