"'In every political society, parties are unavoidable," [James] Madison wrote. "The great object should be to combat the evil...by making one party check on the other....If this is not the language of reason, it is that of republicanism.' The political conflict was not a collision of co-equals, but a war between the forces of light and the forces of darkness in which the Republicans represented the soul of the American Revolution and the Federalists its betrayal."
This excerpt from my current read, Joseph Ellis' American Creation, reminded me of the facts that many conservatives - myself included - often forget. Politics is an inevitable and constant war in which we must maintain the upper hand at all times. This requires continued action, action from which we cannot shy away. If we really believe our team can and - most importantly - must win the game, we cannot fear playing with all we have. We cannot feel guilty about strategy, if it is honest. And, most importantly, we must understand what success means. In a conflicted world that produces conflicted political systems, there will never be a time when all is well. However, doing our best to maintain control of this system and use it to the best of our ability is the goal. And, if we are doing this, if we are maintaining the upper hand for the good of the People, then we are winning.
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