Conservatives have long held respect for our nation's Founders.  While our values closely mirror those of our Founding Fathers – self-governance, natural rights, (historic) liberalism, and the free exchange of commerce and ideas, what is most respected (according to this author) is the use of "reason" to advance the tenets set forth in establishing our new nation.

Great men with disparate views, advancing great ideas.  Make no mistake: passions were high, but all sides (Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists) used reason to make the case for their ideals.

The Federalists – James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and others – wrote 85 essays (The Federalist Papers) to explain the provisions of the Constitution and to make the case for its adoption.

The Anti-Federalists – James Wilson, Samuel Bryan, Robert Yates, George Clinton, Patrick Henry and others made their case in opposition to the Constitution's adoption. Morten Borden consolidated Anti-Federalists writings into 85 Essays, corresponding with the 85 Federalists Papers.  

At the end of debate, all parties determined that the cause of liberty, leading to the adoption of our Constitution and the formation of the United States of America, was greater than their respective viewpoints.  These great men, in their own right, came together to form a more perfect union.

A perfect union, no, but one that, through thick and thin, has stood the test of time.

Sadly, we appear to have entered a new time – a time of emotion.

The progressive left have abandoned reason.  They are determined to have America ruled by emotion.

Nothing symbolizes this new era more than the attempts by the left to quash free speech.  Their insistence on accepting only thought that comports with their viewpoint is bordering on apoplectic.  The media, celebrities, the NFL, academia, congressional Democrats, radical protest groups (but I repeat myself) have formed a storm front against opposing viewpoints.     

Their use of inflammatory adjectives (racist, bigot, sexist, homophobe, Islamophobe, Nazi, fascist, etc.) to describe their opponents is nothing but an attempt to shut down debate (reason).

The left have made holding a viewpoint not consistent with their own progressive dogma tantamount to murder.

Under this environment, finding common ground will be difficult, if not impossible.  How can common ground be found, when one party (conservatives) are unable to use reason to make their case?

Make no mistake: what the left fears most is not that conservative ideas will fail, but that they'll succeed.  They can't abide the thought that liberty and self-determination might supplant the nanny state and centralized control.

For our part, we must continue to debate big ideas and, under a Trump presidency, continue to advance our principles.  We must, though, at the same time, do a better job of mapping said principles to benefits in service to the American people.  Republicans have historically done a poor job of this.

Subsequently, we'll also need to isolate the radical left, to show them for what they are: radicals.  We'll then need to work to reason with what used to be Kennedy/Reagan Democrats.  The radical left represent a small segment of Democrats.  We must not confuse their tantrums with those of Middle America.

We are in the midst of a battle of ideas.  We have lived under Progressive rule for much of a generation.  We must not allow the radical left to keep us from reasoning a path forward.

One wouldn't give into a child's emotional tantrum.  We must not give in to the left's emotional meltdown.

Let's reason our way to making America great again.