Will the RedState Editors lead the charge to victory?
By gideon1789 Posted in Archived — Comments (26) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
We must take action to regain majority support for the Iraq War. Will the RedState Editors lead the charge?
We are on the verge of losing the political battle to achieve victory in Iraq. Congress doesn’t have the super-majority to cut off funds in the face of the President’s veto, but it doesn’t have to. Republicans are wavering now. They are beginning to think that Americans will not tolerate the war much longer. They are beginning to petition the President to swerve from the course of victory. Not many more Republican congressmen have to follow suit before the President will begin to fold. He has already stopped defending the war. The next step is to draw down our forces, and let Iraq suffer the onslaught of Al Quaeda. And even if the President’s will holds strong, the next President may pull out the troops.
I do not need to convince RedStaters that we can win in Iraq, that we must win in Iraq, and that losing to Al Quaeda, of all enemies, should be inconceivable to us and to our leaders. Others need convincing, however. Many of our leaders, and many American citizens generally, have lost heart, even though they do not want to give in. They hate defeat, but can’t see victory. We need to show them why defeat would be deadly, and why victory is necessary and probable.
The RedState blog alone is a valuable contribution to this effort. But it is not enough to contend with the daily anti-war drumbeat from the press and from many political leaders. We have to raise our voices so that that public can hear them over the noise.
I propose an organized campaign to help RedStaters write op-ed articles, petition congressmen, send letters to the editor, appear on local radio and television, raise money for pro-war groups, even organize public rallies, and do anything else to explain to the public why they should support the war. The RedState Editors could have daily and weekly suggestions for action, some easy and some requiring more preparation.
Here’s an easy one. Every week a new letter to the editor could be drafted and the rest of us could use it as a template. Email addresses of the editors of major newspapers could be provided. Readers would be encouraged to make their own changes and then send their letters to local newspapers as well (in fact, it is at the local level that the letters will make more of a difference most likely). The same letters could be sent to congressmen as well.
The RedState Editors could also highlight the pro-war groups, like Vets for Freedom (http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/) and Troops Need You, America! (http://www.troopsneedyou.com/) and Move America Forward (http://www.moveamericaforward.org/), and do fundraising drives for them. The Editors raised $10,000 recently for an outstanding trip to Iraq. With a little persistence, they could raise similar amounts for each of these groups.
I am not sure, frankly, how to help RedStaters go on local radio and television, but RedStaters who are able to do so should send in their stories, and these stories should be highlighted so others can imitate them. RedStaters who gather in groups to visit the office of the local Senator or Representative should report their stories to the blog as well.
RedStaters who write op-eds for their local newspapers and magazines should report their articles to the Editors, who will then highlight them.
In sum, if we are to regain majority support for the war, we have to strike back, and keep striking back – every day, every week, without tiring.
To help organize us in this charge, I respectfully and hopefully ask the RedState Editors to take the lead – and soon!
(Please contribute below whatever additional ideas you have. Anything that might help save the country from defeat is worth hearing. The only idea not worth hearing is that we should just give up. If this is all you have to say, don’t say anything. Thank you!)
Families United For Our Troops and Their Mission:
to find out where my Senators and Congresscritters stand on the upcoming debate on funding in September and report back. I will do whatever you need and I belong to two of those organizations above and donate to them which would be huge for new members to come on board and help as well. Move America Forward for one does their best work with commercials to counter Vets against the War when they do nationwide commercials also http://www.gatheringofeagles.org/ is a great organization that is pro victory.
I live in a small town that holds weekly peace vigils. While peace is preferable, it is not preferable at any cost (as they propose). I would love to have templates of letters for the local papers. There are at least five papers in this area to which I can contribute.
I know it is asking a lot from the Editors when they already take a lot of time from their schedules to run this blog. But we will be a hundred times more effective if the Editors highlight what's happening, ask other RedStaters to join the effort and to donate even very small amounts to pro-war groups.
And surely with all the military and government knowledge that RedStaters have, there would be no shortage of great op-ed articles, letters, and excellent ideas for moving things forward.
It is a critical time. I punch myself every morning wondering why I did so little for so long while public support faded. Now we are on the edge. 3,000 dead and we're ready to keel over, handing victory to a band of brutal and bloodlusting savages. The Sunni tribal leaders are coming over to us, the Iraqi military (although not the police) is fighting bravely, Al-Quaeda is losing territory, and the Surge is about to drive that grisly gang out of the country.
The public will prefer victory to defeat, strength to weakness, if given the choice.
"During my lifetime, all our problems have come from mainland Europe, and all the solutions from the English-speaking nations across the world." - Thatcher
About six months ago, we were visiting friends in San Diego. I confessed to one of them that I felt the American people had given up on the Iraq War---he quickly disagreed. No, he said, his opinion was that the American people weren't being properly informed on the war---its goals, successes, and the price for failure.
I think he's right.
