More On The Tea Party's Long Stroll

Over at ChicagoBoyz, blogger Lexington Green says he sees what Glenn Beck is doing:

Beck is building solidarity and cultural confidence in America, its Constitution, its military heritage, its freedom. This is a vision that is despised by the people who have long held the commanding heights of the culture. But is obviously alive and kicking.

Beck is creating positive themes of unity and patriotism and freedom and independence which are above mere political or policy choices, but not irrelevant to them. Political and policy choices rest on a foundation of philosophy, culture, self-image, ideals, religion. Change the foundation, and the rest will flow from that. Defeat the enemy on that plane, and any merely tactical defeat will always be reversible.

Beck is unabashed that God can be invoked in public places by citizens, who vote and assemble and speak and freely exercise their religion. They are supposed to be too browbeaten to do this. Gathering hundreds of thousands of them to peaceably assemble shows they are not. But showing that the people who believe in God and practice their religion are fellow-citizens who share political and economic values with majorities of Americans is a critical step. The idea that these people are an American Taliban is laughable, but showing that fact to the world — and to potential political allies who are not religious — is critical.

Beck is attacking the enemy at the foundations of their power, their claim to race as a permanent trump card, their claim to the Civil Rights movement as a permanent model to constantly be transforming a perpetually unjust society.

That's why the Tea Party people and like-minded people who want to remake the Republican Party need to soldier on beyond setbacks in individual primaries and individual elections.  This is not a video game, where you defeat the Level Boss and go onto the next level.  Sometimes, you lose to the Level Boss and sometimes to the next Level Boss, but you have to play the level again from the save point and try again.

Maybe it is like a video game.  I wouldn't be the first to use that metaphor.

(Link to ChicagoBoyz seen on Instapundit.)

Comments

[Van]

"Political and policy choices rest on a foundation of philosophy, culture, self-image, ideals, religion. Change the foundation, and the rest will flow from that. Defeat the enemy on that plane, and any merely tactical defeat will always be reversible."

Exactly right - thanks for the link.