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How ancient strategy can be used against the Liberal Left.

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
September 19, 2009
Alinsky vs. Sun Tzu: How ancient strategy can be used against the Liberal Left.

Posted by publius772000 under Politics | Tags: acorn, Alinsky, Art of War, Breitbart, clinton, constitution, Democrat, Giles, health care, Joe Wilson, liberal, Marxism, Medicare, O'Keefe, obama, pelosi, Sun Tzu, taxes, tenth amendment, washington |
1 Comment

Much has been made in recent political history of Saul Alinsky and his Rules for Radicals. Bill Clinton reportedly followed Alinsky’s advice. Barack Obama taught a class on using Alinsky principles to keep the nation in chaos. After all, it’s easier to get radical policies enacted during a crisis. However, I assert that there is an older, much more battle-tested set of rules for warfare that are becoming more applicable to politics in the United States as the political arena begins to resemble the Roman Colosseum: The Art of War by Sun-Tzu.

by Michael Naragon

In 2009, Saul Alinsky has been discussed in such a matter-of-fact way that many casual observers have heard of him. The following is a list of Alinsky’s 12 rules for upheaval:

RULE 1: “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.”
RULE 2: “Never go outside the expertise of your people.”
RULE 3: “Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy.”
RULE 4: “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.”
RULE 5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.”
RULE 6: “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.”
RULE 7: “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.”
RULE 8: “Keep the pressure on. Never let up.”
RULE 9: “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.”
RULE 10: “If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive.”
RULE 11: “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.”
RULE 12: “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”

Of these, Rules 4, 5, 8, and 12 have been used to greatest effect by the Left. In their war against the Constitution and traditional America, they have assailed, in turn, most of the great foundations of our society. They have removed God. They have made abortion mainstream. They have helped the tiny minority of gay and lesbian activists dictate policy to the majority. They have made millions dependent on government through social programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and now federal control of automakers, banks, energy, and health care. Granted, some of these Leftist changes took place long before Alinsky, but his principles have been widely used by the 21st century brand of so-called progressives who look to take the next step.

Conservatives are left to ponder, “How do we reverse the trend?” Since the 1960s, through their control of education and media, liberal philosophy has permeated society. High school and college graduates have no knowledge of the Constitution or the men who created it, nor do they have a moral basis for the rule of law. As a result, the American voting public has become apathetic and subservient to the emotional appeals of liberals such as Obama, who was able to win millions of votes simply by promising an ambiguous “change.” The current administration has also followed Rule 12 on several occasions already, targeting George W. Bush, Rush Limbaugh, Joe Wilson among others, much as the Clinton administration villified prosecutor Ken Starr.

In the world history classes I teach, my students are required to read the work of Sun Tzu, The Art of War. This gives them some perspective of Chinese philosophy at the time, reinforcing the ideas of Confucianism and Daoism. It also teaches them some lessons of life and, specifically, conflict. I believe that these lessons can be applied to our current ideological warfare with the Marxist Left.

For those unfamiliar with Sun Tzu, I encourage you to read his work. The book is very short–which appeals to high school students–and, depending on whose translation you use, very readable. I believe there are two major themes in the book: deception and intelligence. The commander who possesses skills in both areas will never be defeated. Period. That’s a promise from Sun Tzu.

In Book 1, Sun Tzu writes, “All warfare is based on deception.” Before the Christians in my readership balk at this, just hear me out. What Sun Tzu means by deception is not false witness or deceit, but tactics.

“If your opponent [has a hot temper], seek to irritate him. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is unprepared; appear where you are not expected.” (Book I, Verses 22-24)

James O’Keefe, Hannah Giles, and Andrew Breitbart have used the principle of deception to bring down the largest of the liberal community organizations. By appearing in an unexpected place, they managed to secure evidence that ACORN was, in fact, the corrupt organization everyone knew it to be. As a result, they have also put the enemy into chaos and damage control mode as the videos are released one at a time over the course of several weeks. The White House has distanced itself from its one-time ally, and Congress is publicly pulling support. Their forces are being divided.

