The Wrong Side of Ten
By Paul A. Ibbetson (01/02/07)
Eight! Nine! Ten! These numbers may not have any immediate importance to the average person but to the boxer, these numbers are magical. For as we all know, to a superficial extent, the boxer trains and hones his skill for an eventual confrontation that allows for only one victor. Within this context, the numbers, Eight! Nine! and Ten! mark the pivotal moments before the boxer feels the joy of victory or the agony of defeat. We have recently watched a battle of a different kind in which the main event, featured November 7, 2006, was in the form of the mid-term political elections. Different from the physical contest of the pugilists, this conflict centers over a choice of ideologies in which the hearts and minds of the nation are placed in the hands of a precious few individuals who are intended to vote the conscious of the country.
In case you were out of town, the fighter in the left corner wearing the blue trunks and weighting in at the massive weight of big ‘government’ won the fight, and won it big time. That’s right, and no amount of re-winds or fast-forwards from your video machine can take away the knock-out punch that the Democrats laid on the Republican Party that fateful night. It was important to wait for the emotions of the November 7, 2006 election results to wane before analyzing the ramifications of this defeat. The hope is to avoid the angry disjointed ramblings that we often hear during boxing matches from both the winners and losers minutes after the fight has been completed, when the smoke is still thick and the flash bulbs are popping like machine gun fire. I believe that now is the time to calmly deal with what may have been the causes of the defeat, and more importantly, what I would forward as the recipe for a comeback in 2008.
There is little doubt, for those that live in reality, that the Republican Party has been the undisputed champion for more than the last 6 years. In fact, the Republicans held the majority of governorships, senator positions, controlled the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the high office of President of the United States all at once until the last election. I would argue that Republicans have held the belt because of their general adherence to the superior fundamentals of conservatism. However, if this is true, one must address why Republicans were found flat on their backs staring at the stars on Election Day? To answer these questions Republicans have to take a hard look at themselves and their goals for the future. Inevitably, the party is at the same cross road as many a prize fighting champion who finds himself on the “Wrong Side of Ten”. Republicans, like the boxer must assess the following questions before moving on to the next contest:
1. Was this loss simply a fluke, like we see in the ring with the phantom punch that denotes luck more than strategy?
2. Is it time to train differently and change tactics in an attempt to challenge the opponent’s strengths? (i.e. when the clubber attempts to become an agile boxer)
3. Was this loss due to being simply out of shape and underestimating the competition?
4. Is it time to hang it up?
Of course I would reject the idea that the principles of conservatism, which include the love of country, defense of the nation, and traditional Christian values among others, should ever be abandoned. In fact, in many ways the display of conservative values by democrats in the recent election such as the campaign promotion of: pro-gun rights, anti abortion rights, as well as the espousal of Christian values, were fundamental in several election wins. Talk about the rope-a-dope, which brings us back to the painful fact that Republicans sorely under-estimated, their competition. This under-estimation; however, can only be seen as a by-product of a fighter who gets a little lazy. Winning is a powerful thing, a wonderful thing, but also a deceptive thing. It is deceptive in the fact that a champion may start to feel invincible and that’s usually the beginning of the end. For Republicans, it’s time to go back to the gym, cut some flab, and get back to basics.
Republicans have no need to redefine themselves, that would be foolish and the end of the party. What is needed is a total recommitment to what won the belt in the first place and that is total dedication to conservative values. No compromises and no searching for a middle ground with those who would wish to destroy us both economically, socially, morally, and militarily. Yes, the lean fighter is a focused fighter that is willing to learn new things, but never forgets where his greatest strengths lie. To stay fit there must be no political correctness in the training films, and no moral relativism for dessert. We must remember that to stay in fighting shape is not enough as conservatives are not looking for competitors but for champions. Now that’s a tough regiment to follow in today’s world and that’s why not everyone can wear the belt. Of course this request for excellence goes far beyond the politician; in fact, it is really a call to the public because in reality we are the promoters and trainers of who will send forth our fighters into the ring in 2008. The responsibility for conservatives, the mainstream of society, is not only to test our potential champions, but also to cut those who do not make the grade. As well, we must never stop teaching the next generations why the battle of ideologies remains as important today as it has throughout history. Lastly, we must all show up on fight night in superior numbers to the opposition in 2008 as we cannot afford to again find ourselves on the “Wrong Side of Ten”.
Paul A. Ibbetson
http://www.patriotactresearch.com/
Paul A. Ibbetson is a published author and lecturer on the Patriot Act. He is a former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, and member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force. Paul received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Criminal Justice at Wichita State University, and is currently completing his PhD. in sociology at Kansas State University. Paul is the author of the book “Living under the Patriot Act: Educating a Society” that will be available for purchase late January 2007 from www.patriotactresearch.com as well as other major book outlets. Paul is a regular writer for the Conservative Crusader as well as several other online websites.
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