Preparing the Battle Space

Preparing the battle space is an ancient concept of tactical importance.  We see it over and over again in places like Thermopylae, Waterloo, El Alamein, San Jacinto, Gettysburg.  Preparing the battle space resonates though history.  You let the enemy think he is winning, right up until the moment of his defeat.  It's taught in military schools today and the concept is simple.  Trade space for time, move the enemy where you want him to be, Defeat him.

Political conflicts are much like military conflicts.  You have to prepare the battle space.  If you look at last week's surprising result, it appears that the battle space was prepared perfectly (who thought that Michigan and Wisconsin would become battleground states?).   There was lots of work done by lots of people to make that happen,

Reading Joe Huffman, I am sent to Francis Marion, who gives some insight.

While I’ve never considered myself much of a right winger, being more of a libertarian bent, I have found myself increasingly pushed and marginalized by the “enlightened and progressive” amongst you into the same camp with all sorts of deplorables, regardless of where they lived and what they called themselves. Nationalists, alt righters, anarchists, constitutionalists and so on and so forth all made for strange bedfellows but an effective team. Working on the premise that the enemy of my enemy is my friend we have all found common ground. We have you to thank for that. By pushing, badgering, harassing, marginalizing and insulting us on a regular basis you created something new. And it crushed you at the ballot box.

So, here's the deal.  Everything changed last week.  For better or for worse, everything changed.  Change can be good, or it can be distressing.  But, insulting people never helps.  If anything, the level of hateful rhetoric has ratched up since last Wednesday.  We're all racist, sexist, homophobes.  Oh, and fascist and misogynist. Did I mention racist?  Yeah.

We don't much care if California votes blue (although I mourn for my brethren in the red counties), or if the popular vote is simply an illusion in presidential elections.  The rules haven't changed since 1789.  The electoral college should come as a shock to no one.  And, the vast majority of us aren't interested in changing the rules.  We're not going to abolish the electoral college.That battle space is prepared, and has been for a long, long time.

But, you're right when you say that change is important.  All of us deplorables have learned how to pull together for a common goal. It is a shocking result.  But, the opposition should know by now that insulting us simply doesn't work.  Racism is now officially dead, homophobia is now officially dead.

I'll close with this thought from the earlier quoted article.

So retreat to your safe spaces, grab your adult colouring books and put on a happy face my special snow flakes because regardless of whoever/whatever you are and regardless of what nation it is you reside in, we, the deplorables, are coming for you.

Don't panic, be cool.  We're not coming to hurt you, we're coming to convince you, to lead you to the light.  Freedom is a wonderful thing.