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Denial, Delusion, or Dreaming: Which Describes You Best?
For the last several years, people on Ricochet have ranted about the corruption of government, and how little has changed. Now we see many people who continue to propose steps that the government must take to hold despicable members of the administration accountable, despite the overwhelming evidence that nothing will happen.
I’ve said in the past that I am a cock-eyed optimist, and I have been one of those people who has proposed solutions to the current ugly state of affairs. Lately, I’ve also stated that I have mostly given up hope for things to improve. So, here’s my question: why do people continue to hope when it seems that all may be lost? A clue is in the word “may.”
I’ve diagnosed the disease that seems to be running rampant through the conservatives and Republicans (however you wish to identify), and I’ll share them with you here in no particular order:
There are those in denial. These are the folks who refuse to see things just as they are. It’s all good, things will be fine, we are still a democratic Republic, it’s not as bad as it looks. They refuse to acknowledge the facts, just as the Democrats refuse to recognize the truth when it hits them in the head. Denial can be a difficult condition to maintain, particularly when you live among those people who prefer reality to denial. But at least you don’t need to see the ugly truth.
Then there are those who are deluded. These folks are determined to create their own reality and focus on the few things that are working: Kevin McCarthy rounded up Republicans to fight for a lifting of the debt ceiling if expenditures are held in check. Investigations of all kinds are proceeding in order to demand accountability from Joe Biden and his administration. Whistleblowers are speaking out, even in a public forum, against the travesties of our intelligence community. And very little will change.
And finally, there are the dreamers. These are the folks who remember the good ol’ days and the way government used to be (or at least it seemed to be). They recommend solutions that will never happen. They demand that people be held accountable when no one else is interested in accountability. Of all three ailments, this is probably the most difficult to maintain on a site like Ricochet, unless you are a lurker and have nothing to say.
You might say that people are entitled to believe and say whatever they wish when discussing politics, and I agree. Except for one thing: it doesn’t motivate the person to deal with life as it is, which means any of these illnesses will discourage, if not prevent, people from dealing with the facts on the ground. Maybe that situation is good for all of us: maybe we should insulate ourselves from the impossible situation we’ve found ourselves in. It is a survival mentality, helps us get through the disillusionment that sits at our doorstep and threatens to overwhelm us.
Do I have a solution for this dilemma? I don’t. I finally realized, however, that Conservatives are effectively faced with having to go through grief and loss: who are we? What have we become? How do we move on? Most people hate to grieve; it is such a difficult journey to take. But I do know that denial of the truth, delusion about the facts and dreaming of an unlikely future will get us nowhere. I also know that creative solutions can only arise when we allow ourselves to move through grief, strengthen our resolve, and look at our current situation with honesty and clarity.
Otherwise, in one way or another, we will lose.
Published in Domestic Policy
Nope. Nothing concrete here. Platitudes.
What, exactly do I do? What are the steps?
What does it mean to work in ones community? Preach the gospel of conservatism?
What do you have that is actionable and measurable?
If a flood is coming, do you give people this so rt of advice? I would hope you would tell them what to do, where and when to go. Specifics.
The crowd who says things are not that bad are the ones getting washed away.
You seem to be content wallowing in your despair. There is not much I can do or say. Best of luck.
As with others, when I ask for concrete answer, you provide nothing. And like others, you accuse me of despair because I admit I don’t see a pathway for things to get better.
I still live my life and do the things you call on me to do, and yet, people like you accuse me of despair. It is strange.
You can’t give me a pathway for how things will get better, and me calling you out on your failure forces you to accuse me of an emotion I don’t have. You are right, you are no psychologist.
His despair is built on observation. The entire western world seems bent on self-destruction. Communist China and Iran are making their moves. Marxism is rising, its long march through the institutions is complete. Our constitutional republic is in decline and the federal government is corrupt. People don’t want to be bothered with the uncomfortable truth. I doubt if it will turn around in my lifetime. Immorality is worshipped, not God, who is ignored by secularists and mocked by atheists. I know enough about history to know how it ends. I watched the 2020 and 2022 elections for signs of hope. Now people tell me to vote a certain way or Democrats will win. Excuse me? If over half the country will vote for Democrats, they deserve whatever befalls them. I’m not in despair. I will enjoy my remaining days. I believe the younger folks will get the government they deserve, and didn’t see coming.
Yet they didn’t do as well in 2022 in VA. Here the Dobbs decision may have had an impact. Which VA will we see in 2024, 2021 or 2022?
Great question. It seems like everyday there are positive steps and then they seem to slide back.
I really think 2022 had to do with the reaction to Dobbs in VA. Unlike elsewhere the Republicans had good candidates in competitive races. They were outspent but that is pretty normal and you would expect given the environment and the their success in 2021 that the republicans would do better. Dobbs was brand new in 2022 and it unsettled things. I am not sure it will be as big an issue in 2024. All this having been said I still think Dobbs was a major victory and worth the hopefully short term electoral pain.
Ironic, if true. Trump gave us the ability to overturn Roe. Nobody else for 40 years could do that. Then he is blamed for the losses in 2022 because Roe is undone. Sounds like a party of ungrateful jerks to me.
How’s this, Red? Not sure what you mean.
Means I made a typo. Fixed it.
