Quote Of The Day: What Successful Conservatives Do

12 May, 2005 by John Hawkins

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“(S)uccessful conservatives don’t move towards the ‘political centre’. They move the political centre towards them. That’s what Thatcher and Reagan both did. Whereas if you move towards the political centre, all you do is move the centre.” — Mark Steyn

If you want to win as a political party long-term, you don’t center your strategy around muddying the water on where you stand, triangulating and stealing the other party’s issues. Instead, you try to convince the public that your thinking on the issues is right. Moving towards the political center may win you a few political battles, but unless the majority of people in your party move with you, it won’t help for long. That’s why changing the public’s mind on the issues is how you ultimately win political wars.