On the issue of health care, we are also dividing their forces. The “Blue Dog” Democrats have made clear their concerns over the president’s plan to take over the health care industry. Though the Democrats have the party votes to pass this bill by force, they have not yet done so because of dissent within their own ranks. Conservatives must seize on this opportunity and influence these dissenters as strongly and as often as possible. Continued bickering within the Democrat camp will keep this bill shelved.

In Book II of The Art of War, Sun Tzu addresses morale. “Now in order to kill the enemy,” he explains in Verse 16, “our men must be roused to anger.” Men can be moved to action using several means. The Democrats have repeatedly attempted to spread the falsehood that the Tea Party movement and the movement against the government takeover of health care are funded by large corporations. Greed, they say, is the motivator of our troops. Thankfully, they have apparently misinterpreted the outrage. How many of you have attended Tea Parties or town hall meetings? How many of you have been paid?

What is, then, our motivation? Patriotism? Fear? Anger? Of these, I would assert that righteous anger serves us best. The difficulties of liberal congressmen in the recent town hall meetings is well documented. Nancy Pelosi and her ilk have labeled the protesters as Nazis, rabblerousers, and white supremacists. Wrong, wrong, and wrong. Our forces are angry, pure and simple. We are angry at the way the liberals have blatantly begun dismantling our country brick by brick. We are angry at the way our own “allies” in the government have stood by complicit, even helpful in the breakdown at times. We are angry that our children, for whom we sacrifice every day, will not inherit the same America for which our fathers and grandfathers fought.

Instead, they will receive a hollow shell of that nation, crumbling in its foundations and weighted down by entitlements to those who deserve none. Anger at this prospect and the gleeful way in which Obama and his cronies are attempting to carry it out can fuel our forces for years, if need be.

In Book III, Sun Tzu gives the advice that, I believe, is the key to the entire work.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” (18)

Surely, at this juncture, we know ourselves. We know what it is that ties us together, what it means to be Americans. Also as surely do we know our enemies now.

The vast majority of high schools, colleges and universities and the professors that fill our children’s heads with valueless platitudes in the hopes that one day those children will be good Democrats.
The union leadership that seeks to exploit their own workers for their own gain with no concern for the effect their actions have on the nation or its economy.
The environmentalist movement that attempts on a daily basis to destroy our way of life in the name of their god, the Earth.
The liberal media that fills our airwaves and newsstands with blind support for the Marxist agenda in the United States.
Any politician that does not maintain his or her oath to protect and defend the Constitution, and any politician, regardless of party, that stands idly by while the federal government grows and consumes more of our great nation.
Sadly, we must, at least temporarily, count ourselves as our own enemy for allowing the liberal establishment to become so entrenched. However, I do not believe that it is too late to reverse this trend, so long as we refuse to allow it to continue. We know their tactics, we know how the liberals in Washington do business. We also know their weaknesses.

In Book V of The Art of War, Sun Tzu advises how to take advantage of the enemy’s weakness and indecision.

“The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim. Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision. Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger.” (13-15)

Our forces must be vigilant. When the enemy provides an opening, we must be ready to strike. The falcon hovers lazily above its prey, waiting for the opportune time to attack. When that moment comes, the bird does not hesitate, folding back its wings to dive at speeds up to 200 m.p.h. at its victim, which it kills on impact.

Like the falcon, we must be watchful for the enemy to waver. If the president or one of his representatives lies, we must be ready to expose the lies for what they are. Joe Wilson of South Carolina gave us a blueprint for a proper response during the president’s recent speech to the joint session of Congress. When the president or his lackeys lash out at conservatives, as was done with charges of racism from Jimmy Carter, we must be quick to counterattack with reason, making such charges appear to be what they are: the inane babblings of an irrelevant former president who was trotted out by the Obama administration to throw the race card on the table.

