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Summary
Summary
'It's time for a real , snarktastic, humor-filled look at what makes conservatism right. We conservatives have truth and rationality and logic on our side. We just need to remind ourselves why we are right, and we need that reminder delivered in a way that's not a lecture, not a history lesson, and not a complicated political diatribe.' If you think all conservatives are old white dudes, think again. Meet the Chicks on the Right (if you haven't already). Everyone loves to tell them they're wrong. Everyone. Liberals say they're wrong because, well, they're conservative. Conservatives tell them they're wrong because they are not conservative enough. Or because they're too conservative. Or because they're the wrong kind of conservative. With all the blame flying around, it's easy to lose sight of one important thing- They think like you. And they are right. It's right to revere the Constitution. It's right to value personal responsibility, economic liberty, and free enterprise. It's right to think that political correctness is crap, and it's right to call out the mainstream media for bias. And it's right to laugh at the so-called War on Women and to stand up for the unborn. As they do every day on their blog and radio show, Miriam Weaver and Amy Jo Clark offer a definitive response to critics on the right and the left, and a cheerfully snarky pep talk for likeminded conservatives. On the one hand, they are tired of the media's portrayal of conservatives as repressed sticks-in-the-mud; on the other hand, they are sick of GOP leaders who play right into that stereotype. With humor and insight, Mock and Daisy, as the Chicks are known on their blog, explain why- Capitalism is a good thing - success and the money that comes with it are nothing to be ashamed of! First Amendment protections extend to all Americans, not just those with whom we agree. Americans have a constitutional right to things that go pew-pew-pew. Skin colour is irrelevant. It makes sense to be pro-life and pro-Plan B. The chicks offer suggestions for a conservative make-over that will realign the GOP with the regular folks who are frustrated with uptight and clueless politicians. But they also show why conservatism makes sense for everyone, especially those who love their country, their families, God, rock and roll, and a well-made cocktail (not necessarily in that order). Praise for Right for a Reason ' Right for a Reason is not only fun to read, but it is correct in advocating that people relax and converse with each other instead of allowing themselves to be manipulated into being enemies. I hope this book will be widely read by conservatives, liberals, and everybody else.' Ben Carson, MD, author of One Nation and America the Beautiful 'I love this book because there's a new sound here - smart, kind, irreverent, hilarious! It's the voice of the new conservatism. Go Chicks!' Dinesh D'Souza, author of America , The Roots of Obama's Rage, and What's So Great About America 'In this smart, irreverent, courageous book, Miriam Weaver and Amy Jo Clark devastate tired liberal arguments, poke fun at Republican clich#65533;s, and are unrelenting in their pursuit of the truth. This is a powerful, important - and funny - book that could rebrand conservatism.' Christina Hoff Sommers, author of Who Stole Feminism? and The War Against Boys Praise for the Chicks on the Right 'I just couldn't resist coming by tonight to tell them again how much I love them and how much I love what they have been doing. And just to say one serious note, I think this is one of the finest examples of citizenship that our state ha
Author Notes
Amy Jo Clark and Miriam Weaver write the popular Chicks on the Right blog as well as a regular column in The Indianapolis Star . They also host a daily drive-time radio show on WIBC in Indianapolis. Clark was previously a medical writer and communications consultant; Weaver previously worked in human resources. They live outside Indianapolis with their husbands and children.
