How to Avoid Overconfidence

Do you worry that conservative grassroots might get overconfident and blow our chance to stop the advance of socialism in America?

I do.  I am concerned that we keep repeating the same tactics to the same audiences until both the audience and the actors become  . . . well, bored.

When I read stories like this one, that GOP sentiment is at an all-time high, I worry that some on our side might decide they can go back to their regularly scheduled programming.

We can’t sit back, folks.

The Block Captain and Liberty Evangelism project is intended to swell our ranks, not get us fired up.  We’re already fired up.  But we need to reach out.

Reach to whom?  Well, about twelve percent of us say we’ve participated in a tea party-type event in the past year.  But 58 percent want government to be smaller and less expensive.  We need to make sure that the 46 percent who want smaller government but who are not tea partyers are registered and ready to vote this year.

To do that, we need to get out and meet people. That doesn’t mean reading blogs and talking to other outspoken critics of big government.  That’s entertainment, not action.  Action requires a little bit more of us.  All of us.

When was the last time you handed someone a Constitution and said, “this is a gift. Please read it and decide for yourself whether we’re living into to these documents.”

Who was the last new voter you registered?

When was the last time you asked a friend or loved one to join you in the Liberty Evangelism program?

I can tell you that it’s been over a week since I handed out a Constitution (except to new Block Captains), and I haven’t handed out a voter registration form in two weeks. I’m behind. (And I need to grab more Constitutions fast.)

There’s a temptation to wait for big rallies. There’s a temptation keep doing the same actions over and over again—writing on facebook, tweeting pithy comments, calling Claire McCaskill’s office.

Each of these actions is worthy, but they’re not enough. In fact, most of those tactics have lost some value because we’ve done them so often for so long.  I mean, do you really think McCaskill’s office is shocked that so many constituents oppose cap and trade?

I’m not saying stop calling or writing or rallying.  I’m saying swell our ranks.

Polls tell us more Americans have decided, “You know what? I can live my life better than Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi can.” Every day our opportunity to create a sea change in history increases. In other words, people have heard and agreed with our message of smaller government, fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, and renewed federalism.

**But we will prevail in November only if we convert those frustrated people into passionate voters. **

That means we have to engage them, invite them, befriend them, court them, and register them.  Then we have to remind them to vote.  We should identify those who will take the extra step of engaging and recruiting others.

This is how we grow the base.  And we must.

Can you spare two hours this week to talk to the 58 percent who want to vote for smaller, cheaper government?