Finally, Sun Tzu advises us to set the tone of the battle. In Book VI, he writes:

“Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him. We can form a single united body, while the enemy must split up into fractions. Hence there will be a whole pitted against separate parts of a whole, which means that we shall be many to the enemy’s few.” (2, 14)

Rather than wait for the Democrats to set policy on health care, or allow ourselves to buy in to their basic premise that our health care system is broken and needs complete overhaul, our forces need to present the idea that it is government that is broken, not our institutions. Instead, Republicans in Congress have put forth a second health care bill that does not take into account the premise of the argument.

Government, as Ronald Reagan said, is the problem. Rather than take it upon themselves to create a federal solution for the health care “problem,” our representatives should be taking away government regulations on the insurance industry that force out competition and drive up costs. They should be protecting the rights of the states to put caps on frivolous law suits so that physicians can stop passing on their malpractice insurance costs to the consumers. We need no law for this… we have it in place already. The Ninth and Tenth Amendments allow the states to handle these difficulties without the interference of the federal government.

Our representatives, however, have been saturated in the Washington climate so long that the only reasonable course to them is a federal statute or regulation. Let’s set the battle lines so that, instead of allowing the liberals to dictate that some government action will solve the problem, we focus on the unconstitutional nature of such an ideology and allow the states to come up with their own solutions.

http://theconstitutionalalamo.com/2009/09/19/alinsky-vs-sun-tzu-how-ancient-strategy-can-be-used-against-the-liberal-left/
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
hypocritexposer said:
September 19, 2009
Alinsky vs. Sun Tzu: How ancient strategy can be used against the Liberal Left.

Posted by publius772000 under Politics | Tags: acorn, Alinsky, Art of War, Breitbart, clinton, constitution, Democrat, Giles, health care, Joe Wilson, liberal, Marxism, Medicare, O'Keefe, obama, pelosi, Sun Tzu, taxes, tenth amendment, washington |
1 Comment

Much has been made in recent political history of Saul Alinsky and his Rules for Radicals. Bill Clinton reportedly followed Alinsky’s advice. Barack Obama taught a class on using Alinsky principles to keep the nation in chaos. After all, it’s easier to get radical policies enacted during a crisis. However, I assert that there is an older, much more battle-tested set of rules for warfare that are becoming more applicable to politics in the United States as the political arena begins to resemble the Roman Colosseum: The Art of War by Sun-Tzu.

by Michael Naragon

In 2009, Saul Alinsky has been discussed in such a matter-of-fact way that many casual observers have heard of him. The following is a list of Alinsky’s 12 rules for upheaval:

RULE 1: “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.”
RULE 2: “Never go outside the expertise of your people.”
RULE 3: “Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy.”
RULE 4: “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.”
RULE 5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.”
RULE 6: “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.”
RULE 7: “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.”
RULE 8: “Keep the pressure on. Never let up.”
RULE 9: “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.”
RULE 10: “If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive.”
RULE 11: “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.”
RULE 12: “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”

Of these, Rules 4, 5, 8, and 12 have been used to greatest effect by the Left. In their war against the Constitution and traditional America, they have assailed, in turn, most of the great foundations of our society. They have removed God. They have made abortion mainstream. They have helped the tiny minority of gay and lesbian activists dictate policy to the majority. They have made millions dependent on government through social programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and now federal control of automakers, banks, energy, and health care. Granted, some of these Leftist changes took place long before Alinsky, but his principles have been widely used by the 21st century brand of so-called progressives who look to take the next step.

Conservatives are left to ponder, “How do we reverse the trend?” Since the 1960s, through their control of education and media, liberal philosophy has permeated society. High school and college graduates have no knowledge of the Constitution or the men who created it, nor do they have a moral basis for the rule of law. As a result, the American voting public has become apathetic and subservient to the emotional appeals of liberals such as Obama, who was able to win millions of votes simply by promising an ambiguous “change.” The current administration has also followed Rule 12 on several occasions already, targeting George W. Bush, Rush Limbaugh, Joe Wilson among others, much as the Clinton administration villified prosecutor Ken Starr.

