Editorial

The conservatives still have work to do

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Warmed by the glow of a decisive victory for fiscal sanity in Wisconsin last week, some conservatives are giddy over the prospects for November.

Put that giddiness aside my fellow conservatives. There's work to be done.

The conventional wisdom says unions will be lukewarm to President Obama because of his no show in Wisconsin.

But to think public sector unions will sit this one out is wishful thinking. And wishful thinking loses elections.

At the same time Wisconsin voters were voicing support for fiscal restraint, Netroots Nation, a 2000-plus gathering of progressives, was signaling disappointment in the Obama administration.

The progressives cheered the gay marriage stance of this administration and the rapid leftward push in Washington, but found little else to tout from their man in the White House.

Again, conventional wisdom would suggest these ultra-liberals would show their disdain by taking a powder come November.

Don't bet on it.

Hollywood's hierarchy says this administration has not gone far enough to reshape America in their own image. But the liberal elite in Tinseltown will write the checks despite their disappointment.

And finally, the minority community has yet to realize the promise that was Obama. Following the 2008 election, some within the minority community fully expected this administration to deliver the goods in ways impossible.

They held the unrealistic expectation that Obama would redistribute the wealth into their outstretched hands. Some believed the government would now level the playing field of life. They had elected their leader and their work was now done.

Today the gap between unrealistic expectations and reality is starkly evident.

So there you have it.

Disappointment among liberals, minorities, the West Coast elite and the public unions.

But come November, each of these groups of voters will deliver the votes just as they did in 2008.

They cannot and will not abandon this administration regardless of the realities.

They will continue to blame others for the administration's failures and snubs and flip flops.

Self interests always trump reality. And the ability to acknowledge a mistake runs counter to the movement.

Conservatives can bask in the glow of a Wisconsin victory for now.

But don't be fooled.

There remains work to be done.

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