Now that we’ve had a few weeks to get over the cacophony of political ads in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections, a certain phrase needs to be addressed.
“Fresh ideas.”
Don’t worry, there are many other phrases that yearn for a stake through their precious hearts, but this one begs for examination.
Let us begin with Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA6):
“I think that people recognize that there is this great big class of people who are coming in with kind of fresh experience and fresh legs and fresh ideas and that if we would like to maintain the majority that we need to make sure that we’re listening to everybody,” she said in an interview.
Then there’s this from Andrew Morris, failed progressive candidate for TX64:
The time is now for fresh ideas and unique perspectives in our Texas Legislature. With my experience from living in both the U.K. and Australia, I can be that voice — representing all Texans, especially the disenfranchised, the forgotten and the persecuted. My twin governing principles will be to keep Texans’ money in Texas; and to explore ideas and policies that help the most Texans.
Finally, we have Erika Harold, failed Republican candidate for IL Attorney General:
I’ve not been part of the problems in Springfield during the past decade. I would be able to bring fresh leadership, fresh ideas and hopefully be able to encourage people to be engaged in this political process.
At the strategic level, we do not need fresh ideas. We’ve been inundated with these ideas for too long. Taxing a dollar multiple times before it gets to retirement, regulating barber shops and lemonade stands, and limiting rifle magazines to 15 rounds are among the many examples of how “fresh” has come to mean “manure.”
We need to return to the ideas we were founded upon – which, ironically, might seem fresh and new to the uninformed and Democrats (sometimes one in the same) among us. These ideas are in the Constitution. The United States of American is not yet 250 years old. We’re one of the youngest countries in existence. So the very idea that Americans are born with unalienable rights is, in perspective, fresh and new, and exceptional throughout world history. We don’t need more creativity as it relates to our right to be left alone.
Don’t misunderstand, at the day-to-day, tactical level new ideas can often be welcome and produce the desired result – like a national Sales Tax (Fair Tax) or Flat Tax. But these ideas aren’t new. They’re as old as government. They just haven’t been used.
If you’re a politician or speaking to one, call out those (mostly Democrats) who use this phrase. Like Democrats do to us, attack their language and make them defend and define what “fresh” means. They’re not used to being challenged – Republicans are notorious for letting too much blather slide – so won’t be able to form a decent defense.
Look for future columns that call out “working families,” “comprehensive [insert charged word here] reform,” “fair share,” and “binary.”