In the world history classes I teach, my students are required to read the work of Sun Tzu, The Art of War. This gives them some perspective of Chinese philosophy at the time, reinforcing the ideas of Confucianism and Daoism. It also teaches them some lessons of life and, specifically, conflict. I believe that these lessons can be applied to our current ideological warfare with the Marxist Left.

For those unfamiliar with Sun Tzu, I encourage you to read his work. The book is very short–which appeals to high school students–and, depending on whose translation you use, very readable. I believe there are two major themes in the book: deception and intelligence. The commander who possesses skills in both areas will never be defeated. Period. That’s a promise from Sun Tzu.

In Book 1, Sun Tzu writes, “All warfare is based on deception.” Before the Christians in my readership balk at this, just hear me out. What Sun Tzu means by deception is not false witness or deceit, but tactics.

“If your opponent [has a hot temper], seek to irritate him. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is unprepared; appear where you are not expected.” (Book I, Verses 22-24)

James O’Keefe, Hannah Giles, and Andrew Breitbart have used the principle of deception to bring down the largest of the liberal community organizations. By appearing in an unexpected place, they managed to secure evidence that ACORN was, in fact, the corrupt organization everyone knew it to be. As a result, they have also put the enemy into chaos and damage control mode as the videos are released one at a time over the course of several weeks. The White House has distanced itself from its one-time ally, and Congress is publicly pulling support. Their forces are being divided.

On the issue of health care, we are also dividing their forces. The “Blue Dog” Democrats have made clear their concerns over the president’s plan to take over the health care industry. Though the Democrats have the party votes to pass this bill by force, they have not yet done so because of dissent within their own ranks. Conservatives must seize on this opportunity and influence these dissenters as strongly and as often as possible. Continued bickering within the Democrat camp will keep this bill shelved.

In Book II of The Art of War, Sun Tzu addresses morale. “Now in order to kill the enemy,” he explains in Verse 16, “our men must be roused to anger.” Men can be moved to action using several means. The Democrats have repeatedly attempted to spread the falsehood that the Tea Party movement and the movement against the government takeover of health care are funded by large corporations. Greed, they say, is the motivator of our troops. Thankfully, they have apparently misinterpreted the outrage. How many of you have attended Tea Parties or town hall meetings? How many of you have been paid?

What is, then, our motivation? Patriotism? Fear? Anger? Of these, I would assert that righteous anger serves us best. The difficulties of liberal congressmen in the recent town hall meetings is well documented. Nancy Pelosi and her ilk have labeled the protesters as Nazis, rabblerousers, and white supremacists. Wrong, wrong, and wrong. Our forces are angry, pure and simple. We are angry at the way the liberals have blatantly begun dismantling our country brick by brick. We are angry at the way our own “allies” in the government have stood by complicit, even helpful in the breakdown at times. We are angry that our children, for whom we sacrifice every day, will not inherit the same America for which our fathers and grandfathers fought.

Instead, they will receive a hollow shell of that nation, crumbling in its foundations and weighted down by entitlements to those who deserve none. Anger at this prospect and the gleeful way in which Obama and his cronies are attempting to carry it out can fuel our forces for years, if need be.

In Book III, Sun Tzu gives the advice that, I believe, is the key to the entire work.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” (18)

Surely, at this juncture, we know ourselves. We know what it is that ties us together, what it means to be Americans. Also as surely do we know our enemies now.

