We have finally caught up.

For years, decades even, the political Left in this country has been a far more effective and influential political force than the Right. As much as many of us on the Right would like to disagree with that statement, I think we all know, deep down, that it is the truth.

There are many reasons for this discrepancy in influence, but I think the primary factor has been the Left’s ability to run circles around the Right in terms of grassroots political participation.

Grassroots activism has long been vital to the Democratic political machine. From get-out-the-vote drives on college campuses, inner city neighborhoods and union meetings to a friendly mass media that disseminated the Left’s agenda to millions of American homes on a daily basis, the Left instituted a multi-facetted approach to get people excited, organized and active. Over the past decade, with the emergence of the Internet as a powerful communication tool, the Left quickly cornered the interactive political market with sites like Moveon.org and the Huffington Post.

During this time, from a grassroots perspective, the Right simply floundered. Yes, political participation was strong and voter turnout remained high, but the movement was stagnant. Passion was there, but it was coupled with a complacency that simply was not present on the Left.

This situation came to a head during the midterm elections of 2006 when the policies of President Bush and Congressional Republicans were soundly routed. While an unpopular president and a failing Iraqi War were enough ammo for the Left, it was their fervent grassroots activism that helped them ignite a groundswell of support for their cause…a groundswell that continued through to the 2008 presidential election.

Faced with steep losses in the House and Senate, an incredibly liberal agenda coming out of the White House and a complacent press, the Right had a choice: either narrow the grassroots gap or go the way of the Whig, Federalist, Bull Moose and Know Nothing parties.

Fortunately, we chose the former. That’s right, things have changed. We’ve closed the gap.

I’ve heard many commentators discuss the recent resurgence of the Conservative Movement in this country and attribute it to President Obama’s policies moving the country to the right. I wholeheartedly disagree with this assertion. I believe this country has always leaned to the conservative end of the political spectrum. The only difference is that now, more and more conservatives are active in the political process.

In short, it’s all about grassroots activity.

The examples are everywhere. Sure, they may take different forms from those on the Left, but they are just as effective.

Look at the millions of people that participated in the Tea Parties and the taxpayer march in Washington that occurred in September. When do you remember anything resembling this come from those of us on the Right?

This grassroots activity doesn’t just take shape in demonstrations; there are media examples like conservative talk radio and Fox News. These two forces provided the push to get Doug Hoffman and the Conservative Party on the ballot in the special, Congressional election in the 23^rd district of New York state.

Let’s not forget the Internet either. Websites like Townhall.com and Drudgereport.com (with it’s 8 billion visits in the last year alone…yes, you did read that properly, 8 billion), not to mention blogs like this one, help organize events like the tea parties and dispense information that major media outlets won’t touch.

What’s especially encouraging about these latest developments is that I think they may be here to stay. This up tick in conservative, grassroots participation rallies around a principle, an idea, not a person. People are fallible. They say stupid things, make mistakes and, unfortunately, die. A movement doesn’t do any of those things, making it easier to follow, defend and rely upon.

These recent developments are as shocking as they are important. Honestly, I wasn’t sure we had it in us to become as active as the Left. After all, our track record hasn’t been the strongest in this area. I am thankful that we did because I’m not sure the Conservative Movement would be able to survive in today’s political landscape without it.

That’s all for now folks. Until next time, take care and be well.

-John