We hate the question. It’s self-centered, self-serving, and quintessentially transactional. Our therapists warn us about treating others as vehicles for advancement. But times have changed, and “What have you done for me lately?” needs to become our mantra in the culture war. It’s time to get transactional for the sake of America.
You should ask me what I have done for you lately. What battles I’ve waged for you? How have I pushed back against the tide of Marxism that engulfs our nation? Have I done anything to change the direction of our cultural rot and decay that terrifies us all? Have I donated money to school board elections, attended a school board meeting, did I door-knock for candidates, helped with mail campaigns, or held a bake sale fundraiser? Anything? Ask me, “Have you done anything for me lately?” Ask away because I’m going to ask the same questions to you. What have you done for me lately? What have we done for each other?
Nothing… That’s the cold, hard truth.
Apathy and indifference are the words grassroots leaders use to describe the response people show when given opportunities to get involved. People are angry, but they’re also disengaged. This should come as no surprise.
When it comes to political action, conservatives are the laziest, sit at home on their ass in front of Fox News and Newsmax crew in the nation. We’re being outworked and outspent by the Left, who win elections at a frightening rate. A loyal core of overworked exhausted self-sacrificing activists does ninety-five percent of the work, but they’re not enough. Sure, we see an uptick in volunteers during November, but after the election, people return to life as usual. It’s vote and go home. The results and common sense tell us that the vote-and-go-home strategy is failing us. When you give little, you get a little in return. Anger isn’t a substitute for action.
People care, and they’ll tell you how angry they are. But the people who “care” also have a litany of excuses as to why they’re too busy to get involved. They can’t be bothered by simple things that can make a huge difference.
Consider this.
Centre County, Pennsylvania, has approximately forty thousand registered Republican voters, and only a fraction get involved. Last year I proposed a simple strategy that everyone, and I mean everyone, could contribute that would change the political landscape of a once red county that’s turned blue and Left. I called it the 3-hour Red Solo Cup challenge. Here’s how it worked.
I challenged people to find one; yes, one day out of the year, they could volunteer three hours for the candidate of their choice or at the local Republican County office. That’s 120,000 hours of human capital that can transform a county if everyone responds. We had a small group turnout during the fall election cycle, but nearly everyone’s back home for their anger justification session with Hannity. They’re pissed and have the time to bend your ear for a half hour to tell you in no uncertain terms how angry they are with what’s happening to the country. But they’re too busy to find one day to give three hours to make a difference.
Red solo cup challenge. It doesn’t get any easier than this.
I got tired of finding loose change in my washing machine, nightstand, pockets, and all over the house, so I put a red solo cup on my kitchen counter and all of my spare change in it. It took a couple of months to fill, but I was surprised when I dumped it into the change counting machine at the local supermarket. Guess how much – over thirty dollars if you don’t pick the quarters out. It may not seem like much, but when forty thousand registered Republicans donate ONE red solo cup full of change, that’s 1.2 MILLION DOLLARS to fund candidates and campaigns annually. Did people respond? You guessed it, the local party and candidates are still starved of cash and resources. Think about it. Do you know what 1.2 million dollars and 120,000 hours can do to transform a county?
But the people who are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore are too busy to collect spare coins to change their world.
Shame on every one of us.
People can donate three hours and spare change each year. It’s not that hard. The truth is that they don’t want to. We’ve been conditioned over decades that a small group of overworked and never paid citizens handle elections so we can vote and go home to enjoy our lives and vent in front of televisions. People don’t get involved because they don’t think they have to. They have more important things to do, and someone else always preserves their nation. That’s been the political reality for the vast majority of conservatives in America since the glorious Reagan era. Those days are gone, and the results speak for themselves. Nothing changes until we do, which means we have to get up and into the game. Which reminds me…
What have you done for me lately? Where did you spend your three hours? How much is in your red solo cup? Have you done anything for me, my family, and our community? Now, look me in the eye and ask me the same. What have I done for you? What have we done for each other? What have we contributed? Anything?
Sitting on the sideline isn’t an option. Get off the couch, get your spare change, and get in the game.
You’ve got three hours and a red solo cup. Your country needs you.