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I’m Tired of Winning

Common Sense Engineer
@CSE
Join to bookmark24likesJoin to like312comments

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I've been here for a while, first as a free viewer of the main feed, then as a paid member to see "behind the curtain." I like(d) Ricochet because I believed the discourse was of a higher caliber than what I had seen/read previously (Fox, Newsmax, Facebook, Reddit, Twitter/X, etc). But, after seeing 9 months of Trump Part 2 (and the run-up to it), I have to say that I'm more disappointed in conservatives than I ever have been before. I didn't vote for Trump this time around. I did happily in '16 and '20, but after Jan 6th (whether instigated by "the deep state" or not), Trump's personal behavior became too overbearing to dismiss.

I have (had?) been a conservative for a good portion of my life, but this current administration has very little in common with what I consider to be the core, fundamental parts of being a conservative (a larger discussion for a different post). It's not just about winning. It's about being better, holding our side to a higher standard to be looked up to. Conservatives, both on here and in the larger political ecosystem, like to tout that they are "better" than Democrats and the "emotional, woke left." I have believed, and want to continue to believe, that that's true. But as of now, I'm just not seeing that from my side of the aisle. Integrity matters, leadership matters, CHARACTER matters.

I understand the frustration with the status quo left to us by the Ds. I sympathize with the feeling that the spirit and heart of the country had been dying a slow death. But as much as numerous folks on here exult Trump 2.0, all I can feel is a deep sadness for this country. I can point to specific examples where "not my president" is performing actions that are antithetical to the (re: my) conservative ethos, but I fear that those examples will fall on deaf ears. The divide in this country is such that we can no longer agree on the most basic of facts and values of what's right and wrong because it's all about "WINNING" — no matter the cost to our lives, our fortune, and our sacred honor. And yes, I do hold my side of the aisle to a higher standard than the Ds because I believe we can, should and must be better.

Conservatism isn't about being reactionary, it's not about hate, it's certainly not about "rubbing the dog's nose in its piss to teach it a lesson." This tit-for-tat will continue escalating until this country no longer functions (even less than it does now). To use an engineering expression, this is a positive feedback loop that will not end well for us.

I want us to continue to be the "shining city upon a hill," but that only works if we hold our side to a higher standard than we hold our compatriots on the other side. So far, the push-back from my fellow conservatives about the flagrantly illegal and unconstitutional actions of this admin has been a very weak "meh." I don't care if "the D's did it first" or "we MUST break our country to save our country" — disregarding our constitution is simply unacceptable to me. If this is modern conservatism, then I guess conservatism has left me behind.

I'm tired of winning.

This post was promoted to the Main Feed at the recommendation of Ricochet's members.

Discussion (312)

  • Arahant@Arahant
    Common Sense Engineer (View Post):

    the flagrantly illegal and unconstitutional actions of this admin

    Please list them. I keep hearing about these things, but every one that I hear of is never as cut-and-dried as people say. Please give me a reason to agree with you. Has Trump made social media companies deplatform Progressives? Has he made banks stop doing business with Progressives? Has he quartered troops in private homes? Has he been arresting journalists who disagree with him? Has he declared a universal religion we all must practice? What has he done?

    Also, if one knows anything about the history of politics in this country, the current rhetoric is pretty tame. Should have seen the Election of 1800. Now that was narsty.

  • E. Kent Golding@EKentGolding
    ReplyingtoArahant
    Common Sense Engineer (View Post):

    the flagrantly illegal and unconstitutional actions of this admin

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Please list them. I keep hearing about these things, but every one that I hear of is never as cut-and-dried as people say. Please give me a reason to agree with you. Has Trump made social media companies deplatform Progressives? Has he made banks stop doing business with Progressives? Has he quartered troops in private homes? Has he been arresting journalists who disagree with him? Has he declared a universal religion we all must practice? What has he done?

    Also, if one knows anything about the history of politics in this country, the current rhetoric is pretty tame. Should have seen the Election of 1800. Now that was narsty.

    The Tariffs are being done without congressional authorization. Everything is an Emergency! that requires immediate action without congressional authorization. I see broad powers to use the National Guard in D.C. , but how do you justify Chicago ( still just a threat?). Where is the declaration of war against Venezuala? The law on getting rid of TikTok has been clear for months, but Trump delayed implementation without authority.

  • Arahant@Arahant

    Good list, EKG. I'm not sure whether to count your first two sentences as one thing or two, but I'll try for both:

    1. The Tariffs are being done without congressional authorization. In general, I agree that this should be done by Congress with a bill originating in the House of Representatives. That is what the Constitution says. If they are as part of diplomacy, then they ought to be part of a treaty with approval by the Senate, and none have been approved in this session of Congress. The problem is that we have many more laws than the Constitution, and some of them may have re-delegated that ability or done so under certain circumstances. I am not in favor of such, but if he is using such a law to manage it, it might not be un-Constitutional. Has the Supreme Court ruled on that?
    2. Everything is an Emergency! that requires immediate action without congressional authorization. Agreed that this is less than optimal, but that is not the same as illegal. Unfortunately, Congress has authorized broad powers to the executive in emergencies. (And that makes almost anything an emergency.)
    3. I see broad powers to use the National Guard in D.C. , but how do you justify Chicago ( still just a threat?). Agreed. Has he deployed them? In the case of Portland, there seems to be an insurrection going on there. He should deploy troops there and clean up that mess. For Chicago? I think it is only crime. That is not a federal issue. Now, if he sends in ICE to deport illegals who are committing those crimes, that is another issue. If there is an insurrection against those federal agents, then I have no problem sending in troops. But those are a lot of ifs that I do not see met at this time.
    4. Where is the declaration of war against Venezuela? Heh, you really want to go there? Do you know how many times Congress has declared war? Five times: War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Spanish-American War, WWI, and WWII. Where is our declaration of war against North Korea? Where was our declaration of war against North Vietnam? Where was our declaration of war in 1916 when "Black Jack" Pershing invaded Mexico to root out Pancho Villa? Where was our declaration of war when we took over Haiti for twenty years? Where was our declaration of war against the Apache or the Sioux? And where was the declaration of war against the Confederacy? Oh, or remember from the Marine Corps hymn about the shores of Tripoli? Where was Jefferson's declaration of war for that? From the very beginning, declarations of war were reserved for much larger conflicts. I could name at least a hundred more conflicts without declaration of war. Grenada? Panama? That ship sailed by Jefferson's administration if not before.
    5. The law on getting rid of TikTok has been clear for months, but Trump delayed implementation without authority. Agreed.
  • OldPhil@OldPhil
    ReplyingtoArahant

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Where is the declaration of war against Venezuela? Heh, you really want to go there?

    And when did we attack Venezuela? All I've heard about so far is the elimination of a few drug-running boats that may have originated there. Maybe Venezuela should be policing its own waters a bit better.

  • Hoyacon@Hoyacon

    The reason we have federal appellate courts and SCOTUS —I’m skipping over federal district courts, the height of partisanship—is to determine whether a given Administration’’s actions are illegal and unconstitutional, let alone flagrantly so.

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