Every week, conservative columnists write articles detailing what the Republican Party should do if it wants to preserve its popularity. Several strategists, including the former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff during the George W. Bush administration Karl Rove, have argued the GOP should cave on social issues like marriage equality and abortion and on immigration issues like amnesty in an effort to appeal to more voters.
But, unlike the Democratic Party, the Republican Party can pride itself on values and principles.
We believe in the power of the free market. We understand there is a connection between political and economic freedom. We say, “Ask not what your country can do for you.” (We stop there.) The left says, “Ask not.” (They hate to be challenged.)
To us, the scope of government is to be limited and dispersed. We believe the government is necessary to preserve and defend individual freedom.
And, despite our entire arsenal, we tend to forget our greatest weapon: Democrats.
Last week, I wrote a column about God. In response, the Alligator published a letter to the editor that was written by telecommunication major Matt Rubin.
(If you haven’t read it yet, read it now.)
After I read it, I wasn’t surprised. I thought to myself: Every time I read something written by a liberal, it makes me more conservative.
Liberals are good at one thing: attacking Republicans. They’re effective on offense because they have to be — they suck at defense. They’re the Florida Gulf Coast University of political parties. Show me a liberal policy they can defend, and I’ll show you a carrot the size of a cucumber (see my last column).
Liberal Argument Tactic No. 1: argumentum ad hominem (i.e., get personal). This is a liberal’s favorite style of argument. Why? Well, their views are based on emotions and feelings — not logic. In Rubin’s opening remarks, for example, he went from dogging the Alligator to calling me out of touch because I watch (and cite) Fox News, the top-rated cable news network for 11 consecutive years. In 20 years (31 years after Fox News is still No. 1), he thinks I’ll be a “crazy Turlington preacher.”
For liberals, personal attacks are advantageous in political discourse, which is why I never argue with them. One doesn’t reason the foolishness out of the foolish. They’ll convert when they experience the suck of what they preach.
Liberal Argument Tactic No. 2: straw man (i.e., race-baiting). If a liberal calls you a racist (or a sexist, or a homophobe, or an Islamophobe or any -phobe), you’ve won.
But remember: Just because you defeated him or her doesn’t mean the debate is over. They will continue whining. Like Rubin, they will create a false illusion and shift the conversation to another topic to deliberately avoid responding to your original point — that is, after they call you a racist. Although my argument had absolutely nothing to do with who literally built this country (or, more colloquially, the slaves vs. God), he invoked race in reference to a column that, well, wasn’t about race.
Liberal Argument Tactic No. 3: argumentum ad ignorantiam (i.e., they say it’s true, ergo, it’s true). If there’s one thing science hasn’t proven, it’s evolution. And by evolution, I’m referring to cross-species evolution. And by referring to cross-species evolution, I’m discussing something that matters: faith.
Big Rubin (smirk) has every right to believe he descended from an aardvark, just like I have every right to believe I was fearfully and wonderfully made by God. But evolution is merely a theory. In scientific jargon, it is a hypothesis. It is not a fact. Therefore, it relies on a statement of faith, too.
Republicans need not worry about anything. It’s the Democrats who should.
Erik Skipper is an economic sophomore at UF. His column normally runs on Wednesdays. You can contact him via opinions@alligator.org.
