Ohio's 8th Congressional District: 2016 Republican Primary - J.D. Winteregg vs. John Boehner

Who Are We Really Fighting? 

By J.D. Winteregg

I'm running to represent Ohio's 8th Congressional district, in part, because I know how to fight the so-called “progressives” who are destroying our great nation.

Whether ignorant of what progressives represent or compliant with their agenda, my current representative--Speaker John Boehner--has proven that he has neither the ability nor inclination to fight progressives on behalf of his constituents and the American taxpayers. It's time that we have a fresh face who both understands what he's fighting and is prepared to fight it “tooth and nail.” The Speaker talks about it. I’m the guy who’ll actually do it.

To effectively fight the progressives, we have to understand their twisted thought process. To better understand that process, we have to know what makes them tick. There are three main things we must know in order to begin fighting the progressives: their message, their tactics, and their goal. Because messaging and tactics rely so heavily on the endgame, I'll address their goal first.

The goal of progressives is to achieve "social justice" through the destruction of capitalism. Having spent more time in academia than anyone should spend, and having been “taught” by professors who were so progressive they boasted about sharing a cab with Bill Ayers, I've come to understand how they plan to achieve "social justice." To progressives, capitalism is the reason for every bad event in the world today. Capitalists are oppressors who exploit innocent people for labor; capitalists care nothing for those at the bottom rung of the social ladder; capitalists will stop at nothing to ensure that poverty lasts. Progressives view themselves as great liberators--they're the world's thought police and they believe their “solutions” will ensure that every voice will be heard, that every mouth will be fed, and that everyone will contribute to society according to their abilities. To them, "social justice" is only achieved when outcomes, (not opportunities), are equal.

So what tactics do progressives use to fight the evil capitalists? There are many, but I will not reprint Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” in this post. Suffice it to say that they attack any institutions that thrive in or perpetuate the free market. Welfare destroys the family institutions, culturally hegemonic bullying destroys the religious institutions, and a progressive push in education to standardize instruction to reflect socio-cultural "values" destroys the economic engine of capitalism. Progressives will stop at nothing to ensure these institutions--the very institutions on which our great nation was constructed--are under constant attack. The values of our Founding Fathers are perpetually eroded because progressives refuse to stop until "social justice" is achieved.

To employ these tactics, the most important arrow in a progressive's quiver is language; progressives live and die through messaging. They have the advantage of years of study in higher education institutions; they've studied the words, phrases, and messages that reach, misinform and persuade the masses the best. They know that if they control the language, they control the message. Like a linguistic Houdini, they know that they can distract people from the message that matters with a message that fits their agenda. Sadly, this is the area that the Republican leadership understands the least. It's time we change that.

Here's how we fight progressives. First, get me in office. Go to jdwinteregg.com and contribute. We need someone in there who understands progressives and who understands how to fight them. I understand both things. Second, begin to view things the way they do: oppressor vs. oppressed. Understanding their endgame helps us to understand how they frame the message. Comprehension of that side isn't an endorsement; it's a weapon. Third, never buy into their message. Don't argue what they want you to argue. Rejecting their false premises allows us to begin to present the message we know works best for us. Define our message and stick to it. Finally, don't reinvent the wheel. Use what they use (within the confines of ethics). They've shown that they're good at what they do, and if you're like me and believe we're the smarter side, we'll do it better.

I'm running in the Republican primary because I know how to reject false premises, frame the debate and articulate the benefits of conservatism (without pandering) to “the 100%.” I owe nothing to DC lobbyists, pundits, bundlers or consultants, so I’m free to represent my future constituents in Ohio-8 and join forces with the small number of conservative voices in Congress who understand that they've been elected to represent the people and not the special interests. It's time we have a representative who understands America's progressive radicals, and it's time to support GOP leaders across the country who aren’t afraid to stand toe to toe with those radicals.