I am amazed at the turnout for the rally in DC on Saturday.  For so long, it seemed like we as conservatives were willing to work only behind the scenes to accomplish our goals.  Conventional wisdom had it that conservatives would never show up for any sort of populist rally…guess conventional wisdom has been turned on its ear.

Neal Boortz asked a question on his radio show today – how does the GOP keep this activism and intensity going?  I think that question hits at the heart of the matter.

We’ve seen the original Tea Party rallies in April, the town hall protests throughout August, and now the 9/12 rally in DC (along with a vast number of local rallies for those who couldnt make it to DC).  So what’s next?

It seems to me that the best way to keep the momentum going is to schedule more rallies more frequently.  We need to keep ourselves in the public eye, whether the MSM wants to pay attention or not.  We don’t need to wait for an issue or for a bill we don’t like.  Join your local 9/12 group or your county GOP.  Volunteer for conservative causes.  In other words, do what you can to help the movement keep moving.

The DC rally showed that we can be positive and upbeat about things even when they look bleak.  We need to transfer that positivity to our everyday lives.  Let those around us know who we are and what we believe in.  Take advantage of opportunities to spread the conservative message.  As you tweet or update your status on Facebook or have any other contact with people, make sure to include your conservatism in the conversation and do it with pride.  LET IT SHOW!

Just this weekend, I had a Facebook “conversation” with a liberal friend of mine on the Left Coast.  At first, he was incredulous about the DC rally in general, but soon focused in on his belief that the health care bill did not actually create “death panels.”  He said it was one of his biggest disagreements with the GOP.  In previous debates we’ve had, I allowed his negativity to pull me into arguments rather than discussions.  This time I took another tack…I did my homework.

I presented him with the facts about HR 3200, quoting extensively from the bill itself, as well as from articles in the Washington Post.  Most convincingly, I pointed him to Ezekiel Emanuel’s article “Principles for Allocation of Scarce Medical Interventions,” in which Emanuel suggested that “promoting and rewarding social usefulness” should be used to guide the allocation of medical resources.

Because I used facts instead of emotional responses and stayed positive and level-headed, I got this response, “Well researched and supported. I’ll have more time to give this later today, after work. But I’m impressed, to say the least. I will concede that you’ve done your homework…I will re-read later today and respond more fully. But I expect not to disagree with much of what you’ve said. I appreciate the time you’ve put into this, and I do feel educated about some things I didn’t know fully.”

While I won’t say that many liberals will have the same reaction, it never hurts to try.  I can say, though, that I feel a lot better about the way I handled the situation, and that has left me more energized than I was before to take on other misconceptions of the left.  If we can all cultivate that energy and pass it on through our words and actions, nothing can stop us as we move to protect our faith, families and freedom!