We live in perilous times with the future of the American way of life in question, and it’s simply not enough to have superior ideas. You need to have a strategy for advancing them. Conservatives and libertarians have never been as good on the strategic level as the Left. Simply look had who controls the major institutions: the major media, universities, cultural institutions, non-profits, the entertainment industry. And yet, poll after poll demonstrates that the liberal/left is a much smaller proportion of the population than conservatives.
Now along comes a superb book Rules for Radical Conservatives by David Kahane (a pseudonym), as a corrective. The subtitle explains it nicely: “Beating the Left at Its Own Game to Take Back America.” The book is tightly written and brilliantly lays out a roadmap for success, giving us a powerful counterweight to Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals.” Part One explains the problem, and how the left has seized the narrative, taken over the universities, and used political correctness in an attempt to “take the nation down.” Part Two offers the solution. The message is clear: we must take the culture back, make the constitution the center of our political thinking, and recognize that the fight for freedom will never end. Kahane energetically makes the point that its time we stop being so defensive and instead seize the offensive.
Conservatives and libertarians, at least those that I know, would rather be doing something else than fighting political battles. They have families and other interests outside of politics, but the intrusions of the Left have forced them into the political arena. Kahane reminds us that we have no choice but to fight these battles or literally all will be lost.
Pick it up and give it as a Christmas gift. Sobering but necessary reading, written with verve and a refreshing confidence.