"If you work against what we built here I'm putting you on the list".
This was an actual Facebook quote from an actual Republican activist in Harris County immediately after Trump became the presumptive nominee. I've also seen this on Twitter, in media comments, on TV and a host of other places as the remnants of the GOP come out of the woodwork to remind those of us in the #NeverTrump movement of our supposed duty to the party.
Except, all of them are wrong.
Because none of us have any duty to the Party (either of them) and we never did. You, I or anyone don't owe the GOP or the Democrats anything. And if the both of them want to select as their standard bearers the Bronzed Ego and the Anointed One then so be it.
We don't have to play along.
Loyalty pledges are for politicians and activists, and they make the bureaucrats happy because they suddenly aren't on the hook for poor behavior. "But, but....you PROMISED!?!?" they'll say if a candidate wanders off the reservation.* Now they're trying to say that to a group of voters who warned them that this would be a disaster.
So, put me on those lists. All of those lists. And please make sure you spell my name correctly so there's no mistake. If you have any questions just ask. While you're at it, put me on your "do not contact" lists as well. I've enough of the paid-slate mailers, the phone calls asking for money behind dire threats that Obama's this or that is ruining the country. I'm tired of my door being knocked on at 9AM on a Saturday (or, even worse, 1PM when college football is on TV)
You see, I'm a realist. And I understand the real reality that the GOP is screwed.
There are others out there, Matt Walsh is one and he does a pretty good job explaining why. You can find a bunch of them at publications such as National Review. Where you won't find (many) of them is on so-called "Right-wing radio" or on Fox News which has abandoned it's core audience in favor of the mob.
I propose my own lists.
First, a list of all the media personalities who, for years, made money off of supposedly "leading" the conservative movement only to take an active role in it's destruction. Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, Joe Scharborough and a host of others. While I can safely say that I have never been a member of their core audience, I also rarely spoke against them (except Coulter, whom I consider to be just about the worst person in all of Republicandom today.) but that should change. These idiots should be laughed out of the public square whenever they raise their hand to speak. In a just world their ratings plummet because of what they've done.
The irony here is that the "Vast Left Wing Media" that they always preached about, the group that wanted to bring about the end of the GOP, might have been them all along.
Second, how about a list of people who are doing a good job offering solutions to turn things around? It'd be a much shorter list, but writers such as Kevin D. Williamson, Charles C.W. Cooke, Victor Davis Hanson and a host of others are still churning out thoughtful pieces regarding a conservative future that are worth a read. To me, this is the important list because it should remain evergreen. The first list is best thrown on the refuse heap of history.
I'm not defeatist.
Not at all. I mentioned earlier that Matt Walsh did a good job explaining why I'm PostGOP but I don't echo his thoughts that 'Merica is done and dusted. Are things pretty damn shitty right now? Yes.
Does that mean that we should just blow the thing up and welcome our new Chinese overloards?
Of course not.
America has been diminishing as a country since the 80's. All our leaders are trying to do now is kick the corpse a few times to get the last wheezy breaths of power out of it. As a world power, we're kaput, there's little doubting that. The only things keeping us relevant are our consumer-driven economy (and the thirst for goods it supplies), our rather sizable arsenal of nuclear weapons and our willingness to spread our military forces globally. As long as those three things are around them 'Merica will play a large role in the world.
None of that means that the Phoenix cannot be reborn, transformed and better. And that is the mission that has to be at the core of whatever follows the GOP.
Of course, we have to get rid of the GOP first. The current election is a start.
So, if you're a current activist in the GOP and you're building lists start with my name. Because I've seen you fret that the #NeverTrump groups are threatening to destroy what "you've worked so hard to build" but I have news for you....
What you built has turned out to be a fetid pile of shit.
* No, you gits, that's not racist. Nor does it reflect a casual level of racism toward Native Americans. If you think it does then maybe you should be reading a coloring book instead of this blog. Try and stay inside the lines.
