Real Nature of Politics

This weekend I attended LI’s “boot camp” of politics, the Youth Leadership School (YLS). It is an intense, 26 hours of training that is most often described as “drinking from a fire hose” – a long two days, but worth every minute.

One of the first lectures at the YLS is called the “Real Nature of Politics.” I thought I would share with y’all some of the highlights of this lecture so you may better understand why it is so important to learn how to win!

• Most Americans have no issues with the conservative philosophy – who doesn’t want lower taxes, smaller government, and free enterprise? Not to mention the protection of life and other traditional values!
• When it comes down to ideas, ceteris paribus (other things constant), conservatives trounce the liberal left.
• We have great ideas, but we are not always successful.

Sir Galahad Theory of Politics, “I will win because my heart is pure.”

• Unfortunately, not true.
• Being right, in the sense of being philosophically correct, is not sufficient to win.

Political success over time is determined by the number of effective activists on the respective sides

• Political technology determines the number of effective activists on a given side
• Therefore, political technology determines political success

It’s been an amazing summer so far. The political technology that I have learned by attending these trainings is unparalleled. While I would love to share some of the revolutionary, innovative techniques I have learned, I cannot. I refuse. Political technology is neutral (the left could be effective with this technology also) and I do not want to give away our secrets!

There are exciting things happening within the conservative movement, folks! There is no better time than the present to get involved and receive training to become effective. To borrow a line from the Young America’s Foundation,

the conservative movement starts here!

the Leadership Institute

As most of you know, I am currently interning with the Leadership Institute (LI) in Washington, DC. It is a phenomenal organization and has been a wonderful opportunity thus far.

For all who may not be familiar with LI, I encourage you to visit our website at www.leadershipinstitute.org and check out our mission statement:

The Leadership Institute's mission is to identify, recruit, train, and place conservatives in politics, government, and the media.

There are great things happening within this organization so I encourage you, if you are a conservative who wants to win, to check us out!

Let's get this party (read: blog) started...

Well guys, I have had this site for quite awhile now and have failed to maximize its potential. It's time to change that.

You can now expect updates several times weekly!

Here are my three main goals for the site:

1. Keep friends up to date on things happening in my life (whether as a student at Grove City College, an intern in Washington, DC, or as a brother and a son in Oak Ridge, NC).

2. Discuss, debate, and share ideas on any and all aspects of politics, public policy, current events, and anything else that comes to mind (movies, music, etc.)

3. Do so from a principled, conservative standpoint.

Here goes nothing!