By Nancy Thorner –
When celebrated conservative movie producer and author Dinesh D’Souza appeared via Skype at last week’s “Evening with Dinesh D’Souza,” hosted by Family PAC as detailed in Part 1, he shared details about his confinement in San Diego. He also discussed the sentencing, and the community service imposed upon him until the end of May 2015, and shared advice he wanted the GOOP to consider in the upcoming election:
- As to a perspective of the war we are in right now, this nation has the world’s best military with good assets and members. If America’s military power were released, she could crush the enemy in one blow. Instead there is pull back by the Obama administration. Seeing America as the bad guy in the world, Obama wants to downsize our military. Because of curriculum being taught at colleges and in schools, anti-Americanism has found its way into the American culture to its detriment.
- In a question about whether the Republican Party is losing long-held values like protecting marriage and life, D’Souza confirmed that since Roe vs Wade most individuals must know that a fetus is a developing human being that is killed through abortion. Why then are many Americans fine with killing life within the womb? It is the result of the sexual revolution. The big shift came in the 60’s and 70’s. People have made a calculated choice that life yet unborn is worth terminating to maintain the sexual revolution. Democrats have found the abortion issue useful in convincing liberated women that they can abort a developing fetus, for any reason, without suffering any consequences, discounting the emotional consequences.
- As far as envy motivating Obama (covered in Part 1), Obama and his Left have perfected the shake down strategy as a ploy to redistribute wealth. They are good at identifying successful people, such as found in Silicone Valley, taking 1/2 or more of their wealth. This love fest will end when Silicone Valley entrepreneurs finally wise up to how Obama is using them. Steve jobs turned against Obama at the end.
- Concerning the outreach of the Republican Party, individuals coming from the continent of Asia should be natural Republican Party members. Many of them have values to the right of Pat Robinson. Republicans should capture 70% to 80% of the Asian vote. With Hispanics, they should win 40% to 50% of their vote. Republican must communicate that their values are in line with those of Asian and Hispanic voters, but Republican remain clueless as ever. They are out on fundraising mission and visiting places where they can be seen.
- Is the momentum on our side in November? to which D’Souza replied: If it is, it isn’t because of anything that Republicans are doing, but because Obama’s policies are so bad. But beware, Republicans have the unique ability to take the gift given by the other side and hand it back to them. Sometime Republicans must vote for the lesser of two evils, such for one who will protect life in the first two trimesters, in contrast to one who believes in abortion whenever (an allusion to Rauner and Quinn). Here is Rauner in his own words on the topic of abortion.
- To a question which addressed how Republicans would govern if they win the Senate in November, and whether some Republicans would push for amnesty given that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its financial resources are being used to sway Republican legislators, D’Souza surmised that Republican Party action might be the mark of a loser, and predicted that should Republicans win the Senate in November they will come together, as a winning party does, and become more unified.
- A question about the 40% of Illinoisans who depend on the public dole to live and who might also be worried about pensions being cut, D’Souza suggested that this moment in time be used in defense of how capitalism works. A moral attack by the right must be effectively made to show that Obama wants to weaken America through his policies that make it difficult for entrepreneurship to flourish. Getting the message out is what D’Souza is doing through his movies. His movies function as large megaphones which Republicans lack and need more of to be heard. That said, even with ample megaphones, Republicans are not good at articulating their message, what they stand for, and how their ideas and policies would benefit this nation and its people, in contrast to those on the other side of the political spectrum.
With the conclusion of the formal part of the October 8th Family-Pac event, Paul Caprio shared a portion of a must-read document, “24 Principles of Conservative Leadership,” which he wrote and first presented in an “Address to the Town Hall Conservative Meet-up” on March 1, 2005, revised, May 1, 2013. According to Caprio, absent adherence to the first principles, none of the others mean a thing:
Many have our convictions. . . but not the courage of their convictions. Conservative leaders must be willing to speak truth to power. . . not simple to each other.
In reading the entire document, and in light of differences of opinion among conservatives that have been predominately aired by recent Illinois Review posts, #3 of “24 Principles of Conservative Leadership” seems to fit the occasion:
Know when to strategically retreat so that you can fight another day. Pickett’s charge lost the Battle of Gettysburg. . . George Washington retreated many times, but won the war!
Nancy J. Thorner 