The vast majority of high schools, colleges and universities and the professors that fill our children’s heads with valueless platitudes in the hopes that one day those children will be good Democrats.
The union leadership that seeks to exploit their own workers for their own gain with no concern for the effect their actions have on the nation or its economy.
The environmentalist movement that attempts on a daily basis to destroy our way of life in the name of their god, the Earth.
The liberal media that fills our airwaves and newsstands with blind support for the Marxist agenda in the United States.
Any politician that does not maintain his or her oath to protect and defend the Constitution, and any politician, regardless of party, that stands idly by while the federal government grows and consumes more of our great nation.
Sadly, we must, at least temporarily, count ourselves as our own enemy for allowing the liberal establishment to become so entrenched. However, I do not believe that it is too late to reverse this trend, so long as we refuse to allow it to continue. We know their tactics, we know how the liberals in Washington do business. We also know their weaknesses.

In Book V of The Art of War, Sun Tzu advises how to take advantage of the enemy’s weakness and indecision.

“The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim. Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision. Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger.” (13-15)

Our forces must be vigilant. When the enemy provides an opening, we must be ready to strike. The falcon hovers lazily above its prey, waiting for the opportune time to attack. When that moment comes, the bird does not hesitate, folding back its wings to dive at speeds up to 200 m.p.h. at its victim, which it kills on impact.

Like the falcon, we must be watchful for the enemy to waver. If the president or one of his representatives lies, we must be ready to expose the lies for what they are. Joe Wilson of South Carolina gave us a blueprint for a proper response during the president’s recent speech to the joint session of Congress. When the president or his lackeys lash out at conservatives, as was done with charges of racism from Jimmy Carter, we must be quick to counterattack with reason, making such charges appear to be what they are: the inane babblings of an irrelevant former president who was trotted out by the Obama administration to throw the race card on the table.

Finally, Sun Tzu advises us to set the tone of the battle. In Book VI, he writes:

“Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him. We can form a single united body, while the enemy must split up into fractions. Hence there will be a whole pitted against separate parts of a whole, which means that we shall be many to the enemy’s few.” (2, 14)

Rather than wait for the Democrats to set policy on health care, or allow ourselves to buy in to their basic premise that our health care system is broken and needs complete overhaul, our forces need to present the idea that it is government that is broken, not our institutions. Instead, Republicans in Congress have put forth a second health care bill that does not take into account the premise of the argument.

Government, as Ronald Reagan said, is the problem. Rather than take it upon themselves to create a federal solution for the health care “problem,” our representatives should be taking away government regulations on the insurance industry that force out competition and drive up costs. They should be protecting the rights of the states to put caps on frivolous law suits so that physicians can stop passing on their malpractice insurance costs to the consumers. We need no law for this… we have it in place already. The Ninth and Tenth Amendments allow the states to handle these difficulties without the interference of the federal government.

Our representatives, however, have been saturated in the Washington climate so long that the only reasonable course to them is a federal statute or regulation. Let’s set the battle lines so that, instead of allowing the liberals to dictate that some government action will solve the problem, we focus on the unconstitutional nature of such an ideology and allow the states to come up with their own solutions.

http://theconstitutionalalamo.com/2009/09/19/alinsky-vs-sun-tzu-how-ancient-strategy-can-be-used-against-the-liberal-left/

It will never work Washington survives on seizing all they can and sending back 32 cents on the dollar. For them to emplement a program and handle the money the adminstration costs is 58 cents of every dollar they collect.
 

Lonecowboy

Well-known member
Government, as Ronald Reagan said, is the problem. Rather than take it upon themselves to create a federal solution for the health care “problem,” our representatives should be taking away government regulations on the insurance industry that force out competition and drive up costs. They should be protecting the rights of the states to put caps on frivolous law suits so that physicians can stop passing on their malpractice insurance costs to the consumers. We need no law for this… we have it in place already. The Ninth and Tenth Amendments allow the states to handle these difficulties without the interference of the federal government.
Our representatives, however, have been saturated in the Washington climate so long that the only reasonable course to them is a federal statute or regulation. Let’s set the battle lines so that, instead of allowing the liberals to dictate that some government action will solve the problem, we focus on the unconstitutional nature of such an ideology and allow the states to come up with their own solutions.


Great post hypo- good ta see ya back!
 
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