Real hope and change brighten dark days ...

Less than 48 hours after the darkest day, there already is news of real hope and change!

Conservative leaders met in Virginia Thursday to begin planning the opposition to President-elect Barack Obama's liberal agenda -- an effort they say will be made with or without the Republican Party.

Among those on hand were L. Brent Bozell III, president of the Media Research Center; Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council; Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform; Al Regnery, publisher of the American Spectator; longtime conservative activist Richard Viguerie and conservative pollster Kellyanne Conway, according to CNSNews.com.

The leaders expect to battle Obama, Democratic-dominated Congress and even moderate Republicans on taxes, sanctity of life, marriage, judicial nominations, secret ballots for union organizing and the Fairness Doctrine, which threatens freedom of speech on the radio.

Bozell said the group sees the election was not a defeat to conservative ideas and principles but to a Republican Party that mistakenly shunned these principles: “This was a campaign between the moderate wing of the Republican Party and the Democrats.” To which Viguerie said, “Conservatism did not lose – big-government Republicanism lost.”

Conservatives solutions are just as viable as ever. So we need to do a much better job of selling the benefits. “Information is the currency of democracy,” as Thomas Jefferson used to say. So we've got to increase the quality and extent of our communication.

As a conservative my fear is that the people won't understand. But I take heart in the fact liberals are afraid the people WILL understand and thus support conservative solutions to our nation's problems.

It's urgent we spread the good news before empowered liberals transform American into a socialist nation.

Socialism, and its penchant for redistributing wealth, is nothing new. It was old stuff back in Winston Churchill's day, leading him to say: “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”

And over time its axiom is this: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Say, isn't that the definition of crazy: repeatedly doing the same thing, expecting a different result?

The wise Mr. Jefferson also stated: "Democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”

To those who advocate socialism, I say show us just one successful example. But it's likely they'd arrogantly answer, "Well, WE haven't tried yet."

See if you don't agree Dean Koontz correctly pegged Democrat elitists like Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Howard Dean:

"Pure, hard-core liberals believe in a superior race. They think they're it," Koontz said. "They believe they're more intelligent than the general run of mankind, better suited than the little people are to manage the little people's lives. They think they have the one true vision, the ability to solve all the moral dilemmas of the century. They prefer big government because that is the first step to totalitarianism, toward unquestioned rule by the elite. And of course they see themselves as the elite."

Americans misguidedly bought into the benefits of socialism on election Day. Now they need to quickly be brought up to speed on its detriments. Many have no idea how Obama's half-baked ideas have been tried over and over elsewhere and repeatedly led to disaster.

Liberals excitedly see the way clear to make progress with their agenda. If, however, you're on the wrong road to begin with, true progress necessitates an about-face to get back to the right road. Until then, every step makes it worse.

We, as conservatives, thus must get this vital message out to America's grass roots and generate support for our leaders in exile as they map the road back to sanity. Tell friends and family. Speak up when possible. Direct everyone to sources that tell the truth about conservatism and socialism.