In America’s earliest days, self-interested factions existed, and it has always been a part of the country’s fabric. In the very early 1800s, many concluded that they couldn’t count on popularly elected officials to solve many of the problems of their lives (sound familiar). As a result, political parties rose as professional organizations to recruit leaders, mobilize voters, win elections, and compete with other opposition parties.
In 1816, President James Madison had one year left in office. The fourth president said that political parties weren’t necessary to free government but admitted they were necessary evils in a free society despite concerns they weren’t good for public harmony and stability. Time has proven him right.
Suffice it to say, despite the political challenges of every era; heroic figures were waiting to engage in a fight to restore the soul of the nation. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan come to mind. Each one left the country in a far better place than they found it.
Where are our courageous heroes, right now, when America may need them the most?
More than ever, politics has devolved into an all-out non-combatant war. In the Art of War, Sun Tzu noted that warfare is more about outsmarting an opponent without engaging in physical battle. Today, the battlelines are drawn, and it’s not in the sand. Instead, it appears to be in concrete. Over the last six months, President Joe Biden went on the offensive and did something politically remarkable but severely damaging to America.
Biden and the Democratic Party apparatus employed the Art of War and ultimately labeled every Republican as MAGA and turned it into a negative stereotype. Suffice it to say, it worked politically but may have destroyed much of the civil fabric of the country. At the same time, the Left worked to undermine the pillars of America’s society and government in 2021.
Why would I say that?
As America emerged from patriarchy and monarchy in the late eighteenth century, the country became known for its culture of hard work. It may not have led to prosperity in all or many cases, but it was a virtue expected of citizens. In the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society initiative began to change it. Since then, the country has evolved from work to the couch. There are many reasons for this, and not all are because of politics or the government. Still, the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed something in America.
Perhaps politics has eroded in a way not seen since the Civil War era. Not only did most Democrats and some Republicans detest President Trump personally, but also the administration’s conservative policies. Before COVID-19, most predicted he was so successful in achieving prosperity through policy that he would cruise to re-election. Conservative principles were working. We all know the rest of the story.
Regardless, President Joe Biden promised he would unite the country after a bitter 2020 presidential campaign. He’s done just the opposite. Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, Biden came out with a new attack line. He falsely attached MAGA as a threat to democracy. It was a gross injustice of incendiary rhetoric. At its core, MAGA is nothing more than conservative principles. Trump wasn’t the first to coin the term or use it the way he did. Ronald Reagan used it in the 1980 presidential election in nearly the same way:
- Smaller government
- Reduced taxes
- Fewer regulations
- Stronger defense
- Foreign relations backbone
No one would call Reagan or those who voted for him an extremist. At its core, these principles are the essence of MAGA. It’s traditional conservatism. The problem isn’t MAGA philosophy. It’s partly a two-fold challenge. First, Trump hasn’t been careful with his words or rhetoric. Second, Democrats seized on his language to brand him, and now GOP voters, as extremists.
What Biden successfully did was marry the idea of MAGA as extreme with Republicans, of which most conservatives belong to the Republican Party. This psychology is now deeply embedded in people’s minds. The imagery created by Biden and the Democrats has seeped into the American conscience. Politically, it’s challenging to overcome half or more of the country who are stuck in partisan loyalties without respected leaders on either side telling their extreme elements to “cut it out.”
So, it’s time for conservatives to become brave and courageous. If we don’t, the Left will lead this country down a destructive path. Too many Democrats have embraced at least some form of socialism or anti-capitalist attitudes that run contradictory to the Constitution and the ideals of hope, opportunity, and happiness. They want equity (which means equal outcomes) to reign over equal opportunity. They want the government to provide for more of the people’s needs to ensure equity. The outcome is destructive, and the Left knows it.
The way they sideline conservatives is to use the principles in the Art of War to intimidate and manipulate a large enough size of the population that conservatives and Republicans are untrustworthy.
Fortunately, some are starting to see it. Popular podcaster Joe Rogan is waking up to the reality of the Left, and he’s talking about it.
Still, where are the conservative heroes?
Who will stand up to this insaneness happening in America today?
Who will step up?
It’s not a time for anger or revenge. That’s not what America needs.
Instead, we need voices of passion and reason and logic and temperance. It can’t just be politicians, talk radio, or other conservative outlets. It’s going to take us all doing our parts. It starts with self-education.
What is in the Constitution?
Why was it written the way it was?
How is the Left transforming America’s culture, and how are we engaging it?
Who will be the next courageous hero?
Will it be you?
The Conservative Era, Copyright 2023
