As the Republican primary field narrows — eventually to a single candidate, the question of leadership is front and center for anyone paying attention to politics. Unfortunately, the majority of the electorate is paying attention to pretty much anything else. We’ve become comfortable with the idea of installing a savior, reformer, an avatar of hope and change, or of making America great again.
Politics is far removed from most people’s lives, or at least they think it is.
The framers of the Constitution could have easily structured the document to concentrate power in a chief executive. In fact, there were elements of the Continental Army, and some leading political figures of the day, who proposed installing George Washington as America’s first monarch. When you put politics in terms of monarchy, or another form of totalitarianism, Americans naturally bristle; perhaps, these days to a lesser extent than in the recent past.
Americans have become largely apathetic to the part they must play to preserve the civil liberties to which they only pay lip service. Americans have become content to place their faith in a political leader — a knight in shining armor. What most seem to forget is that the Constitution is preambled with the words “We the people.”
The 2020 presidential election cycle left many Americans cynical about the electoral process. Tens of millions of Americans sincerely feel that their votes didn’t matter, that the election wasn’t a win for Joe Biden, but a win for the machine — the deeply rooted and unelected administrative state that loathes and is deeply threatened by an America First candidate like Donald Trump. Those voters have valid reasons for feeling disenfranchised, and for asking themselves the question, why bother voting at all?
The short answer: only we the people possess the power to bend the arc of political history toward liberty.
And, Biblical principle is implicated by the question of involvement, especially at the local party level. The ancient prophet wrote, “for who hath despised the day of small things?” (Zachariah 4:10) Often, the key to success is found in the mundane, the small things most people overlook. It’s the principle of faithfulness, even in the seemingly not so important.
A magnificent edifice may be crowned with the breathtaking artistry of the sculptor, but it stands brick on brick, laid by the hands of faithful laborers.
Americans must become reacquainted with the notion of responsibility and take ownership at the local level with party politics. The initial reaction to that statement may be one of incredulousness. However, that only demonstrates the effectiveness of leftist propaganda designed to dissuade Americans from accessing powerful levers of political power — which must be engaged from the local level within the party system.
Therefore, Libertarians and Independents exclude themselves from fundamental political processes, and relegate themselves to mere spectator seats in the grand arena. They’ve no direct access to or significant influence within local party politics. For many people who feel disenfranchised, it’s a revelation to discover that the implementation of vote counting mechanisms, such as using Dominion voting machines, is influenced at the local level.
Townhall interviewed Chad Caton, Veterans for Trump National Director of Operations, who’s spent years in the trenches, engaged at the local level, witnessing the power of being faithful in the “small things.” Mr. Caton is passionate about impacting national Republican politics at the local level. He uses Libertarian party politics as an example, “If all of those Libertarians would actually get involved in their GOP…local and state, then they would have a party that would be more in their image.”
Caton makes the point, loudly and often, that local politics hold the keys to national level party policy. “Find your Republican Party. Find out when the meetings are, and sit and learn…the best place to start is your county council.” Determining what issues are most relevant and actionable, quickly become apparent at most county council meetings. Go with a strategic purpose in mind, to listen and learn the names and faces of those influencing your local party politics.
Precinct level meetings are often unproductive, but may also present opportunities if those meetings have been neglected or relegated to mere “cocktail parties.” Caton stresses, attend “your county level GOP meetings. That’s where it’s at.”
A little known fact is, state GOP chairmen determine how votes are handled. That’s why former President Donald Trump singled out Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann during his Iowa victory speech. Trump pointed to Kaufmann and said, “we can’t have that, Chairman,” referring to Dominion voting machines. Trump went on to say, “We’re going to try to go to paper ballots as soon as possible.” Most people missed it, but Mr. Caton points to that as a highly instructive moment in the mechanisms of local party politics.
Good leadership is important, but presidents are subject to important Constitutional limitations. No single president has the power to dismantle an entrenched deep state. That work has to be accomplished by the American people, who faithfully discharge their civic duties, which extend far beyond a November voting booth. And, no president has the power to overcome the apathy of the American people. Our democratic republic cannot function if we abdicate our responsibilities and place our faith in an idolized authority figure. Democracy begins and ends at the grass roots.
You have far more than just a vote at your disposal — that’s the fundamental message. We possess the power to reshape our institutions through democratic means. And, this is the message that Democrats are worried you’ll hear and understand. Get to your county GOP meetings listen, learn, and then take back the power of engagement.