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Will Conservatives Fight Each Other for the Next Four Years?
I have no idea what will happen over the next month. It’s possible but unlikely that President Trump will be re-elected; it’s also likely that Joe Biden will fill that seat; his winning this election fills me with fear and dread.
But to me, even worse than watching an elderly man who has cognitive problems and misguided ideas become President will be watching the Conservatives at each other’s throats. I foresee those who enthusiastically support Trump holding angry grudges against those who believed that Trump could not overcome the odds or beat back the fraud. And I can imagine those who believed the odds were long will be hated by those who believed that fraud should have been uncovered and Trump should have won.
This outcome is a lose-lose proposition for Conservatives everywhere.
Why do I bring this issue up now? Because in one sense, it doesn’t matter what the results are: we could waste our energy berating each other, blaming the system, and condemning those who were on the opposite side of us.
I’m also raising this issue now because we must focus on the real potential catastrophe: Democrats may very well be in charge of the government at one level or another and their dominance could destroy our country.
Now I will admit that I’m not fond of watching people fight with each other, verbally or otherwise (although I did enjoy the original Karate Kid). But the stakes are too high for us to get sidetracked and fall into Republican reticence of being Mr. Nice Guys or giving up the farm. Instead of fighting with each other over the past, let’s try the following:
- Make sure one way or another that a highly credible commission is established to study the results of the election, identify the fraud that occurred, find the mismanagement that was pervasive, and identify solutions. This effort will require identifying which steps should be proposed for the federal government to oversee, and which should be given to the states. If possible, the recommendations should include penalties for breaking or mismanaging the rules. The committee should be bipartisan and should preferably include people who are no longer in government, but have credibility on both sides of the aisle.
- Stop crying over spilled milk, no matter who wins. It will have been done. Arguing amongst ourselves is just another kind of distraction and will stall any progress on the part of Republicans. I frankly don’t care if you feel there was massive fraud or if you believe there was fraud, but not enough to make a difference. (I believe the truth is somewhere in the middle.) It’s history. Finished. Done.
- Let’s figure out the next steps for the Republicans that go beyond fighting the Democrats or re-litigating the election. We need to revamp totally the principles of Conservatism. We need to give up on old hopes that will be lost for the future, such as small government. We need to figure out how to educate people about US history and its goals in moving forward. We need to determine how to best engage people in America and build enthusiasm for 2024.
- We must explore the psychological impact of this election and be honest about its effect on ourselves and the people. Each of us should take a good hard look at ourselves and ask what really motivates our antagonism toward our colleagues. I learned a good lesson that is almost always true when it comes to human motivation. We become angry when two aspects of our psyche are challenged: being right and looking good. That means when someone accuses us of being wrong, we defend ourselves, insisting that we are right. It doesn’t matter whether we are “really” right or not; we must protect ourselves from those who question us. “Looking good” describes those characteristics that we value because we think they make us “look good”; they are what you value about yourself, not necessarily what someone else appreciates about us. That means when a person violates your important beliefs about your looking good—being smart, being right, being ethical, being educated—you will have a strong negative reaction and even fight back. I know intimately the limitations of these reactions!
Once we realize that our reactions to others’ challenging us are based on our irrational fears of being discounted, it’s much easier to disregard what they say about us. For example, some men like to tell me I’m reacting “emotionally” to something. Most women hate to be told that; I love it because I can respond by saying, “You’re right! I am emotional. But I’m also smart and knowledgeable.” That usually stops the attack.
* * * * *
My hope for all of us is that we don’t move into the next four years with a chip on our shoulders. Let’s not attack each other; let’s not spend our time in useless arguments. Instead, let’s transform our anger into passion; our concerns into dedication for America; our frustration into a laser-sharp focus. Let’s work together. Let’s help each other.
Let’s set the example of what it means to be proud Americans.
Published in Politics
But what bothers me is how they do take over otherwise good and interesting posts’ comments. You have to wade through a half a dozen comments to find a thoughtful post that isn’t about some NTer making a snide and unsupportable remark. Maybe if I just will them into a cornfield, someone will end up in a cornfield. I just hope it’s not me.
Actually, I’m getting sort of accustomed to reading past them.
I’ve been offline for the Sabbath and came back in cringe mode. Actually, overall, the nastiness was limited. But I did notice a few overwhelming trends for those who support Trump and those who don’t:
Trump supporters: Many of you have lumped those who dislike Trump into one big pot. The only problem is, they aren’t all, always disagreeable, although it’s difficult to discern from one comment to another. I will say one thing that is ever so true: if someone hates Trump and says so– ignore them. Don’t give me nonsense about how you can’t let their comments stand–that is BS and you know it. The fact is, you want to fight back, punish them, attack them. That’s on you. No excuses. If the chances are good that they will attack Trump, move along. When I see those people on others’ posts, I ignore them. Why can’t you?
