This year may be one of the greatest opportunities for the conservative movement in recent memory.  Greater than 2010?  The polling says “why not?”.  Greater than 1994, in terms of reversing an unstoppable liberal juggernaut?  Maybe.

And maybe not.  Because the GOP – meaning the party, but including some of the parts of the conservative movement that speak from within the platform of the Grand Old Party, continue to show a complete inability to portray conservatism in a form that could attract the unaligned middle class.

And while the insurgent parts of the party – the Tea Party, mainly – can do better, no single Tea Party contender seems to be able to articulate a vision on more than a few issues, consistently and clearly, that resonates with middle class voters.  Now, a few may be enough – Obamacare is a deal-breaker for many people, gun-grabbing for others, and a few Americans even have the foresight to be terrified about long-term entitlement debt.

Victor Davis Hanson – the smartest person in any room he’s in – articulates middle-class approaches to not one, not two, but seven vital issues.   If I pulled one quote, I’d have to pull the whole thing.  I’m just going to commend it to  you for your attention.

And I humbly suggest certain GOP candidates read them, internalize them, and use them on the trail.  Stat.

Joe Doakes from Como Park emails:

Heller and McDonald established that the Second Amendment guarantees a personal right to bear firearms, subject to some restrictions.  Good start.

All Constitutional rights are subject to some restrictions and Americans are okay with that.  Everybody knows you can’t yell “Fire” in a crowded theater (well, you can, but when you’re arrested for causing a riot, you can’t use the First Amendment as your defense).   Some restrictions are so obviously sensible nobody argues them.  But the devil being in the details, we need to know how carefully the restrictions are drawn.  The Constitution doesn’t say so the Supreme Court has interpreted it for us.

Restrictions on Fundamental Rights (such as First Amendment speech and religion) must hold up under “strict scrutiny” – there must be a compelling government interest, which the restriction is narrowly tailored to achieve, and for which no less restrictive alternative exists.  Restrictions on Sex issues (e.g. 14th Amendment sex discrimination)  must hold up under “intermediate scrutiny” – there must be an important government interest to which the restriction is substantially related. Restrictions on lesser matters (Fifth Amendment “taking” by zoning ordinance, for example) must have a “rational basis”  – the restriction must be rationally related to a legitimate government interest.

So what level of scrutiny must firearms regulations survive?  Eugene Volokh, a law professor writing in the Washington Post, explains the issue.  Personally, I think it ought to be strict scrutiny, same as other fundamental personal rights.  We don’t have a Supreme Court case that says that, yet.  That’s the coming battleground.  If we lose that, we lose the war.

Joe Doakes

There’s always one more, bigger battle.

Berg’s Law.

Here’s Marty Seifert’s campaign site.

It’s “Super Bowl” Sunday.

Just a reminder, as you watch a couple of teams of overpaid thugs gambol and prance about a stadium owned by a couple of modern-day robber barons who’ve built their stadiums at the expense of the cities and states where they do their dirty business, playing a mobbed-up game; this is the ad that the NFL thought didn’t serve their image properly:

Sorry, NFL. I’ve watched my last Super Bowl…

(more…)

Joe Doakes from Como Park emails:

Iran, fresh off its triumph getting President Obama to drop sanctions, is expanding its purview.  A desert nation sends its fleet into the Atlantic Ocean.

I’d be worried if I hadn’t looked closely at the photo (expand for a better view).  That boat is so low to the water, the fender is floating instead of hanging.  The curve of the hull makes it look about 25 feet long.  This isn’t even as large as a normal fishing vessel, it’s more like a Boston Whaler.

And the weapons those sailors are pointing have such short barrels they can’t possibly hit anything over 100 yards away, especially from the rolling deck of a boat on an ocean.  Okay, maybe it’s a Small Boat Repel Boarders drill, something they practice in case the Captain’s Launch is attacked.  But usually nations brag about the big ship that the Captain’s Launch comes from, not the little boat that ferries him to shore.  Unless that’s the biggest boat they have, in which case I’m doubly unimpressed.

On the other hand, President Obama just gave a nation of Islamic Fundamentalists the green light to develop nuclear weapons.  How big a boat do you need to float a nuke into Tel Aviv Harbor?

Joe Doakes

True about the nukes – and the general value of little boats in asymmetric warfare. The terrorists who killed 169 in Mumbai a few years back came to town on a stolen fishing boat.

But just in the interest of accuracy – I’m from North Dakota, and we’re a maritime people – the Iranians have been building a blue-water Navy.

The Iranian destroyer Samavand – a British-built ship from the early seventies. It wouldn’t even know what hit it in a battle with modern ships or, especially, submarines.

Iran is building modern warships – plenty of nations are selling them technology.  But the Iranian navy is the least of the west’s problems.

Today, the Northern Alliance Radio Network – America’s first grass-roots talk radio show – brings you the best in Minnesota conservatism, as the Twin Cities media’s sole source of honesty!

• I’Ll be at Holes For Heroes out On my way! Medicine Lake in Plymouth, along with Brad Carlson.  We’ll br talking with organizers, beneficiaries, and GOP gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson.
• Don’t forget the King Banaian Radio Show, on AM1570 “The Businessman” from 9-11AM this morning!
• Tomorrow,  Brad Carlson is out. I’ll be in.  I’ll be talking to Marty Seifert, GOP gubernatorial candidate.

(All times Central)

So tune in to all six hours of the Northern Alliance Radio Network, the Twin Cities’ media’s sole guardians of honest news. You have so many options:

• AM1280 in the Metro
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• Podcasts are now available; for my show and for Brad’s
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