A Harsh but true word for us conservatives

I'm about to be tarred and feathered for what I'm about to post but - it's all truth and if people know me well enough they know I don't go "blunt" at a whim. It is time that some of the loud activists get challenged on their tone and approach to elections.

Let's start with the basics. Whoever gets the most votes wins. Period. And whoever gets less votes loses.

Only to say it "out-loud" makes it appear as though it's rocket science. But it's not. It's the basic 101 of politics. It's actually the basic 101 of life in general - competition is part of who we are as Americans. We celebrate it in sports, in competitions among scholars, and in the marketplace (who has the better gas price, or who has the better cost on a new car). 

Until it comes to elections than some conservatives think things are rigged against them. It isn't. Don't overcomplicate things. 

MI GOVERNOR ELECTION
The reality of this week's Governor election in Michigan is that you had several people going for the same votes. This is a Primary. It is the chance for the most people to rally behind the one they want and whoever wins the most votes - moves on.

In retrospect, yes, if you had a Primary that was only Tudor vs Kelley or only Rebandt vs Soldano, etc the outcome might have been different. Maybe people would have preferred - as a whole - Soldano in a Soldano vs Tudor election (or a number of other variations). But that wasn't our reality. 

Michigan voters - those who actually chose to vote - had 5 candidates +  those running write-in campaigns.

The reality is that votes get split. This election highlights the danger of primaries. It is absolutely everyone's right to run for office but when they throw themselves in and they keep themselves in, they also water down, at times, the vote.

What grassroots need to acknowledge is that Just because your candidate lost does not mean something is rigged or your vote doesn't matter. The outcome of this election also does not convey that the defeated Governor candidates don't have merit and something significant to add to the mix. 

WINNING AND MOVING ON
I do want to acknowledge and applaud those who chose to run for office. I am certain that all of them have good points, applaudable assets, things we can learn from. Just because Ralph Rebandt lost, does not mean that he is bad. Or just because Kevin Rinke did not get first place does not mean he should never run for office again. No one is saying their loss in this race delegitimizes their value, their significance, and your preference for that candidate. 

But only one candidate wins. 

Tudor Dixon's win tells you something: she got the MAJORITY OF THE VOTES.
And if you wanted a different front runner, rewind the clock and convince Kelley or Soldano etc to bow out of the race. Only we can't. And this is our new reality. 

It is good for citizens to take time to walk the gamut of emotions. But if you want to have a better Michigan, you have to make a choice to swallow your pride, admit your candidate lost, and move forward. Too much is at stake.

And while I'm at it can we acknowledge losing is not bad? The fact these candidates ran at all means they contributed to the conversation, they reached a certain segment of the base, and quite frankly they may be needed elsewhere. Oftentimes we get confused wtih the idea that God compelling you to run means you are going to win. No, sometimes you are supposed to run for office for the process and the joy of the challenge. That is the mission. Compulsion to run does not mean guaranteed win. 

Yes, your voice, your choice, your values matter. The candidate of your choice and the values he espouses matter. Just don't give up because your person didn't win. Actually, someone else's person did win (yes, a lot of grassroots chose to support Tudor Dixon) but this is America and it's how it works.

JUST BECAUSE YOU FEEL IT DOESN'T MAKE IT TRUE 
A newsflash to conservative grassroots in Michigan: to those who feel like a majority, it doesn't mean you are a majority in the state. Just because 100 of you have yard signs in your county does not mean that the whole state agrees with you. 

I know, I know: you can hear a lot of energy in a Facebook group or you can see a lot of "Your Candidate" t-shirts and yard signs but it does not mean they represent the majority of Michigan citizens. And in fact I hope we as conservatives learn from this election: if we are not careful we become enemies in our own echo-chambers. 

It's easy to have a room full of my family who love me and cheer for me when I accomplish something and to assume the rest of the world knows and loves me as well. But that is not an accurate reflection on reality. 

The majority of the world has no clue who I am. Just because a few thousand people know someone's name or attend rallies where a candidate is at does not mean that they will vote for that person. 

I guarantee you: some of the people that attended a Garrett Soldano rally may have - in the end - changed their vote to someone else. Which is where it can feel like a rude awakening if Soldano voters assume everyone else is with them. (And this could be applied to the countless other contenders as well.)

You can look at a candidate and say "How did they not win??" The answer? A plethora of reasons including but not limited to:

• People didn't know them
• People didn't recognize their name
• People didn't vote
• People that did vote had something they didn't like about them or something they loved about the other one
• Enough people voted that DIDN'T LIKE THE CANDIDATE

Just because you liked the candidate and your candidate lost does not mean the world is against you. It just means not enough people liked your candidate. 

And it also means the other candidate won because more people felt confident in giving them their vote.

BIG TAKE AWAY? 
Whether you have been in elections and involved in campaigns for 50 years or 5 minutes, there are always moments for reflection and assessment. 

I wish conservatives could learn from this moment: not everyone on the conservative side thinks like you. 

And for those who are working to rally Tudor Dixon to a win against Governor Gretchen Whitmer, I hope they will take time to reflect on what the supporters of the gubernatorial candidates who lost, loved about their champion - and maybe Tudor Dixon needs to embody some of these elements. 

We have too much to lose to sit on the sidelines opining about why things just haven't quite - yet - gone our way. 

Regardless of the conflict and the troubling waters, I'm pressing on and I hope you will as well. 

- AJH 

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