Trump haters: For those who hate Trump, get over yourself. People who like Trump don’t need your lectures or advice, and you do yourself no favors by antagonizing them. If you insist on relying on history to get attention, I feel sorry for you. The world is moving on, and I recommend you do the same. If you continue to attack Trump, even though the last four years are nearly over, I will ask people to not let you bait them. If you try to engage in other conversations that don’t have to do with Trump, it may take another four years for people to get past your nastiness and engage you. You brought that on yourself. If you want any chance to be welcomed back, act like a mature adult and engage thoughtfully and politely. There are plenty of people who may give you a chance, because they are generous people. But if you continue to insult them, all bets are off.
This!!! If people ignore them, even if they make several comments in a row, you will have less stress and maybe they will be bored with the lack of reaction. I never read posts by them about Trump. Never. And yet I am amazed at the number of people they lure in for comments–and then the commenters blame the posters–seriously??
@flicker, I can tell from your comments that you know just what I’m talking about; several others who commented on this post understand my points, too. I hope going forward that you will do what’s best for you.
You probably think that Trump’s tweets were “fighting.” I don’t care to whom the president gives “cover,” or what side he’s on. I care if he’s fit for the office. I’ll make the same call as I move down ballot.
I’ve never bought the left’s claims to represent special victim classes on the basis of slavery and discrimination, which were actual historical injustices, so I’m not about to accept those claims from the right on the basis of cancel culture.
What a wise idea. I have stopped participating when the bile gets to be too much. However, I am jealous of your adherence to the Sabbath. Thank you for your wisdom.
If gatekeepers were a thing we wouldn’t be in this position. No one gets to decide who’s allowed in the treehouse. If I were so inclined I might call you “morally superior” for appointing yourself to the role.
As to your other comment we’re not the ones stuck in the past. Let Trump go and stop attacking the legitimacy of a fair election and I promise you’ll never hear his name from us again.
But the ones I want to ignore are (1) adding the majority of the posts to the thread, (2) the posts are long, and (3) they often don’t edit their replies so it takes up the whole screen. I merely don’t want to see them.
I don’t understand why it seems to be a foundational design element to this site that you cannot filter our what you read. It’s probably the most common feature in every other discussion site I visit.
I am absolutely confident that I will never be interested in what some of the most prolific posters here have to say (mostly because they write the same thing scores or even hundreds of times a week) and I would like the ability to not see their droppings when I read the message stream.
Slavery and racial discrimination happened over 150 years and several decades ago, respectively. The domestic terrorism and Orwellian onslaught is happening now, though if you don’t care what side the Imperial Presidency is on regarding this issue, there’s really nothing left to be said, and certainly no political reconciliation to be had.
That’s not believable in the least.
Trump appeared to be fighting, but quite often he was fighting against his own reelection chances.
The of the people who started out as friendly to Trump but ended up being subjected to Trump’s attacks.
Trump nominated Rex Tillerson to be his Secretary of State. But within a year Trump publicly challenged Tillerson to an IQ test. Trump nominated Jeff Sessions to be his Attorney General. Sessions was the first US Senator to endorse Trump in the presidential campaign, before the Super Tuesday primaries. But within a year Trump started publicly blasting Jeff Sessions.
Over time Trump pushed more and more people into Joe Biden’s camp and at last count Joe Biden has received well over 78 million votes. This isn’t because voters thought that Biden was charismatic or inspiring. People just looked at Joe Biden as the one person who could put an end to craziness of having Trump as president.
Trump accomplished many great things during his presidency. But the only thing he could not accomplish was self-discipline and this was, I think, the cause of his defeat.
I am allowed to be gatekeeper on my own posts when I think it is necessary. And I have said nothing about this election. I’ve said the president is entitled to sue. And everyone will have to just wait.
It’s also a complete mischaracterization of what’s occurring–CNN style. The lack of command of basic facts is truly astounding.
I know a lot of Trump voters; that is, voters who hate Trump and he is the decision point for them, as opposed to liking Biden. These anti-Trump and Trump-ridiculing voters, and as much as I hate the term, they are really, really low-information voters. The ONLY thing they know about Trump is what they see from CNN and get from the self-reinforcing leftist echo chamber. They know nothing about what he’s done, and very little about what he says, and only know the spin on the snippets that come through the MSM.
For example, one woman thought that Biden was ELECTED president just because the press called it for him. She thought the final decision rested with the Media’s reporting of the election. She literally had no idea about certification, or that the electoral college (or ANY part of government for that matter) played any role in electing the president.