VISIT WWW.CHICKSONTHERIGHT.COM
Excerpts
Excerpts
INTRODUCTION Hi there. If you're reading this right now, chances are you're a frustrated conservative. And you've got good reason to be frustrated. If you're like us, you're practically dizzy from how often you've shaken your head at the stupidity of low-information voters who couldn't pick Nancy Pelosi out of a photo lineup but can rattle off the names of every single member of the Kardashian clan. Casting political votes is now on par with casting American Idol votes--people care more about the celebrity "it" factor than they do about competence. The result? We're smack-dab in the middle of Obama's "fundamental transformation" of our beloved country, and it's been positively painful. Maybe you're frustrated that conservatives haven't been able to effectively communicate their ideas in a way that resonates with the public. Maybe you're frustrated that the mainstream media has been complicit in glamorizing the liberal narrative. Maybe you're frustrated because you're not sure you fit in with other conservatives, because you're not the stereotypical stodgy old white dude. Maybe you're frustrated because you're sick of social issues branding conservatism and turning otherwise like-minded people away from it. Or maybe you're just frustrated that we're making all of these assumptions about why you might be frustrated. Whatever is frustrating you about conservatism, we want you to know something. You're not alone. Ever since we started our website (chicksontheright.com) back in early 2009, we've been inundated with messages and comments from both liberals and conservatives who cannot wrap their minds around the fact that women like us exist. We're faithful, but irreverent. We're Christians, but we can curse like sailors. We are breadwinners in our families, but we have mad respect and appreciation for women who choose a traditional stay-at-home-mom role. We expect respect and sensitivity from our husbands, but we love them because they're men --not metrosexual wusses who use more hair product than we do. We're conservatives, but we love our LGBT friends and don't care whom they sleep with. We're pro-life, but we're also pro--birth control and pro--Plan B. "How can you vote for Republicans who want to take away women's rights?" liberals shriek. "Don't you know that you're voting against your own gender?" they wail. "Conservatives want to eliminate access to contraception!" they whine. And our favorite: "You bitches need to get back into the kitchen where you belong and make your rich husbands some sandwiches!" We're not kidding. We get that all the time. That one makes us laugh the hardest. It's often not much better with folks standing next to us on the right side of the aisle. "How dare you take the Lord's name in vain?" they holler. "Why must you be so snarky? Change your tone!" they demand. "Why do you wear shorts? Cover up!" they insist. "You're just not conservative enough to be conservative," they say. But here's what we've learned over the past half decade. Despite what the mainstream media wants you to believe, there are thousands and thousands of people out there who are just like us. They are breaking the conservative stereotype by not being old white dudes. They giggle at dirty jokes and are a bit more relaxed about social issues. They're strong willed, fed up, and pissed off, and we're talking to them in a way that resonates. Because we're regular chicks talking to them like regular chicks. Not like pundits, not like politicians, and not like policy-makers, but like people . People who live in the real world, who care about the country, care about its future, but who are neither bought nor paid for by some special-interest group. We are not a new breed of conservative--we've just been ignored by the media, and we are sick of it. Fortunately, we happen to be extra loud and persistent. And we don't give a damn about what anyone else thinks about us. Despite what the mainstream media wants you to believe, there are thousands and thousands of people out there who are just like us. If there's anything we've learned over the past five years of being the Chicks on the Right (in addition to being breadwinners, moms, wives, friends, etc.), it's that conservatism is right . Our kind of conservatism is rooted in the United States Constitution, which places the power of the people over that of the government. Conservatism is about personal responsibility, economic liberty, free enterprise, and working your butt off in the most exceptional country on the planet. Conservatism, above all else, is about protecting freedom . It's not just our political ideology. It's our value system, our attitude, our foundation . . . our essence . And it's right. We know what you're thinking. You're wondering, "If conservatism is right, Chicks, then why is our country voting so wrong these days?" That's the very question we asked ourselves back in 2008, and answering that question ultimately led to the development of our website. As we watched in horrified awe as Obamamania swept the country, we realized that liberals were succeeding at portraying conservatives unfairly, and they were winning elections because of it. We realized that we didn't want to watch that happen without doing whatever we could to correct the perception. So chicksontheright.com was born, along with our site names, which have stuck ever since: "Mock" and "Daisy." If you are reading this book because you're a fan of our website or our radio show, those are the names you know us by. Now is probably as good a time as any to introduce ourselves to you with our real names: Miriam (Mock) and Amy Jo (Daisy). It's nice to meet you. We recognized, when we started our site, that conservatism was in dire need of a makeover, particularly in the messaging department. While the GOP can't seem to get its crap together on the Hill, we've been busy reaching out to the real people that they ostensibly serve--conservatives who understand what being on the right is all about, real people