MOSS MESSAGE
The Craziest Man on Detroit Radio
When I was on WXYT in the '90s, the craziest talk host in town was Mark Scott. In those wild, local-ownership, pre-OKC Bombing days, "Militia Mark" held down the 9 to noon slot through sheer force of personality. Unapologetically extremist, cigar aficionado, Ayn Rand disciple, Mark's tag lines were "I love my country but fear my government," "adapt, innovate, overcome," his war cry was "Excelsior!" His audience was as hard core as he was. When I started out in talk radio, Mark took me aside.
"You can't approach my audience and just give an opinion," he said. "They'll tear you to shreds. Before you say a word on-air you have to do your homework. The audience will know in a minute who you are, so you better have figured it out yourself."
"You can't just say "Clinton stinks." The callers will demand "why?" And "why" And why?" Before you give any opinion on anything, you have to go down to bedrock.
First Things First.
"First come your fundamental values. I can't tell you what those are; you have to figure them out yourself. You have to choose them, you have to name them, and you have to decide to live by and be judged by them.
"From your fundamental values, you construct your principles.
"You then apply those principles to a fact situation to get an opinion. Then--and only then!!--are you ready to presume to offer an opinion on something."
The Homework Never Ends
Mark told me that this homework was never over. "Constantly re-examine your premises and re-check your principles against your fundamentals and the facts," he echoed Rand. "That's the price of being a free person and a thinking human being."
So we have an election coming up. We're trying to figure out messaging. Much of that is marketing, but you need something worth selling. What is the Republican product? Positions on issues are like opinions. Mark Scott would ask: "done your homework?"
So What ARE the Fundamental Values?
What are our fundamental values, as Republicans? I can't tell you all what yours are. Here are mine: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal in that they're endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights-among them life, liberty, and property; to secure these rights, governments are instituted among people, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
So what can you construct from that? First off, there is a Creator, and everything comes from Him. Next, the individual-not the collective--is the repository of rights. Rights can be stolen but are never given up. The government exists to serve the individual, not vice versa. Equality of creation means we all have inalienable rights, not standardized creatures of the almighty state. There are things the government cannot rightfully demand. Government must protect innocent human life. Individual liberty trumps collective convenience. People have a right to keep what they labor to create.
What "Message" Do You Get?
How do you get a Republican message out of all that? Heck, I could find a lot of issues and I'm sure you can too. Lower taxes. Good stewardship of government. Control of public servants' pay and benefit costs. An end to the crushing burdens that have driven away prosperity. Clean out corrupt and incompetent city political machines--both municipal and school.
There's lots of good stuff to run on, but don't forget the homework. It's not just wordsmithing--important as wordsmithing is. If we're going to march back to power we'd better have a political agenda and a moral compass, resting on bedrock. Without a core of fundamental values and clear principles flowing therefrom, the most brilliant and talented leader becomes nothing more than…well…a Jennifer Granholm.
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