August 18, 2016

The Messenger Matters in Politics Ep 51

31 minutes

The Messenger Matters in Politics

With just under three months until the election, Donald Trump is losing big in almost every major category and in almost every major swing-state (and even some red states). The campaign is in turmoil and has made a habit of consistently stepping on its own foot. Having still run less ads than the Green Party’s Jill Stein, it’s like the Trump campaign is trying to lose.

On this week’s episode of the Conservative Conscience, Daniel Horowitz breaks down the Trump campaign’s failures and what it means for the conservative movement. “We can’t separate the message from the messenger … The messenger matters,” Horowitz argues. While Trump has certainly given strong voice to issues such as immigration and national security, his rise also comes at a cost and could hurt the message in the long run.

Moreover, Daniel explains why the general election is different from a primary election dynamic and why Trump can no longer rely on running a media-driven campaign as opposed to a traditional organized ground game and ad war.

Conservatives should not lose heart, however, as we have never been a movement of personality, but of principle. We don’t need to jump train with every new fad – be it the tepid establishment or the so-called Alt-Right – we just need to follow the Constitution.

As Justice Joseph Story once said, “Let us never forget, that our constitutions of government are solemn instruments, addressed to the common sense of the people and designed to fix, and perpetuate their rights and their liberties. They are not to be frittered away to please the demagogues of the day. They are not to be violated to gratify the ambition of political leaders. They are to speak in the same voice now, and for ever. They are of no man's private interpretation. They are ordained by the will of the people; and can only be changed by the sovereign command of the people.”