Would someone pretty please with sugar, sprinkles, chocolate, caramel, whipped cream, and a cherry on top send this to Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, David French, Jonah Goldberg, Tom Nichols, and every other ‘timid’ conservative out there who doesn’t want to get their hands dirty so they just don’t bother to fight the Left? Especially when it comes to culture wars?
The number of these people coming out and shaming grassroots for fighting the Left on the groomer issue, claiming it’s wrong to fight fire with fire, is off the charts.
John Hayward just freakin’ nailed it:
There is a part of the conservative sphere that has always felt populism is the ultimate sin, only the Left should be allowed to fight culture wars, and genuine conservative grassroots movements should be immediately run down with rhetorical lawn mowers.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
Being the ‘adult in the room’ is costing us elections, ya jagoffs.
Sorry, was that too aggressive?
There are different reasons why some conservatives gravitate to this way of thinking. Some are paid grifters. Some live deep inside the left-wing information sphere and inherit its prejudices, such as the notion cultural combat is toxic for conservatives but OK for lefties.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
Paid Grifters: The Lincoln Project, The Bulwark, etc.
Left-wing sphere: Jennifer Rubin, S.E. Cupp, Ana Navarro
Some remain convinced there is a crucial group of "moderates" and "independents" in the electorate that will abandon Republicans forever if they fight the way left-wingers do. Perpetual fear of offending indy voters explains a great deal of conservative timidity since the 90s.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
If we get our hands dirty it might offend moderates and independents … the same moderates and independents who don’t seem to mind it when the Left fights dirty.
Some believe they can win ideological struggles without sullying themselves with filthy politics. If they just hold their principles high and visibly disdain effective political strategy, people will someday realize the Right has been right all along, and rally to its banner.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
Tom Nichols, Jonah Goldberg, David French, etc.
Some are quietly fatalist, believing conservatives can never hope to prevail against the absolute media domination of the Left or the vast power it wields through government institutions like schools. Engaging on cultural issues is like challenging Godzilla to a cage match.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
For these timid elements of conservatism, the worst offense of the Right is questioning the motives of the Left. Nothing makes them spring into action against other conservatives faster than insinuations of bad faith or sinister motives against the Left.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
Been a LOT of that, yup.
The Left must always be regarded as the loyal opposition, good people who want the best for everyone, but are simply mistaken about how to achieve these noble ends. Accusations of malevolence or hidden agendas against the Left are denounced as ugly conspiracy mongering.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
This attitude holds among timid conservatives even as the Left wages all-out war and loudly asserts there are no honest, sincere, good-faith arguments against its agenda. Is there a political argument on the Left that doesn't begin with denying the good intentions of opponents?
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
Run through the list of top issues: if you want border security, you must be a xenophobe. If you oppose abortion, you must be a blind religious fanatic or misogynist. If you want smaller government, you're cruel and greedy. Question global warming? You're a tool of Big Oil.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
He’s right you know.
But as soon as any head of steam builds among grassroots conservatives for questioning the motives of the Left on similar grounds, the timid conservatives leap into action. Tut tut! That language is out of bounds! How dare you imply Lefty's agenda is deliberately destructive!
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
Tut! Tut!
That is EXACTLY how they sound.
They'll tell you it's paranoia and slander to talk about the destructive agenda of the Left even as hyperventilating lefties are busy laying out their agenda with hundreds of social media videos and vowing to destroy anyone who gets in their way.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
Don’t believe your lying eyes … yadda yadda yadda.
A great deal of the cancerous growth of the Left in the post-Reagan era was facilitated by this conservative mindset. No matter how blatant the Left was about its agenda, noticing that agenda and questioning its motives was considered rude, improper, and out of the mainstream.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
And God forbid any of these people are considered ‘rude’.
You don't want to fight an ugly culture war? Well, guess what? EVERYTHING is culture. Everything either feeds into culture, or is shaped by it. The Left gets that, and deployed legions of paid shock troops to capture institutions and corporations while you kept your hands clean.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
EVERYTHING IS CULTURE AND THE WAR IS ON OUR DOORSTEP.
Either get in the fight or GTFO of the way.
Too much of the conservative commentariat is exactly that: commentators. They were comfortable remarking on the passing scene, not changing it. "Activism" was a dirty word, something the OTHER guys did. Tossing harmless Nerf footballs of theory around op-ed pages was good enough.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
Now we've arrived at the final destination, the fatal terrain, the fabled Hill to Die On: political and sexual indoctrination of goddamn FIVE YEAR OLDS using public money and state institutions – and it's STILL not time to take the gloves off, huh? Still time for tone policing?
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
Ok, fist-pumping a little.
Still out of bounds to ask what the Left's full agenda looks like, to question the motives of people who do this to children – and those who defend them? They think nothing of denying the very humanity of all who oppose them – and you insist WE must remain polite and respectful?
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
It's as if some conservatives fear the Left's true agenda is so hideous – as carefully laid out by lefties themselves – that if we expose it and speak honestly about it, the public will turn against US for putting such ugliness into their Twitter feeds and Facebook pages.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
You've got a legion of parents out there, a real honest-to-gosh grassroots movement, sickened and disgusted by what they've learned about public education, enraged at the way they were treated by the establishment when they raised their voices. They come from every demographic.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
The newest, strongest, and biggest party right now is literally the PARENT PARTY.
All political ideals, sexes, creeds, colors, persuasions … one thing they all agree on, protecting their kids.
What that grassroots army of parents needs right now is REPRESENTATION. They're looking for candidates to support at every level. And they need intellectual firepower, ideological support, a movement that understands their concerns and offers a philosophy to illuminate them.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
YAAAAAAS.
That's where you're supposed to come in, conservatives – from activists to professional pundits. Or do we get another Tea Party debacle where the grassroots gets trashed by the establishment and left to the mercy of grifters because they threatened to rock the boat too hard? /end
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) April 8, 2022
Maybe stop worrying about being rude and START worrying about finally fighting back for a change?
Crazy, we know.
Time for these timid conservatives to grow a pair.
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