But, there was a second earthquake in this hemisphere last night, and unlike the incredible devastation in Haiti that has spread unspeakable horror and misery, the one in Massachusetts has spread a modicum of hope that Americans can, in the final analysis, be aroused when the cause is great enough.

Yes, radicals seem to have a passion, but, like everything they do or attempt, it is a mile wide and an inch deep. It only becomes malignant when the popular entertainments and media abet them in their passions. Then, it can become toxic (Josef Goebbels, call your office). Fidel Castro was just another unshaven college hooligan jumping about in the jungles of Cuba until Herb Matthews of the New York Times decided he'd make a good dictator. Obama himself is a product of the mass media in that there was absolutely no rigor applied to informing news consumers about who he was, what qualified him the be president, and what his goals were.

But, again, this is where Reagan shined. He was up against the same (or worse) media in 1979 and 1980. Yes, he was passionate (certainly more so the Jimmy Carter, whose only passion seemed to be having no passion at all), but he was also quick to let his general optimism about our nation shine through his words and approach to life. No media lens can ever filter that out, and that beats drummed up, phony, anti-American passion of the Obama ilk every trip of the train. Reverend Jeremiah Wright and his race-huckster types might scream and yell about "God Damning America", but then he went home to his estate, and enjoyed a tumbler of Hennesy, and toasted the good life. Again, the passion of this America-hating "progressive" was a mile wide, and an inch deep.

Conservatives can make it, and win big, as Senator-Elect Brown proved, the way Reagan did it: Sunny, with an undying belief that freedom, liberty, and a fundamental respect and awe of individual sovereignty of ALL people. That's all. And quite simple, actually.

The wind is finally at our backs. Let's hope the GOP unfurls the sails.

Thomas. Sowell has demonstrated the ability get his point across while leaving his personality in the background.

I find this quite evident in the writings of Dr. Mike Adams, who like David Horowitz, use to be an indoctrinated liberal at a time it was in vogue.

Our speech and language must address the defunding not only of the UN but anything not firmly aligned with the Constitution. Taxes must not pay for Health Care or the Arts. A complete reassessment of our national budget needs done and before it can be done it must be understood and clearly communicated.

It is not too late for Republicans to administer this remedy; and they should start by opposing the creation of the conservative welfare state. But, alas, the Republicans have no charismatic leaders coming forward, and they are to a large extent, anti-intellectual. They also tend to "try to get along" rather then fight the good fight for individual rights and freedom. To many in Congress right now are really country club elites and RINOs and they are not defenders of capitalism.

As for the "Articulation Gap": Republican office-holders (and seekers) FIRST AND FORMOST need DESPERATELY to stop listening to campaign consultants. Most of them are hacks with communication degrees, ex-staffers, and are either air-heads or liberals, or both. They allow (and even insist that) conservatives enjoin liberal issues, and, rather than allowing conservatives to scoff at the latest liberal cause du jour, these consultants insist that conservative candidates talk about The Environment, Health Care, Green Energy, torture, and so forth. Conservatives, instead, need to blow these issues off in a sunny way, and redirect the debate to things like liberty, individual sovereignty, the role and scope of government, and private property.

Instead, conservatives candidates need to deconstruct the liberal political framework, and say things like "Well, your focus of creating Green Jobs is interesting, Mr. Democrat, but I would like to know what is your stand is on defunding the United Nations?" and so forth. Too often, we allow liberals not only to pick the fight, but the venue, the color of the uniforms, and what kind of hot dogs will be served.

Conservative traditionalists sadly use the same phraseology as leftists, the same focus-group tested jargon (with polling conducted by airhead consultants), and even use the same production values in their electronic media. This has to stop. We need our own brand and culture, one that scoffs at liberalism as the lightweight, mealy-mouthed emotionalism it is, and recognize that the American people are much more sophisticated than they are often given credit for. In as sense, Rush Limbaugh has used this formula with great success for twenty years, but, for reasons that escape me, Republicans refuse to understand this.

Reagan's best answer to liberal rhetorical feints was "Well, there you go again!" he would then shift the focus of the debate back to his causes, his concerns, his goals. Liberty-loving conservative Americans need to get back on this sunny side of the tracks.