Sebastian (Snowflakes in Hell) has a post regarding the election and his feelings that the lack of appropriate choices that many of us have felt in this election is our own fault. All too many of us sat back and waited until the party gave us a couple of candidates to choose from, and considered that good enough.

I consider myself a conservative, and identify most closely with the Republicans, but I am more devoted to the Conservative ideas of limited Government, lower taxes, etc. which I think the Republican Party is getting away from. My comments therefore are aimed more at the Republican Party, but apply to all of us, whatever your political affiliation.  

We need to get more active, and at all levels of government. We look at the state and local races as closely as we look at the national races. We need to start reform at the ground level. The person that is running for dog catcher may become the Mayor. The Mayor’s office to the Governor’s office isn’t too far. And a lot of Governors have run for and become president. We need to take a long view, and work on our local officials, letting them know how we feel, and helping the good ones to make the leap to the next level. While not many of them will make this type of leap, we will benefit from elected officials that better represent us at all levels. Also consider how much easier it is to deal with someone at a lower level in the political process, and how much harder it gets as they rise through the ranks. Who would be in this race was largely determined years ago.

What can we do? Call politicians and let them know how you feel. Sign up for legislative alerts. NRA-ILA offers them. Some government offices have them. I get alerts from the WI Legislature based on keywords I can set. Find others for the issues that matter to you. Don’t only call to tell politicians how to vote or complain when they vote the wrong way; thank them when they do the right thing. Be reasonable. Be informative. Be well spoken. Volunteer for the campaigns you really agree with. Encourage the good people to run for higher offices, and support them in their run. Or, you can always run yourself. (Clayton Cramer, Sebastian, PGP)

I know I have a long way to go toward this ideal, I don’t keep up on all the local stuff, I don’t always call or write. But we all need to be more involved in the entire process if we want to improve our political situation. So make a commitment to be involved at a deeper level, and encourage those around you to do likewise.