Oh, I know what many of you are thinking right now.
He is a traitor, right?
As Speaker of the House, he just oversaw the negotiations for a $1.1 trillion spending plan to finish out the year that has many conservative pundits calling for his head.
How dare he have the audacity to govern in a divided government rather than please bloggers and pundits who get to say what they want because they are actually accountable for absolutely nothing?
After all, this is the strategy that has taken the conservative movement from an era when Ronald Reagan was its visionary to the era of Donald Trump.
We went from Reagan to Trump, people. Consider that, chew on it, and then get ready to talk about what is next.
The Era of Governance
Ever since President Barack Hussein Obama was elected President, the strategy of the Republican Party seems to be one of opposition at all cost.
They have questioned his legitimacy to be president via his birth certificate, his ability to adhere to the Constitution, and in some circles, whether he plans to impose martial law and make himself dictator. As a result, the conservative movement has never been in greater disarray.
If you build an entire platform on stopping Obama, what happens when Obama is no longer there?
What happens when he happily steps aside to make millions as a public speaker and there are no more birth certificates or implications of Islamist sympathies on which to build an opposition platform?
Make no mistake; this is a scary moment for those who hold conservative values dear.
A Viable Alternative
That is what Paul Ryan, newly elected Speaker of the House, references.
Fiscally, he is as opposed to Obama as anyone, but he seems to have this remarkable ability to grasp reality.
Conservatives do not have the White House, and the prior approach of opposition at all costs has devastated the Republican Party.
Rather, it seems that he realizes you have to compromise in a divided government while offering the public a rational alternative in the elections.
The conservative philosophy has value and merit.
It might very well save this nation on its worst day.
But if you insist that it refuse to govern unless it has its way, then you will watch the liberal vision triumph.
You Have to Win to Have Your Way
It is fascinating that the Republican Party continues to idolize Ronald Reagan when the conservative pundits of the day would have run this man out of office.
He compromised with Democrats, raised taxes, and even had a word or two on gun control.
I’m not saying I agree with every position of Ronald Reagan despite his legendary status, but the man decided to govern amidst the environment into which he landed — which included a Democrat-controlled Congress — rather than opine about the way it should be.
The way forward for conservative thought is to offer a clear alternative to the one that is running amok in the minds of American youth today.
In the meantime, while you do not have the presidency, you still must govern if you have any hope to win it.
It will require compromise, and to fail to do so will mean putting the opposition right back into the White House.
