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The Parable of Apple and the GOP
It’s that time of year again. That time of year when Apple unveils its latest gadget (in this case, the iPhone 5), and tens of thousands of sheep (Oops, sorry, should I have said, Apple enthusiasts?) make the pilgrimage to the closest Apple store to exchange their hard-earned cash for the latest model.
Over the years, Apple has built up a large base of customers, primarily by focusing on functionality and beauty. Many of those customers fall into the “fanboy” category, who divide their time between showing off their latest iDevice and speculating on what Apple will come up with next. And when the time comes for Apple to debut their latest product, you don’t have to worry about the fanboys. If it has a shiny apple on it, the fanboys will buy it.
Now let’s just suppose that Apple decides it wants to increase its market share. The most common complaint about Apple devices is that they are so expensive, so Apple decides to skimp a little on quality to make its products cheaper. The public is ecstatic. They can get (almost) all the quality of Apple, for a less money. The fanboys grumble, but they still dutifully line up at the Apple store to buy the latest iDevice. And Apple sells more products than it ever has.
Over time, Apple continues to degrade its products in its pursuit of new customers. The fanboyscontinue to protest, but Apple doesn’t pay them any attention, because, after all, they are still buying their iDevices. Everything is working out wonderfully until one day, the unthinkable happens. The fanboys, the core of Apple’s customer base, start to jump ship. All the qualities that once set Apple’s products apart are gone. All that is left is a hollow plastic shell with a lopsided Apple stamped on it.
At this point, Apple is at a crossroads. For years, they have been ignoring the fanboys in their pursuit of the fence-sitters. But now that there are no fanboys lining up to buy their products, they have to make a choice. Will they return to their roots, thus winning back the hearts (and business) of the fanboys, or will they continue to compromise quality to gain new customers?
By now, you have likely guessed that Apple represents the Republican Party, and you are correct. The main issue I am referring to is the Republican Party’s nomination of Mitt Romney for President, although the same could be said for many other races across the country.
The Republican Party has lost its way. It reasons thus, “We can do no good unless we are in power. Therefore, it is more important to nominate candidates who can win, than it is to nominate true conservatives.” Character has taken a backseat to electability.
Now, I realize that for the vast majority of those who will read this, Mitt Romney was not your first choice. He wasn’t your second, or your third. He was probably your last choice, or maybe your second-to-last. You didn’t vote for Romney in the primaries, and you didn’t become a Romney supporter until it became obvious that you had no other choice.
But the fact of the matter is that you are still going to vote for Romney. You are still a fanboy. And as long as you remain a fanboy, and “buy” whatever the GOP has for sale, you will continue to be ignored. You may grumble and complain, but the majority of the party, which values electability over character, will vote for whoever is most likely to win over the independents. They don’t worry about what the fanboys want, because they know the fanboys will vote for whoever wins the nomination.
Now, you are probably thinking, “Based on what you are saying, the only way to force the GOP to pay attention to us and nominate true conservatives is to not vote for the RINO’s (Republicans In Name Only). But in case you haven’t noticed, we’re facing the very real possibility of four years of a lame-duck Obama administration, and after all, a third-party vote is a vote for Obama!”
Yes, I will concede the point that were I to refrain from voting for Romney, that would be one less vote that Obama would have to earn to win the Presidency. And just for the record, if I knew that the world was going to end in four years, I would be the first person in line to vote for Romney. However, instead of just looking at the next four years, let’s look at the next forty. I likely have at least forty more years to live on this earth, and the chances of the GOP controlling Washington for the duration of the forty years are extremely slim. More than likely, we will have about twenty years of Republicans and twenty years of Democrats, and there is only one thing that scares me more than twenty years of Democrats. And that is the balance of the forty years being dominated by RINO’s like Romney. When the Democrats are in power, they will do what they have always done: a lot of damage. When we are able to get a Republican into office, it’s not enough that he merely be “better than the Democrat.” He needs to be a man of character who will unashamedly fight for the principles that made America great, even if that means going against his own party.
You may say that I’m throwing away my vote, but I see it differently. By not voting for Romney, I am voting for revival in the Republican Party. I hope that before the next election, the GOP will wake up and realize that in trying to gain the vote of the independents, they are losing the vote of the conservatives.
So there you have it. Now before you write me and tell me what a bad Republican I am, here are a few things to consider:
I am not a fanboy anymore.
