An Introduction to the Chessboard

Chess is a maddeningly frustrating game for most. One might pick up the sport for a short period of time to learn the basics, but as the player delves deeper into the intricacies of the game, he or she likely will become discouraged. Lost in the various forms of the game and the bewildering terminology, a newbie is likely to toss the game aside after a few lessons.

In many ways, politics is comparable to the strategy game played on a chessboard. It is highly competitive, it involves ingenious tactics, and it is an art form. But, like chess, politics can be overwhelmingly difficult to follow, as well as disheartening. Despite this fact, we must fall back upon this famous Italian proverb:

"At the end of the game, the pawn and the king go back into the same box."

This quote can also apply to politics. Even though we may become discouraged by the current state of our political system, we must continue to honor our responsibility to this nation by following politics. U.S. citizens must avidly research current affairs, study the ideas of prominent politicians, and exercise our rights to vote and let our voices be heard. Our founding fathers firmly believed we could handle the responsibilities given to us in this democratic republic, so we must fulfill our civic duties.

Now, at this point, I'm sure you're wondering why this 17-year-old kid is lecturing you about staying in the loop when it comes to politics. As Admiral James Stockdale famously said in the 1992 Vice Presidential Debate, "Who am I? Why am I here?" Well, as just proven by my quoting of the good admiral, I'm a bona fide political nerd. As a homeschooler since the 2nd grade, I've had ample time to follow my own passions, and politics has been a priority. However, I'm just a kid from the backwoods of West Virginia, where the Greenbrier River and moonshine flow. I'm not trying to come across as 'holier than thou'. I'm as plain as the nose on your face (unless you have Lyndon B. Johnson's nose, as he is known for having the largest schnoz in presidential history).

I recently found inspiration from a story about a 12-year-old political operative named Weston Imer. The youngster is running Donald Trump's campaign office in Jefferson County, Colorado, a critical county in Trump's gameplan. When interviewed, Imer eloquently demanded of others, "Get involved. That's what I'm going to say. Get involved. Kids need to be educated." And he couldn't be more right.

I received my first taste of politics when my grandparents, longtime members of the Greenbrier County Republican Club, took me to a George W. Bush re-election rally in Beckley, West Virginia in 2004. I vividly remember the shouts of "Four more years!" ringing from the rafters. Although I didn't fully grasp what was going on, nor what was at stake, I knew that I was attending an important event.

My first real interest in news and politics, however, came at the end of 'Dubya's residency in the White House. You see, my parents have always been consistent viewers of NBC Nightly News, and I essentially  grew up with Brian Williams. I thought he was a pretty cool guy. This, of course, was before I truly understood liberal media bias, and before we all found out that Williams is a pathological liar. Anyhow, in early September of 2008, Williams was reporting on the government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Amused by these humorous (at least, humorous to me) names of financial services companies, I had the urge to dig a little deeper. This seems to be the area that I would pinpoint as the time when the spark was lit. I had to know more every day about the news, and subsequently, politics. I felt compassion for those affected by what happened to Fannie & Freddie, Lehman Brothers, Wachovia, etc., and I wanted to learn more so that one day, I could make a difference.

In 2010, when my family got DirecTV, I gained access to the gold standard of information: the Fox News Channel. Personalities like Shepard Smith, Neil Cavuto, and Megyn Kelly became daily fixtures in the Anderson household. However, there was no personality that I respected and watched more than Mr. No Spin himself, Bill O'Reilly. From The O'Reilly Factor, a show that I watch almost religiously to this day, I took the valuable lesson of looking at both sides of the aisle with impartiality and not becoming a sheep for either party.

I am in Mike Pence's corner when he says that he is “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.” As a born-again Christian, I base my thoughts and opinions on the Word of God. As a conservative, I have a limited government perspective that nearly mirrors Mike Huckabee's and Ted Cruz's. And as a Republican, I will try to support the party because it represents ideals that need to come back to the top of American politics.

I will not, however, blindly defend every member of the Republican Party. I will be openly critical of characters like Donald Trump (although I will support him in this election), Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Sarah Palin, and a litany of others for a variety of reasons.

This blog will hold true to its political foundation. I respect the minds of Dr. Larry Sabato, Scott Rasmussen, and Charles Krauthammer, as they understand the game of politics better than any others. I like one quote by Krauthammer in particular, when talking about elections, saying, "Every two years the American politics industry fills the airwaves with the most virulent, scurrilous, wall-to-wall character assassination of nearly every political practitioner in the country - and then declares itself puzzled that America has lost trust in its politicians."

That is the very reason why this blog is here today. There is a way to fix the world of politics, and it includes a blend of the ideals of John Kasich and Calvin Coolidge (an odd pairing, I know). In the future, I will explain what I mean in full.

Also, I will analyze news stories that don't directly affect politics, but do have key lessons in them. For example, I plan on making one of my first pieces an analysis of the controversy caused by San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick, and his sitting during The Star Spangled Banner.

For now, however, I have rambled enough. I'm very eager to get started, make connections with the readers, and hopefully make a difference through this blog. In closing, I will leave you with the reminder that I will include at the end of every article:

The world of politics never ceases to turn...