Posted by
The CL Project on Thursday, April 02, 2009 1:19:29 PM
When asked what he would say to his team before the biggest game of the season, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin noted that whatever it was going to be, it wouldn't be rehearsed.
"I make a conscious effort to wing it. I think that's real. I think our guys relate to that," he said. "It's that way that I deal with them, for the most part. This week has been tougher than most in terms of trying to keep those thoughts out of my mind because there's a lot to say. But at the same time, I'm intent on doing that (winging it). I'm going to just walk in and communicate with them like I always do. I never prepare for the night-before-the-game speech."
What Coach Tomlin is describing is his value for "authentic communication," which has been defined as "speaking from your heart from the highest regions of the mind and from the depths of the soul."
Unfortunately we as Republicans have often failed to communicate and engage the public in a sincere and meaningful way. At times our message has lacked a passionate authenticity that resonates with the hearts and minds of our friends and neighbors.
To paraphrase Todd Herman, we have not consistently and meaningfully artculated why the founding values of our state and nation, among them -the revolutionary recognition that God granted people inalienable rights, a limited government which administers to the affairs of the people at whose pleasure it serves, understandable laws which apply equally to all people, a vital defense used judiciously and reluctantly, and reliance-on-self and generous charity by choice- are still the guideposts for liberty, fairness and access to success for every American.
We believe that conservative ideas in economic and social policy produce a stronger and more just society. Yet as Ron Nehring has said, we cannot rely solely upon the correctness of our ideas in order to win the policy battles of the new century. To win, we must place new emphasis on organizing ourselves and persuasively, authentically communicating our proposals in a competitive marketplace of ideas.
As this author writes: "Communicating authentically is not an easy task. At times, authentic communication feels like risk and takes courage. It reflects your experience, not an absolute reality."
The Onus, is upon us: we must authentically and courageously communicate how a reasonable level of self-reliance, the expectation that one works for what one needs and wants and, the resulting sufficiency-of-self will, in fact, allow us to be a more free and more charitable people.