Written by Nathan Day
Over the years, Apple has built up a large base of customers, primarily by focusing on functionality and beauty. Many of those customers fall into the “fanboy” category, who divide their time between showing off their latest iDevice and speculating on what Apple will come up with next. And when the time comes for Apple to debut their latest product, you don’t have to worry about the fanboys. If it has a shiny apple on it, the fanboys will buy it.
Now let’s just suppose that Apple decides it wants to increase its market share. The most common complaint about Apple devices is that they are so expensive, so Apple decides to skimp a little on quality to make its products cheaper. The public is ecstatic. They can get (almost) all the quality of Apple, for a less money. The fanboys grumble, but they still dutifully line up at the Apple store to buy the latest iDevice. And Apple sells more products than it ever has.
Over time, Apple continues to degrade its products in its pursuit of new customers. The fanboys
At this point, Apple is at a crossroads. For years, they have been ignoring the fanboys in their pursuit of the fence-sitters. But now that there are no fanboys lining up to buy their products, they have to make a choice. Will they return to their roots, thus winning back the hearts (and business) of the fanboys, or will they continue to compromise quality to gain new customers?
By now, you have likely guessed that Apple represents the Republican Party, and you are correct. The main issue I am referring to is the Republican Party’s nomination of Mitt Romney for President, although the same could be said for many other races across the country.
The Republican Party has lost its way. It reasons thus, “We can do no good unless we are in power. Therefore, it is more important to nominate candidates who can win, than it is to nominate true conservatives.” Character has taken a backseat to electability.
Now, I realize that for the vast majority of those who will read this, Mitt Romney was not your first choice. He wasn’t your second, or your third. He was probably your last choice, or maybe your second-to-last. You didn’t vote for Romney in the primaries, and you didn’t become a Romney supporter until it became obvious that you had no other choice.
But the fact of the matter is that you are still going to vote for Romney. You are still a fanboy. And as long as you remain a fanboy, and “buy” whatever the GOP has for sale, you will continue to be ignored. You may grumble and complain, but the majority of the party, which values electability over character, will vote for whoever is most likely to win over the independents. They don’t worry about what the fanboys want, because they know the fanboys will vote for whoever wins the nomination.
Now, you are probably thinking, “Based on what you are saying, the only way to force the GOP to pay attention to us and nominate true conservatives is to not vote for the RINO’s (Republicans In Name Only). But in case you haven’t noticed, we’re facing the very real possibility of four years of a lame-duck Obama administration, and after all, a third-party vote is a vote for Obama!”
Yes, I will concede the point that were I to refrain from voting for Romney, that would be one less vote that Obama would have to earn to win the Presidency. And just for the record, if I knew that the world was going to end in four years, I would be the first person in line to vote for Romney. However, instead of just looking at the next four years, let’s look at the next forty. I likely have at least forty more years to live on this earth, and the chances of the GOP controlling Washington for the duration of the forty years are extremely slim. More than likely, we will have about twenty years of Republicans and twenty years of Democrats, and there is only one thing that scares me more than twenty years of Democrats. And that is the balance of the forty years being dominated by RINO’s like Romney. When the Democrats are in power, they will do what they have always done: a lot of damage. When we are able to get a Republican into office, it’s not enough that he merely be “better than the Democrat.” He needs to be a man of character who will unashamedly fight for the principles that made America great, even if that means going against his own party.
You may say that I’m throwing away my vote, but I see it differently. By not voting for Romney, I am voting for revival in the Republican Party. I hope that before the next election, the GOP will wake up and realize that in trying to gain the vote of the independents, they are losing the vote of the conservatives.
So there you have it. Now before you write me and tell me what a bad Republican I am, here are a few things to consider:
- I have not arrived at this decision lightly. I have gone back and forth for months before making my choice.
- I am not giving up on the Republican Party. In the races where there are strong conservatives, I am voting for them.
- If the GOP doesn’t get its priorities straight, what is your plan of action? How are you going to communicate to the Party that RINO’s are not acceptable?
- Lastly, if you are hoping to change my mind before I vote, it’s too late. I mailed my ballot a week ago.
I am not a fanboy anymore.
Written by Nathan Day
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"We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness."
–President Abraham Lincoln,
in National Proclamation of Prayer and Repentance, 1863
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