who walk the walk every day. And not only have we reached out to them, but we've also listened to them. What they've said is that they are happy to know that there are others in the Chicks on the Right community we've built who get it. They're overjoyed to be among others who are right for a reason. If you're reading this book, then you are officially part of the community building, too. (Not to be confused with community organizing , which is a whole different thing. In fact, if there's someone out there who actually knows what community organizing is, we'd love to hear a definition, along with an explanation about why it has become pretty much the sole prerequisite for becoming the president of the United States.) But back to the community we've built. (And yes, Mr. President, we did build that .) We're delighted to have you on board as we work on the makeover of conservative messaging. Because that's what this country is about, after all: Real people making a real difference. For all the right reasons. The liberal narrative is too well scripted and too effective to ignore, so in addition to the other channels (like our daily website posts, our drive-time radio show, and regular newspaper column) we use to vent our frustrations, we've decided to codify why we're right with our very own Chicks on the Right manifesto. And that's what you're about to read. Because listen: It's time to recharge our conservative batteries. It's time for a real , humor-filled, snarktastic look at what makes conservatism right. Liberals have the stranglehold on messaging right now, and that's partly because they've perfected the art of making the epic lie of liberalism sound like it's a good thing. We conservatives have truth and rationality and logic on our side. We just need to remind ourselves why we're right, and we need that reminder delivered in a way that's not a lecture, not a history lesson, and not a complicated political diatribe. That's why we've written this book. It's our invitation to you to join the book version of a Chicks on the Right pep rally. It's going to be snarky, and it's going to be fun, so settle in and get ready to feel validated, energized, and ready to carry the conservative message forward to others in a fresh, fun way. Because if you're a conservative, you're right . With plenty of good reasons. CHAPTER 1 Capitalism Is a Good Thing Remember the hilarious Occupy Wall Street movement? A filthy subset of society who pooped on police cars and smoked a lot of weed in public parks managed to make big waves by furiously decrying "evil corporations" and the "establishment." Those silly, well-intentioned, deeply misguided hippies. Unfortunately, their PR stunt partially worked--it did a number on the public perception of capitalism being a good thing. Even though Occupy Wall Street's existence was mercifully brief, the movement's absurdity lives on in liberals who espouse the same nonsensical ideas. Progressives believe in the redistribution of wealth--that simply existing entitles them to other people's money. At the same time, they believe that success is a sign of greed and that capitalism--a system that rewards the hard work of an individual--is one of the roots of evil in our country. As a result, they see nothing wrong with punishing success and rewarding failure in the form of taxpayer bailouts. They've redefined poverty in an attempt to even the playing field and make us all equal in a hippie-happy liberal paradise where no one is better, no one is smarter, and--you guessed it--no one is richer or poorer than anyone else. Their arguments are largely based on peace-loving, materialism-shunning, greed-shaming bullshit, and it's important to remember why they are so freaking wrong. Listen up, folks. Success and the money that comes with it are good things . It's the drive to succeed that produced money, freeing us from a barter economy and increasing our prosperity. That same drive produced capitalism, a system that has increased the quality of life for millions of people. It's true, money can be used for evil, and yes, capitalism isn't perfect, but as Ayn Rand said, "Wealth is the product of man's capacity to think." And let's face it. The alternatives--poverty and thoughtlessness--really kind of suck. As young women back in the day, we Chicks couldn't wait to get out on our own and start making money. Making our own way gave us a sense of independence, a sense of accomplishment, and the sense of personal satisfaction that comes with doing something worthwhile and earning something tangible in return. Today we use the money we earn to feed our families, heat our homes, and put clothes on our backs, and we like that money for good reason. Money isn't just good; it's necessary, and that's an inevitable fact of life--one that progressives will never be able to escape, no matter what kind of fundamental transformation they plan for this free-market country of ours. We're right about this. There's a reason the phrase "the American dream" was coined. It embodies an idea that perfectly fits within conservative ideology--the idea that we are free to work hard to achieve success. While liberals cling like tree sloths to promises of everything being provided to them by the government, conservatives cling to the notion of self-sufficiency. Capitalism is the cornerstone of that self-sufficiency, an economic system that ensures that individual people and businesses own the means of production, not the government. Conservatives take pride in the way capitalism encourages ownership and working hard, while liberals complain that capitalism cuts them off from the government teat. Conservatives want equal opportunity. Liberals want equal outcomes. They fail to realize that equal outcomes mean everyone is equally miserable. We're capitalists because we'd rather be happy. And blissfully successful. And able to take any extra money we have to buy a killer pair of pumps. While liberals cling like tree sloths to promises of everything being provided to them by the government, conservatives cling to the notion of self-sufficiency. HIPPIES VS. CAPITALISM Let's take a look at the Occupy movement a little more closely. To these hippies, capitalism, along with the success it brings, is the root of evil in our country. Shortly after the movement's inception, several of Occupy's more prominent members decided to organize their thoughts into a manifesto of sorts.1 We Chicks read it when it was in its infancy, and were completely freaked out by what we read. And while we were tempted to say, "Holy wow--look at the insane ramblings of the crazy hippies" and just dismiss it, the reality is that those authors and editors represent perhaps hundreds of thousands of like-minded wackjobs who are oblivious to the fact that their demands, if met, would cause the eventual collapse of our entire country. But hey, whatever, right? It's nothing a little weed can't make better. