By Tyler Pruett
tyler@southerntorch.com
Although some of us may be more interested in politics than others, it’s almost impossible for anyone to avoid hearing the rhetoric coming from the current Presidential primary. While this resounds loudly with many Conservative primary voters, we must ask ourselves if this will translate to a victory when appealing to all Americans. Simply put, we must put forward a candidate that is focused on victory for our nation as a whole; not one demographic. While I have my own opinions on the current candidates, we may look into our past and find an excellent example of what ideals this individual must possess and promote.
While serving as our 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt laid the groundwork for us to become the superpower we are today. Through his life experiences, he observed firsthand the potential of the American dream. He also knew that our path to prosperity involved constant change in a modernizing world. And in a letter to S. Stanwood Menken in January of 1917, he summed up what we can do to destroy that American dream as, “prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living and the get-rich-quick theory of life.”
Although nearly a century has passed since he made that assertion, actors around the world are testing the very foundations of our country. From the increasing Russian involvement in Syria, to the continued presence of the Islamic State, these individuals are making a bet that we will take, “peace-at-any-price,” and put, “safety-first instead of duty-first.” The world was a different place in the early 20th century, but Roosevelt built our Navy to be one of the most formidable in the world in response to such threats. He simultaneously identified where change was needed in our economy. His economic actions as president protected the common man from corporate greed, while giving businesses freedom from government interference for our economy to grow. In our current political climate of ideologues, it seems impossible that one politician can achieve both. They are only concerned with defeating the other roughly fifty percent, and not achieving victory for all Americans.
As Conservatives going forward, along with all other Americans, we can learn valuable lessons from Roosevelt’s idea of America. Our country is and always has been unique. This uniqueness is what gave us our founding fathers, the early patriots that suffered through Valley Forge, our greatest generation that defeated fascism, and men like Theodore Roosevelt. And even though I disagree with many of President Obama’s policies, his story and where he is today should reinforce the idea of American exceptionalism; the idea that as an American you can achieve anything you set your mind to. That is why we gained our independence, and progressed to where we sit today. I think Teddy would agree that if we allow this idea to fail, we lose America.
In his own words, Roosevelt understood that in a democracy, “the men to whom the people delegate their power shall serve the people by whom they are elected, and not the special interests.” This seems to be stating the obvious, but a century later, neither party has embraced this assertion. Conservatives must take on the difficult issues that their constituent’s face daily. It is difficult for any amount of campaigning to overcome having a positive impact on an individual voter’s situation; as this is how our founders intended. Our representatives should not be bound by ideology, but by their duty to the individuals in which they represent.
If we plan on achieving victory for our party and for America in the years to come, we must learn to break the chains of ideology. Individual political views shouldn’t come from the talking heads of the left or right; they should be derived from right and wrong. The ideologues that control our media make more money than any of us will ever see by playing the political game. The future of America isn’t a game or a money-making venture; it’s a promise. A promise that the past generations made to us and it’s our responsibility to keep it for our children and grandchildren. Our party must become the mantle for complete personal freedom, equality, and that America is always going to be exceptional, because we pledge to keep it that way, no matter what it in entails. Our forefathers risked execution when they signed the document that started this country; the least we can do is keep it moving forward.
