Constant Conservative

Slu echoes my own thoughts (but he wrote them down so I could save myself the effort):

After a brief bout with Obama Derangement Syndrome as the results came in, I decided I couldn’t do it. Sure, I’ll photoshop stupid pictures, criticize our new president with vigor and joy, and work to ensure that conservatives are a thorn in his side, but like I said last night, I won’t hate him for a simple reason.

I love this country too much to do to President Obama what the left did to President Bush, John McCain and Sarah Palin. I hope my fellow conservatives will do the same – demonization is not essential to opposition. I plan to spend the next four years like I spent the last four – being a husband, dad and reluctant taxpayer. I’m going to disagree with the president a lot, but I don’t see that as a license to hate. I’ve spent far too much time criticizing the left to become like them.

We cannot defeat those across the ideological divide by becoming like them. People have tried this from time to time and it simply does not work. If we become like those who are diametrically opposed to us, then we are, at a basic level making ourselves indistinguishable from them.

Remember, to the majority of the electorate, polices and positions do not seem to matter half as much as personality and poise. We must continue to say and do those things which are in keeping with who we are as conservatives. But we must do so in such a way that our message is conveyed positively. Nobody likes a downer for long. Sometimes, as in the just completed election, one must address negatives. Nonetheless, if we are to cohere as a group, we should not, we must not, we cannot devolve into doom and gloom.