Conservatives need to start paying attention. Maybe this article will serve as a slap in the back of the head for some – but by and large, from coast to coast, right now, with 14 months to go before the 2012 election…

Liberals have conservatives right where they want them.

Conservatives are either mesmerized by the GOP debates and the ever revolving door of potential nominees. Who’s in, who’s out, who MIGHT get in, who MIGHT get out? How did Perry do in the last debate? Why doesn’t Huntsman just get out? Ron Paul can’t win. Ron Paul is the ONLY one who can win. Mitt’s a RINO…so is NEWT. Mitt’s leading and Newt’s the smartest guy in the room. Bachmann scored big. Bachmann screwed up.

Are you getting the picture my fellow conservatives?

When it comes to the lead up to this important moment in time, conservatives are entranced. Which one do you pick? Which one is the Tea Party favorite? Which one doesn’t have a single old shoe in their closet that doesn’t stink?

Liberals are laughing because they have us right where they want us.

We’re not paying attention to what really matters.

Other conservatives are mesmerized by the ever downward spiral of Obama. His numbers are slipping away and his clout is, too. He’s rehashing old failed programs and moving hard to the left. Conservatives are watching a train wreck in slow motion.

This is the group of conservatives who smile knowing the polls show a generic candidate could beat Obama so no matter which GOP possibility ends up nominated, we win.

Liberals are laughing because they have us right where they want us.

We’re not paying attention to what really matters.

So here’s the question then…What really matters?

The answer might shock some conservatives, and some may well think I need my head examined, but as far as I can tell, the White House should be the least of our concerns.

I’ll get back to that while you clean whatever you’re drinking from your computer screens.

What REALLY matters is the Senate.

There are 23 seats currently occupied by liberals that are up for grabs in 2012. Some of those liberals are retiring and some are running for reelection.

Conservatives need those seats and I believe if we start paying attention to what really matters, we could take 15 of them.

Over in the House, we conservatives have some key seats we need to hold on to and one of those important seats is currently occupied by Allen West in Florida. After the landslide that was the 2010 midterm, there’s not much of a chance we’ll lose control of the house – but certain seats are hotly contested, i.e. West’s seat and those seats MUST be protected and retained.

It’s the Senate which matters most – and arguably, the senate is more important than is the White House.

If conservatives can take the Senate…I mean REALLY take the Senate with a filibuster proof majority and we hold the House…does it really matter WHO the President will be? Does it even matter at that point if Obama wins a second term?

Those who claim a totally ineffective Obama in the White House would still be guiding foreign policy – and if he’s seen as ineffectual by foreign entities, it could hurt our foreign policy, would be correct…under normal circumstances. I suggest our circumstances are far from normal.

Obama’s foreign policies have been week at best and viewed by many on the world stage as ineffective. Clearly, those in regions controlled either by Islam, aka the Muslim Brotherhood, have been bolstered by the Obama policies – but again, arguably, that won’t change…or will it?

A conservative-led House and Senate can and would control spending at all levels, not just domestically and they could and would exert more control of defense spending and over our military deployments to an extent.

Let’s face reality. Our foreign enemies hate us now, and they’ll still hate us whether it’s an ineffectual Obama in a second term or a fresh new conservative in a first term. Our allies are questioning our strength now under Obama, and they have seen our clout diminish rapidly over the last 3 years. As far as our allies are concerned, Obama is ineffectual NOW – so would THEY really see a difference?

Remember, in a worst case scenario, Congress can authorize military action.

Domestically, a conservative-controlled Congress can and would repeal Obamacare and take control of spending, the deficit and actually pass a budget. A conservative-controlled Congress would have the ability to control appointments to cabinet positions and to the Supreme Court.

Remember…a filibuster-proof Congress is also a veto-proof Congress.

Yes, there are downsides to this scenario. Obama would still have the ability to employ executive orders and make recess appointments but given the dire nature of things, even recess appointments could be controlled by…Congress not taking recess…which is drastic but a move which COULD be employed.

Clearly, the BEST thing would be to have Congress AND the White House in conservative hands – and as to THAT statement, does it really matter which POTENTIAL GOP nominee BECOMES the nominee? Even a RINO would be better than Obama, right? Even a nominee with one or two stinky shoes in their closet would be better than Obama…right?

Mitt, Perry, Cain, Santorum, Newt, Bachmann…from the current field – or…Palin, Christi, Bolton from the sidelines who MIGHT get into the game.

Good grief, I can’t believe I’m going to say THIS but…even Ron Paul…would be a better option than what we have now. The issue with Paul is that from a foreign policy standpoint, he would need the same supervision as a second-term ineffective Obama – and Congress would have their hands full – but even given THAT…Paul would be better.

Here’s a dose of reality. Presidents don’t really have as much to do with domestic issues as we think. Presidents CAN push an agenda, but they can’t bring that agenda to fruition without a willing Congress. Obamacare? Stimulus packages? Yes…initiated by Obama, but ultimately PASSED by a willing Congress.

Has the liberal Congress under Obama passed a budget? No. Have they killed the only budget passed through the House under conservative control? Yes. Did the liberal Senate pass anything of their own dealing with the debt ceiling issue? No. Did the liberal controlled Senate kill the only conservative measure to deal with the debt ceiling to pass through the House? Yes.

Was the only debt ceiling measure to gain enough voted from liberals to pass enough to stave off the first credit downgrade in U.S. history? Nope.

Starting to get the big picture?

Liberals are very happy right now because we’re concentrating on the little picture. We’re focused lake lasers on the GOP debates. Our candidates are taking far more pot shots at each other than explaining what their platforms are. We have nine people in each debate and the message from any individual is so watered down you can’t even find it.

We, as conservatives, are watching the daily polling numbers but come on…If those numbers really meant anything at this stage, in 2008 our nominee would have been either Rudy Giuliani or Fred Thompson. This field will continue to thin out and expand but until there are only 2 or 3 left, we won’t really start to know where they stand except against each other and that’s NOT what really counts.

Eventually, ONE candidate will be debating Obama and what we need is a candidate who can run CIRCLES around HIM instead of one who can create the best talking point out of nine of their own.

Right?

Here’s a little something which will make a lot of Tea Party folks cringe and for the record, I’M a Tea Partier.

Newt has a couple of size 11 Tom McCann stinkers in his closet, but he IS mirror fogging Google search who could debate Obama into oblivion. Newt has more facts at the instant recall ready than Obama’s teleprompter could hold, and he’s not spending his debate minutes sniping at the other candidates on stage.

As conservatives, we MUST allow the process to work itself out but more importantly, we MUST start paying attention to those senate seats. If you have a senate seat up for grabs in YOUR area, leave the GOP presidential candidates be and start looking instead for the conservative to occupy THOSE seats.

The ability to take our country back rests in congress much more than in the white house. If conservatives don’t control congress we don’t control anything. If we only control the house we control nothing. If we only control the house and the white house, we’re no better off than we are now. But take control of the senate and retain control of the house, we take this country back. Add to that, the white house, regardless of which GOP resides there and we reclaim our place on the world stage too.

Am I conceding the White House? Should we ignore the presidential race? NO WAY!! We can take that too but without the Senate, we lose.

The REAL goal is no fewer than 15 turnabouts in the Senate and retaining control of the House. Liberals know that as long as we focus on the debate circus and the daily poll numbers we’re fractured and that plays into their hand.

If we stop playing their game, liberals will have nothing to laugh at come November 2012.

If we start playing our OWN game, we’ll have liberals right where WE want THEM…

Packing up their boxes.