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'S NEW ECONOMIC CHARTER: THE OWS MANIFESTO Check out these choice nuggets from that masterpiece: Goldman Sachs, Citibank, Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, as well as other "larger than life" institutions like them, "need to redirect funds from their profit sheets on a regular basis to community bank start-ups or credit unions to assure economic diversity within the nation to state and county regulations." So basically any small business owner with a dream of growing his or her company to "larger than life" size should be prepared, once they succeed, for their profits to be redirected to smaller, struggling operations in the name of "economic diversity." Because fairness. The whole matter of salary and compensation was completely thought out by the OWS folks. They created "New Salary Range Recommendations Based on Concepts of Economic Sustainability and Right Livelihood." Behold--their proposed compensation guidelines: Bankers $20,000 Lawyers $27,500 Realtors $25,000 Doctors $28,000 Nurses $27,500 Teachers / Librarians / Train engineers / Bridge maintenance / Ship pilots, etc. $35,000 Police $36,000 Public servants $28,500 Laborers $20,000 Other public sector $30,000 Other private sector $29,000 Technical/Research/Academic $36,000 Entrepreneurs / Business owners $10,000 Congress $30,000 President $40,000 Soldiers N/A Defense workers $25,000 All jobs include full health benefits for worker and family, full retirement benefits, full free education for children. Amazing, isn't it? It completely escaped the OWS folks that entrepreneurs and business owners are the very people who would be footing the bills, and yet they assigned them the smallest salaries. And soldiers? Eh, screw 'em. It's not like they're really doing anything important anyway. What was ridiculous about the Occupy movement was that the folks least affected by it happened to be the Wall Street bankers. Yeah, it was business as usual for the very people the protesters were protesting. Meanwhile, the people on whose behalf they claimed to be protesting (the "99 percent") suffered the most. Among the complaints were the nonstop drumming, the public urination and filth, and the barricades that blocked access to shops and restaurants along Broadway, disrupting the livelihoods of their owners. One coffee shop had to lay off twenty-one people due to protesters. The owner lamented, "Now, Wall Street is deserted. The only people who walk down Wall Street are people who have to walk down Wall Street. It's transformed from a beautiful pedestrian mall to a police siege."2 Way to go, OWS. Way. To. Go. Occubot hippies couldn't even see the painful irony when they held up their iPhones and tweeted "Down with dirty corporations!" So we can't very well expect them to see the stupidity in their ridiculous manifesto that was obviously written with a lot of marijuana, but not reality, as the basis. The fact that the protesters tweeted against capitalism via their iPhones wasn't the only irony we mocked at the time. Remember all those fancy-shmancy meals that the OWS folks were getting treated to courtesy of some sympathetic restaurants? Well, it turns out that the volunteer kitchen staff was pissed off when they realized homeless people were eating the meals along with the "real" activists. In protest, the volunteers decided to only serve rice instead of the normal organic fancy-food fare. Take that , homeless people!3 OWS demanded that people who had more wealth than they did "pay their fair share" and stop being so greedy, yet they were angry that homeless people who had far less than they did were helping themselves to what the OWS people had, without earning it . The protesters were too ignorant to realize it, of course, but they totally made the 1 percent's point for them. It's not much fun when people demand that you give them something when they've done nothing to earn it, is it? We should remind everyone that many people in President Obama's administration happily endorsed the Occupy movement. In fact, they practically salivated over it. Nancy Pelosi said of the movement, "God bless them for their spontaneity. It's independent, it's young, it's spontaneous, and it's focused. And it's going to be effective." According to Nancy McBotox, the Tea Party is a bunch of racist terrorists, but the hippies pooping in the street? Total patriots , y'all. Democrats liked Occupy Wall Street because the hippies and progressives who protested shared their view that government isn't just the foundation of a successful economic system, but its salvation as well. Progressives believe evil corporations are responsible for all the world's problems, and only an all-seeing and all-powerful government can take care of everyone. Which is why bailouts (of those evil corporations!) are a thing now. BAILOUTS SUCK Back in 2008 when the word "bailout" became über popular, not only were citizens of this country holding out their hands expecting entitlements, but companies were starting to demand the same treatment as well. Bailouts, put simply, are entitlement programs on steroids, and conservatives