Here are some things I plan to do:
1) I plan to call my Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords (AZ 8), whose position on the war is nothing to be proud of IMO. I plan to ask her staff for links to her specific positions on Iraq and the GWOT, especially (a) her specific criticisms of it and (b) her recommended solutions. Once I get them, I plan to ask her staff to explain/justify them, in detail. If they ask, I plan to tell them that, yes, I am a regular diarist on Redstate, and will write about the holes I see in her plan. BUT, that shouldn't matter, as I am also her constituent. (To be fair, if her positions/plans look sound, I will point that out as well).
2) I plan to compile a list of the inconsistencies I see in REP Giffords' plans/positions, and send them to the Tucson Citizen and Arizona Daily Star as either a guest column or letter to the editor (whichever will get printed). Whatever I write, I'll also post here.
I get the sense that Congressmen/women don't expect tough questioning on national/international issues from the local papers. Two reasons for that:
(a) Local papers ask questions about local issues (e.g., "Congressman, how much federal money can you get for the new highway overpass"' "How many jobs will we lose at the local air force base due to BRAC.") Often they show little interest in national/international issues.
(b) Local papers may not know much about national/international issues. How many local papers do you know of that rely on the NYT or AP feeds for those kinds of stories? Plenty, I'll bet. I wouldn't be surprised if a typical Redstate reader could ask more probing questions about Iraq than the typical reporter on a small/midsize market newspaper (e.g., Tucson).
(3) When your Congressman or one of their staffers are on a`local talk radio show, or holding a town meeting, show up and ask pointed questions. Hopefully, some of the same ones you sent to the newspaper. Maybe some local reporters will notice the congressman dodging the issue, and will follow up.
I think this is a great idea, and I hope the Directors get behind it.
If your local Congresscritter knows that you're out there, reading what they say and coming up with good questions in response, you might make them a bit more honest.
"Who will stand/On either hand/And guard this bridge with me?" (Macaulay)
so others could imitate them. Or if they are from your area, they could jump on board and ask additional questions or send additional letters to the Congressman. They could also follow up any op-ed with favorable letters.
"During my lifetime, all our problems have come from mainland Europe, and all the solutions from the English-speaking nations across the world." - Thatcher
I agree with most of what the writer here says, but not this part:
Here’s an easy one. Every week a new letter to the editor could be drafted and the rest of us could use it as a template. Email addresses of the editors of major newspapers could be provided. Readers would be encouraged to make their own changes and then send their letters to local newspapers as well (in fact, it is at the local level that the letters will make more of a difference most likely). The same letters could be sent to congressmen as well.
If everyone writes letters saying the same thing it will look phony and contrived (in large part, because that's what it would be). It would also be easy to mock, and easier for local editors of newspapers to ignore. Let's not go down that road.
A precedent embalms a principle.
- Disraeli
that we can copy, but rather to provide more of a talking point issue with some backup then we write a letter around that talking point.
____
CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
Mbecker has it right, but thank you, Leverkuhn. You may be right that the letters won't be effective, even if sent to our local papers, although I tend to think they will be if we change them to suit our own style and thinking.
But this is the kind of criticism we need. We should do whatever works. I'm not attached to any one of my ideas. I want to do what is most effective.
Feel free to suggest additional ideas, too.
Thanks.
"During my lifetime, all our problems have come from mainland Europe, and all the solutions from the English-speaking nations across the world." - Thatcher
Please excuse me if I am encroaching on your territory. In no way do I mean to suggest how you should do your job, nor do I want to hijack your blog.
Based on past RedState successes - helping to defeat bills, supporting the journalism trip to Iraq, informing us of groups that help Iraq and our soldiers - I see a terrific opportunity for RedState to coordinate a steady and determined effort to change the perception of the war by our leaders and by the public. An entry a day would do it, with weekly calls to some specific action, and I'm sure RedStaters would line up to write regular diaries on what they were doing.
Especially given your expertise, and the expertise of many RedStaters, we could do some very effective work.
Thank you very much for your consideration.
Josh Levy (aka gideon1789)
Charlottesville, VA
3rd year law student
joshlevy@yahoo.com
"During my lifetime, all our problems have come from mainland Europe, and all the solutions from the English-speaking nations across the world." - Thatcher
involved Redstaters should be doing. I think your idea is right on track.
Over the next few months, our Congresscritters will need their spines stiffened, in order to see this surge through to success. If enough of us make it known that we won't sit still if we're defeated in Iraq due to a Congressional/Presidential lack-of-will, and that we want NO repeat of the Saigon embassy evacuation scene most of us remember from two decades ago, I suspect that Congress and the White House will listen. Exhibit A: Bush-Kennedy immigration bill.
Redstate is an excellent vehicle for mobilizing/focusing just the kind of grassroots pressure we need.
Charlie Mike, gideon!
"Who will stand/On either hand/And guard this bridge with me?" (Macaulay)
"During my lifetime, all our problems have come from mainland Europe, and all the solutions from the English-speaking nations across the world." - Thatcher
This is why I advocated a collaborative "wikipedia" function for RedState. Several can work on a document and action plan to get the best of the best ideas in one spot.
Secondly, adding activist features like numbersusa where users can send free pre written faxes to their reps would help. The easier you make it for people to take action they will more often.
Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country can do for you. Washington Elected Elite
I like both those ideas very much, especially the Wiki function. Do you think it would be very hard to set something up something like that? Perhaps we can do that on our own even if the RS Editors don't want to.
"During my lifetime, all our problems have come from mainland Europe, and all the solutions from the English-speaking nations across the world." - Thatcher
about a conservative version of wikipedia a while back... maybe we could use that? No need to reinvent the wheel.
“Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15.”
-Ronald Reagan
I'm not sure if it will help us or not, but it is worth trying.
If this site doesn't help, there may be others that do.
"During my lifetime, all our problems have come from mainland Europe, and all the solutions from the English-speaking nations across the world." - Thatcher
Being new to the activist role, and new to actually commenting on RedState, I know I'll need some advice on how to go about this campaign with the correct amount of professionalism and effectiveness. Below are a few of my thoughts.
1) I am a business owner in a town of about 20,000 in the midwest. The town is pretty evenly divided, so I avoid publicly taking sides on any issue. It would not do for me to start a letter writing campaign in the local papers, but it is something I feel is necessary. How do the editors of newspapers go about selecting letters to publish. I know they want a name and phone number, so would it be possible to give a pseudonym and a cell phone and still get the letters published?
2) One of the local papers is in the fledgling stages of a series of stories about the most horrifically injured Iraq vets they can find. While I'm happy for these buys to get a little publicity about their plight, I'm also worried about the intended slant of these stories and would love to counteract that with submissions of the most heroic Iraq veterans I can find. How would one go about getting the newspaper to accept this idea and where could I find the stories?
3) Can we get together a list of Congresscritters that need special focus on their spines? I understand that they all need to hear from us, but I would love to direct most of my attention on my local Congresscritter if necessary.
4) The constant and incessant reporting of exactly how many American troops have been killed in Iraq drives me insane. To help place these numbers in perspective, is there some way for us to continuously publish a count of how many terrorists have been killed in Iraq as well as how many people have been killed worldwide by terrorists?
I don't have all the answers, but I am trying to find out, especially on how to get newspapers to accept stories we write.
It will certainly be easier to do with local newspapers than with regional and national ones. Also, writing stories about things like heroism, charities which help our troops and rebuild Iraq, and so on, is a good way to promote the war effort without coming across as political to your clients.
For stories on heroism, two good places to start are:
www.michael-yononline.com (stories by a former Ranger turned embedded photojournalist),
http://www.defendamerica.mil/ (by the DOD),
and
http://www.defenselink.mil/heroes/index.html (by the DOD)
Anyone else know of other good sites that report on our troops?
There are blogs out there by soldiers, too. Here's a link with a partial list.
http://www.milblogging.com/topmilblogs_byBranch.php?br=VS5TLiBNYXJpbmUgQ...
As for the count of the death toll for terrorists and their victims, I'm at a loss. But it's a fine idea.
"During my lifetime, all our problems have come from mainland Europe, and all the solutions from the English-speaking nations across the world." - Thatcher
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
They keep a weekly, monthly, and "since 9/11" list of deaths, injuries, and attacks.
Nice find. The chart at the bottom of the page breaks down all the attacks over the last few months.
Not sure how reliable it is, but it looks good at first glance.
"During my lifetime, all our problems have come from mainland Europe, and all the solutions from the English-speaking nations across the world." - Thatcher
the stakes are too high not to.
“Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15.”
-Ronald Reagan
I hope the RS Editors agree to do some coordination of our efforts. We'll gain a great deal more help and effectiveness that way.
But if not, I'm still planning on moving forward. I'll be in touch. And you can always contact me at joshlevy@yahoo.com
"During my lifetime, all our problems have come from mainland Europe, and all the solutions from the English-speaking nations across the world." - Thatcher
I would ask them as part of this campaign to be willing to more readily discourage disrepectful address here on two planes:
First, concerning the person of the President. If I were not one of the remnant 14% of strong approvers, I am sure that the occasional abuse of his person during heated non-GWOT policy discussions here, especially by former supporters, would not have the effect of bolstering my resolve to support his goals in that primary conflict. Of course there are multiple wars being fought, with different alliances even among the red, but certainly the Big One is GWOT, and its success cannot be helped by public attacks on its primary prosecutor. (Curiously most of the negative terms I have been dismayed to read fall in the category condemned in Matthew 5:22, which is still in effect, I believe.)
Second, concerning the persons of our blue neighbors. If the lines of address could be coaxed more in the direction of policy argument and away from invective--against either individual or group--I am convinced your ability to persuade the currently unpersuaded would be significantly increased. Again, there are multiple wars being fought with different weapons, but our boys in Iraq are fighting and dying for, and their chief is commanding for, not only the red but the blue as well, and our liberal co-citizens, in all of their folly, unless and until convicted by just laws of treason, remain our neighbors, not our worst enemies, and should not be despised as such.
I know and appreciate that your surveillance of this site is miles beyond that of any other and voice the above in terms of doing more of what you have already begun. Magnanimity can be a coward's bluff, but need not be for those who are not trusting in their own strength: history has certainly remembered some--I'm thinking Lincoln and Chamberlain right now--most favorably for theirs.
soli Deo gloria
____
CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.