I don’t think Trump pushed away ANYBODY who gave him a chance and voted for him in 2016, and pushed them into voting for Biden.
And I haven’t yet said that Trump won the election. I HAVE said that there was massive voter fraud, as I think anyone who sees that the vote counters stopped counting at midnight or so. And then apparently counted all night anyway.
And regarding stealing the election, where did this thought come from but the Democrat side, with military colonels and generals along with the MSM saying outright, or implying that Trump would have to be escorted out of the White House. This has been a dirty election process, and to be told as if we’re children that the election is over is not right, and something frankly that the NTers don’t rightly know.
The problem is far worse than you think. The Democrats have reshaped the military at the top. Promotion to flag officer ranks is highly political. There is a reason they are foisting SJW training on the young enlistees. This list should scare the crap out of you. https://www.nationalsecurityleaders4biden.com/?fbclid=IwAR38g7805yzAuR2N1aaKt93Ny-2_p8yL-EvWBYIDumeijzDFPfmYlG7O9rA
You’ve got to hand it to the Left. They’ve run through our institutions like {expletive} through a goose.
I thought about this point last night, @headedwest, and I don’t understand the technicalities of an individual “filtering out” individuals. I don’t go to other discussion sites. I’m curious–can you tell me how that works?
Anger against other “conservatives” for what happened is counter-productive. But I will be looking to see if we can make some gains at the level of tightening up elections to ensure lesser ability to commit massive fraud. Hope we can make progress there, or conservative wins in the future will become impossible.
It’s starting to look like Trump is admitting defeat. Trump recently tweeted, “He won because the election was rigged.” That still sounds a bit like a tweet coming from a sore loser. But it is an admission that Biden won.
Probably angry that lefties and their institutions succeeded in their coup.
Well good for you I guess. You can get all the conservative things you want but without a nasty tweet. Progress
Nah. My hope was that Trump would resign a few years ago and President Mike Pence would get re-elected.
In Disqus, the flag icon, when chosen, presents you with the choice of flagging a comment or ignoring the sender. If you choose ignore, you will not see anything that person posts. Of course, you may see quotations from people responding. If you change your mind, you can log in to your account and remove that person from the block list.
In Simple Machines you go to your account settings and enter the users you want to skip over to a list. But in that system, you can click on the deleted entry and read it if you think there is something there you want to see.
I don’t mind Trump focusing on questionable “election irregularities,” but I’d rather he stopped short of claiming that fraud decided the election. So it appears that we may agree on something. I’ll check for a blue moon tonight.
This would probably make for a great post. It’s always been my theory that the left dominates certain sectors–government employment, academia, entertainment–because liberals are predisposed to not liking the “rough and tumble” real world in the private sector, so they seek out “self-contained” alternatives. But this doesn’t explain the military, which can be as rough and tumble as you can get. It also indicates that the service academies are turning out increasing numbers of those who buy into the SJW agenda. I don’t get it.
Very interesting, @headedwest. When you ignore the sender, it only applies to that post, right?
No, it applies to every future post from that sender (unless you turn it off).
And we need it now, more than ever.
The military is the last holdout in the Long March of the Left through our institutions. While the Cold War was on and we faced an existential threat in the Soviet Union, and fought periodic proxy wars, the Left couldn’t make much headway in the military. Since 1989, there has been no serious challenger to U.S. military hegemony. The wars we have fought have been relatively low-intensity compared to Vietnam and Korea.
The longer a military goes without a serious challenge, the more it tends to lose its grip on military realities. In centuries past, this manifested as an ossified officer class that refused to countenance change and innovation. When a real war came around, thousands of lives were paid as the price to catch up to the current military realities. The “up or out” promotion system of our military was created as a means to prevent this problem. Like all solutions, it has benefits and drawbacks. The drawbacks are that it encourages careerism. The longer our military goes without a serious challenge, the more careerism takes hold. And that is the wedge the Left has been using to continue the Long March in the military.
As the military becomes more focussed on SJW indoctrination, diversity, and equity, its preparation for real war will suffer but not in an apparent manner. We’ll find out when we are once again engaged in a high-intensity war, and thousands of men (and now women) die because of poor training, tactics, and leadership.
@susanquinn
I have been an advocate for an ignore feature for some time. The discussion forum spacebattles.com which I have been on for over a decade, is a good example. If you ignore someone, you can’t see their posts unless you decide to view their posts.
Getting the ignore feature would reduce the rage on the site considerably. I know I could not have it on, since I have to see posts to moderate them, but lots of people would benefit.