The Washington Examiner’s Mark Tapscott has a bit of wisdom for conservatives of all stripes, who may find themselves a bit cranky with House Republicans:
…we conservatives have a tendency to expect instant perfection from Republicans who claim to share our agenda, but the reality is that winning one off-year election isn’t nearly enough.
In order for reform movements like the Tea Party to achieve genuine enduring change, they must win several consecutive elections, including at least one for the White House.
We can – and should – thank wee Jimmy Madison for this reality because the Constitution he more than any of the other founders fathered defuses and refracts the popular will over time to prevent momentary passions from overwhelming good sense.
It’s how we answer the question posed in the first Federalist paper by Alexander Hamilton – Madison’s most important ally in the constitutional debate that culminated in ratification – and thereby demonstrate that Americans are indeed capable of establishing and keeping “good government from reflection and choice,” instead of “accident and force.”
Conservatives of all people ought not have to be reminded of this fact.
But we often do need reminding, because as dispassionate as conservatives can appear to be (or perhaps that’s just heartlessness), we can be as hot-headed as the next guy. Some self-syled conservatives have made vein-popping bombast a part of their business model. They are convinced this is the only way of keeping it real. But if Dave Chappelle has taught us anything, keeping it real can go terribly wrong.
