As you've probably noticed, a battle is being waged within the GOP.  Having recognized the damage done from eight years of regular forays away from its core values, many party faithful and Right-leaning individuals/groups are attempting to reestablish the brand.  This intra-party tension is largely a good thing.  It clarifies the agenda, and brings to light a litany of past policy decisions, enabling reflection on their impact—good and bad.

The Conservative faction appears to be winning the hearts and minds of a majority of those on the Right.  One need not look beyond New York District 23 for clear supporting evidence.  The District's Liberal Republican congressional candidate opted to pull out of the race amid a groundswell of support for the third party Conservative.  Notably, this was a direct rebuke of local and national party leaders who endorsed the Republican, despite her Left-leaning positions, completely misreading the depth of discontent for Big Government politics.

What is most interesting, though, and what you need to be on the lookout for, is how this is going to play out in the media.

The spin machine is cranking up.  Those on the Left, which includes a preponderance of the mainstream media, are and will be working hard to define and discredit the Conservative movement.  Their primary method, of course, is to characterize the Conservative faction as radical and extreme.  You will hear those words used over and over in a matter-of-fact fashion—the inference being that every clear-thinking individual understands this—you should, too; it requires no further examination.

Well, actually it does.

All parties have their fringe, but that's not what we're talking about here.  True Conservative views are actually held by a plurality, if not majority, of the country.  Said views are, by definition, mainstream.  In a recent national poll, 40% self-identified as Conservative, as opposed to less than 20% who categorized themselves as Liberal.

What is radical about wanting to put power in the hands of the people, rather than the government? 

Is it radical to be for personal responsibility, free trade, property rights, the rule of law, a strong defense, state and local rights, and not a lot more government than is necessary to protect us and provide a reasonable social safety net?

Are those beliefs more or less radical than:

• Quadrupling the deficit in less than a year;
• Attempting to jam a bill down our throats impacting one fifth of the economy in a couple weeks with little/no debate and transparency;
• Endeavoring to tax carbon emissions such that various industries would be unfairly destroyed and many U.S. companies would be rendered irreparably less competitive;
• Lending credence to the notion that the U.S. may owe a carbon debt to the developing world as a means of redistributing our wealth;
• Attempting to muzzle legitimate dissent and elements of the media;
• Demonizing and strong-arming individuals, corporations, and industries who do not tow the administration line;
• Employing 30+ czars, not elected or vetted by the Senate, to impose their government-centric views on our way of life.

Don't stand for this political and media tactic.  Let your displeasure be known.  It is perfectly legitimate not to share the Conservative philosophy, but it is dishonest to portray that point of view as radical or extreme.