Apr 1, 2023·edited Apr 1, 2023Liked by John Hawkins
There are some hard to hear truths in your essay, and possibly some wishful thinking as well. My state's contribution to conservatism was the principled but unwilling to actually fight Paul Ryan, and the ready to fight, but not so polished businessman turned Senator Ron Johnson. I'm afraid that the media, woke corporations, leftist indoctrination centers masquerading as schools, and the deep state weaponizing the government have so stacked the deck that conservatives can no longer win the presidency. Trump fooled the media, who thought he was a light weight clown, then viciously attacked him after he won and had some successes. How many "barrels of ink" (now terabytes of misinformation) have the media used to smear him? With Trump being indicted, by a hard Left NY state prosecutor, the rule of law is gone now, and the US is just another banana republic. We were too soft, too indulgent, and now the monsters are loose and in charge. What major city would you feel safe living in?
The average grass-roots conservative doesn't have the 🔥 in the belly to wage a successful battle against the ideological left. We're not crazy enough or so bereft of anything other than ideology to become rabid, frothing at the mouth political opponents. One reason so many conservatives have idealized Trump is because he does have that fire, even though he's a destructive wild-fire in many ways, and hurts us more than he helps. Trump isn't going to save us. We have to save ourselves by refusing to be afraid to be called names, shunned or ridiculed when we stand up for our country and ourselves. Are we ninnies or are we warriors? If, en masse, we refused to pay income taxes by walking away from our jobs, how long would it take to drain the swamp and rid the White House of its infestation of vermin? 🤷🏼♀️
I've recently concluded that the focus of MOST of us should be local, not national. City, county (DEFINITELY this level - you wouldn't believe just how much money the county commissioners control!), and regional/state.
Spend some time reading the more local news, and attend the local meetings - NOT to carp at them, but as an observer. Share your notes about what you hear with others, in emails. Encourage them to do the same for OTHER meetings. Over time, you will build up a more knowledgeable citizenry.
It's a SLOOOOOW process - YEARS, not weeks or months.
You won't get the 'excited high' of Trump's rallies - that's the point. The EXCITED will not, generally, return to their normal life after the rally with the determination to work in their community. We want worker bees at the local level, who can/will work with others without acrimony to improve their communities.
There are some hard to hear truths in your essay, and possibly some wishful thinking as well. My state's contribution to conservatism was the principled but unwilling to actually fight Paul Ryan, and the ready to fight, but not so polished businessman turned Senator Ron Johnson. I'm afraid that the media, woke corporations, leftist indoctrination centers masquerading as schools, and the deep state weaponizing the government have so stacked the deck that conservatives can no longer win the presidency. Trump fooled the media, who thought he was a light weight clown, then viciously attacked him after he won and had some successes. How many "barrels of ink" (now terabytes of misinformation) have the media used to smear him? With Trump being indicted, by a hard Left NY state prosecutor, the rule of law is gone now, and the US is just another banana republic. We were too soft, too indulgent, and now the monsters are loose and in charge. What major city would you feel safe living in?
The average grass-roots conservative doesn't have the 🔥 in the belly to wage a successful battle against the ideological left. We're not crazy enough or so bereft of anything other than ideology to become rabid, frothing at the mouth political opponents. One reason so many conservatives have idealized Trump is because he does have that fire, even though he's a destructive wild-fire in many ways, and hurts us more than he helps. Trump isn't going to save us. We have to save ourselves by refusing to be afraid to be called names, shunned or ridiculed when we stand up for our country and ourselves. Are we ninnies or are we warriors? If, en masse, we refused to pay income taxes by walking away from our jobs, how long would it take to drain the swamp and rid the White House of its infestation of vermin? 🤷🏼♀️
I've recently concluded that the focus of MOST of us should be local, not national. City, county (DEFINITELY this level - you wouldn't believe just how much money the county commissioners control!), and regional/state.
Spend some time reading the more local news, and attend the local meetings - NOT to carp at them, but as an observer. Share your notes about what you hear with others, in emails. Encourage them to do the same for OTHER meetings. Over time, you will build up a more knowledgeable citizenry.
It's a SLOOOOOW process - YEARS, not weeks or months.
You won't get the 'excited high' of Trump's rallies - that's the point. The EXCITED will not, generally, return to their normal life after the rally with the determination to work in their community. We want worker bees at the local level, who can/will work with others without acrimony to improve their communities.