Some losses in 2022 can be blamed fairly on Trump. He backed a lot of unconventional candidates, some of which were new to politics. Unconventional candidates can win; however, they usually don’t for the same reason amateur golfers rarely make the cut at the Masters. Politics is a skill set and for every unconventional talent, like Trump, there are a lot of people who just don’t have the skills or think they can make do without accomplishing the basics. These unconventional candidates made their campaigns largely about the stolen election in 2020 and lost. They were not able to pivot to a better general election message. Also the Democrats spent a lot of money to get Trump endorsed candidates to win in the primary. It appears they knew something he didn’t. Republican voters should be wary if the democrats are promoting someone in the republican primary. It is best to assume to they know what they are doing. Additionally while Trump fundraised off these candidates and for these candidates after the primary he spent very little money helping them out. Admittedly this gives him a bigger war chest for 2024, but it reinforces the point that Trump is out for Trump not for the Party.
To be clear I am engaging in cold analysis here. I don’t care if you support or like Trump or not. He makes mistakes and does not have a clear record of general election success. Even if you like Trump you should evaluate his endorsements on their own merits and perhaps see if they line up with who the democrats are pushing. Trump has not shown himself to be a great evaluator of political talent. This is hardly surprising since he is a natural politician and doer. I doubt he could tell you how he does what he does, so I doubt he could spot it in others.
Roe was a consequential decision and Trump deserves a lot of credit for it. The Republican party has no concept of how to deal with the victory. Part of 2022 was a reaction to the overturning of Roe. I point this out because it may also be an issue in 2024 especially if the Republicans continue with their Feckless handling of it.
As far as being an ungrateful jerk. While I appreciate the successes of the Trump presidency and voted for him in 2020, I don’t consider any politician worthy of personal loyalty or gratitude. I hire them to do a job. Trump did his job well in 2017-2019 and did a poor job in 2020 and lost. Since 2020 he hasn’t done much to advance the ball in a direction I like. Instead he has spent a lot of time looking back and feeling sorry for himself. This isn’t the way to win my vote. Even if I liked him personally he has to prove he can win a general, will pursue an agenda I like, and can execute on that pursuit before he has my vote in the primary. If that makes me an ungrateful jerk so be it.
It doesn’t make you an ungrateful jerk; it makes you a wise voter. I think on Trump’s support of others, he does it mainly to “look good’ in the moment; beyond that, I doubt he much cares.
I am not entirely sure of that. President Trump this time around has to be more mindful of the allies he will need in any possible 2025-2029 Trump Administration. So I would be surprised if he is as indifferent as you suggest. Even if he is about “me”, 2025 “me” will need help. That he wasn’t able to pull some of those allies over the finish line — money or not — is not that unusual for mid-terms. But we’ll see.
So you think if Trump endorses someone, he will consider whether they would be a good fit with his administration? Aren’t those he endorses a separate group from those he’d choose for his administration?
No, I was think of legislators and governors.
I tend to agree, to be more charitable to Trump. He isn’t a philosophical or self reflective person. He is a doer. I doubt he understands, or cares, how he is able to succeed in politics so he probably assumes it is the same way for everyone. He has been able to win campaigns while being outspent so he probably assumes that everyone else can as well. In fairness he isn’t wrong normally Republicans are outspent at least 2:1.
Another thing to consider. People are forgetting Trump is going to be an incumbent if he wins. Unless he has allies in Congress that will walk the plank for him, few Republicans are going to stick their neck out for him. A president’s ability to dictate the agenda goes down considerably when he is term limited.
“Have I been using this term all wrong?”
Nope. It just means “person currently holding office” not “last term”.
Donald Trump is the last person (among the names being bandied about) whom I want to be the Republican nominee. But I don’t see his being term limited as being a major factor in whether Republicans do his bidding or not. Even if Trump cannot be president for another term after his next one, that doesn’t mean he has no power to seek retribution against disloyal Republicans after leaving office. He can still denounce them and campaign for primary challengers.
Look over the history of president’s second terms.
Oh you’re right I used incumbent incorrectly. Almost all politicians who are in a legally final term are incumbents. This is a weird situation.
Trump himself blamed Roe and pro-life republicans for the losses in 2022.
What I meant to say is that if elected Trump will automatically be a lame duck. My incoming senility is tough to handle. 👨🦳
“Ungrateful jerk” referred to folks who wanted Roe overturned or pretended they wanted it overturned then blamed him for losing because it was overturned. Being outspent was a problem. That problem remains. Worldwide rich globalists will continue to use their dark money to control our politics. Trump isn’t for the party but for the people. You assume better candidates were there that could have one in those blue states. I agree the party is feckless.
Post election analysis showed many voted against Trump because they support abortion. At this point, I no longer know what the party stands for.
Well as I pointed out earlier. If you assume you don’t need a campaign manager and you lose. It isn’t really news because every winning campaign hired one. Also it isn’t normal a good play to tell marginal voters on your side you don’t want their support. Whereas more conventional politicians did win last cycle, some pretty handily. Unfortunately the republican party seems to be comfortable with being feckless, since they returned their losing chairwoman for another election to allow the democrats the best possible chance of recapturing the house and holding the senate and the white house.
I’m not sure which election you are talking about. Trump was pro-abortion his whole life (even partial birth abortion) until he ran for president in 2016 as a republican. Few democrats would have disagreed with him back then.
And yet, he was the first President to address the March for Life in Person. He done good.
Trump is a wonderful collection of contradictions. He is certainly responsible for the most success of the prolife side in 50 years.
They loved him until he announced he was running against their anointed one. It is the ideology of the right they really hate.