are right to despise them. At first, we taxpayers handed around $800 billion to banks and insurance companies, ostensibly to save them (and our economy in the process) from certain doom. But in reality, we simply paid for a bunch of golden parachutes and spa treatments for the worthless executives who helped cause the companies' failures in the first place. And then came the car companies. Or, if we're being real about this, then came the car company unions . The unions were in large part to blame for the fact that GM and Chrysler were in dire straits, but we taxpayers ponied up to cover the generous pensions and health plans of union members. In other words, we were chumps . You know what bailout money does? It defeats the very idea of capitalism and rewards failure. If a company is about to go out of business, it is probably because the company did something wrong like--oh, let's see--make subpar products, for example. If GM and Chrysler had spent half the money on car quality over a few decades that they were spending on perks for their union members, they probably would've never needed to take money from taxpayers. Instead, they drove themselves (see what we did there?) into the ground with mostly craptacular cars. You know what bailout money does? It defeats the very idea of capitalism and rewards failure. In the past, if you didn't like GM or Chrysler, you just didn't buy their stuff. But in 2008? If you didn't like their stuff, that was just too bad--because your tax dollars still went to help get them out of the mess they'd gotten themselves into, whether you liked it or not. Failure was rewarded. Success was punished. And politicians on both sides of the aisle were responsible. Does that sound like the America our Founding Fathers envisioned? Let us answer that for you. No , it does not. And conservatives who balk at the idea of bailouts are right. POVERTY REDEFINED Conservatives who argue against corporate bailouts also oppose individual bailouts, which is what many entitlement programs have become. And let's be clear here. Conservatives aren't the heartless, uncompassionate dirtbags that liberals claim we are. We fully support programs that help people who face unfortunate circumstances get back on their feet. We fully support programs that help the sick and disabled and weakest among us. But there's a difference between the weakest among us and what is now known as "the poor." Most Americans who are officially classified as "poor" in this country live pretty damn well. According to Robert Rector of the National Review , the government's data shows that the average "poor" person "has two color televisions, cable or satellite service, a VCR or DVD player, and a stereo. He also has a car, air conditioning, a refrigerator, a stove, a clothes washer and dryer, and a microwave. He is able to obtain medical care. His home is in good repair and is not overcrowded. By his own report, his family is not hungry, and he had sufficient funds in the past year to meet his family's essential needs."4 Doesn't your heart just bleed for those impoverished folks? A couple of years ago, Obama announced that he'd be implementing a new poverty-measurement system. His nifty new system tied in really nicely with his goal of taking people's money and distributing it to other people. You know, spreading the wealth around, as he is so often inclined to do. Here's how the new measurement works. First, if a family's income falls below a certain income threshold, they're considered poor. Second, those thresholds are tied to the living standards of average Americans, rising along with those standards. That's kind of a big deal. Instead of gauging how much a family can actually buy , the new measure gauges how much they can buy compared to others . Liberals love this idea. If the country prospers, the definition of "poor" keeps prospering right along with it. So people who receive benefits meant for "the poor" could actually be quite comfortable. That's super handy for people like Obama and other Democrats who count on people counting on them . Under Obama's measurement system, the definition of "poor" can only be reduced if the incomes of the poor rise faster than everyone else's. Obama's measuring scale is designed to increase, artificially, the number of Americans classified as poor. As Robert Rector pointed out in his National Review article on this subject, poverty rates in countries like Bangladesh and Albania would be lower than ours under this new system of measurement. Never mind that if you're poor in Albania you're probably living outside in a box, while in the United States you're more than likely inside with air-conditioning, watching a flat screen and texting someone on your iPhone. Obama's measuring scale is designed to increase, artificially, the number of Americans classified as poor. And so all of those poor, wretched people with their two TVs and their air-conditioning could potentially qualify for more of everyone else's money to supplement their horrible living conditions. See how that works? It's how new Democrats are born every day. Excerpted from Right for a Reason: Life, Liberty, and a Crapload of Common Sense by Amy Jo Clark, Miriam Weaver All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Table of Contents
Introduction | p. 1 |
Chapter 1 Capitalism Is a Good Thing | p. 7 |
Chapter 2 America Is Exceptional | p. 27 |
Chapter 3 Hand Ups, Not Handouts | p. 38 |
Chapter 4 First Amendment Protections Extend to All Americans, Not Just Those with Whom We Agree | p. 54 |
Chapter 5 Political Correctness Is Stupid | p. 66 |
Chapter 6 We Have a Constitutional Right to Things That Go Pew-Pew-Pew | p. 87 |
Chapter 7 Skin Color Is Irrelevant | p. 99 |
Chapter 8 The War on Women Is Crap | p. 114 |
Chapter 9 We Are Pro-Life | p. 135 |
Chapter 10 We Are Pro-Contraception and Pro-Plan B | p. 151 |
Chapter 11 We Don't Care Whom Toy Sleep With | p. 160 |
Chapter 12 It's Time for a Conservative Makeover | p. 177 |
Acknowledgments | p. 189 |
Notes | p. 201 |
Index | p. 209 |