Optimism

Before I talk about conservative and liberal alliances I'd like to toss in a note I meant to mention below about optimism. Notice that even though it is the conservatives who fear change and the liberals who are open to change, it is very easy for conservatives to paint liberals as pessimists. After all, if you want to change something the first thing you do is point out what is wrong with the current system and that comes across as pessimistic. The conservatives, on the other hand, just have to say positive things about how things are and how horrible those evil liberals are for wanting to change everything.

Yet, it is the conservatives whom actually are most afraid, for they fear change. You can see this in the Republican party, they do an awesome job of looking optimistic while simultaneously painting a fearful picture of all things different. We Democrats tend to assume Rove is some genius for this juggling act, but really it is a natural consequence of conservatism and thus quite easy.

Liberals must remember we are the ones pushing for change so it is up to us to make the positive case.

Note also how easy it is to make liberals look like elitists. Even though the true elites are squarely in the conservative camp, we are the ones who claim we know what is wrong and what must be changed. That sounds awfully elitist, doesn't it? We must remember the people are right to resist change, the burden of proof really is in our court.