The Right Debates Itself. Conformity and Unity versus Diversity?

An interesting debate has emerged among conservatives, one that I’ve seen coming for a while. It isn’t new.

The argument begins like this. When a liberal/lefty is attacked, the left coalesces around them like a protective bubble, or a circling of the wagons (pick your metaphor); they respond not by leaving their colleague out to dry, but often fire back at the accusers. “But Trump!” is a popular retort that we’re seeing in both New Jersey’s and Virginia’s statewide political races right now.

Some people on the right then claim that while the left “falls in” and defends their colleagues, no matter the accusation, the right scatters and often joins in the attack, demanding apologies, or leaving their “friends” to slowly twist in the wind.

Some on the right, led by conservative social media culture warrior and movie producer Matt Walsh, are calling on conservatives to stop attacking people on their side of the spectrum, no matter how outrageous the behavior, it seems. Democrats have been trying to make hay of a group chat involving a smattering of “Young Republican” club members in New York who said outrageous and stupid things about Nazis, among other things.

Republicans quickly denounced and disbanded the group, then turned to Democrats, pointing to their disgraced nominee for Attorney General in Virginia, and said, “Your turn.” That’s a nice segue, because while many Democrats expressed chagrin over Jones’s musings about putting two bullets into the head of a former GOP state House Speaker and watching his children die in their mother’s arms, they are standing by their man, holding firm to their endorsements, and even campaigning with him.

Same in New Jersey, where US Rep. and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mikie Sherrill is enmeshed in an old 1993 cheating scandal at the Naval Academy, where she was denied an opportunity to “walk” at graduation or appear in the graduation program.

How have Sherrill and Jones responded to the attacks, along with their fellow travelers, such as US Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), or others? “But Trump,” they’ve basically said, even claiming that Jones, in particular, has said nothing worse than Trump has (I’m still waiting for evidence of Trump claiming that he wants to see children die in their mother’s arms). Sherrill blames Trump for selective leaks about her Naval Academy record, while likely falsely claiming she was punished for not ratting on her cheating colleagues (there’s no evidence the Naval Academy has ever punished anyone for that).

Bad ideas are like cancer. If you don’t deal with them quickly and decisively, they spread.

Seth Dillon, CEO, The Babylon Bee

This is your reminder that there are five ways to respond to a political attack, in order of effectiveness: 1) a firm denial (so long as the evidence or lack thereof backs you up); 2) it’s not what you think, followed by a succinct explanation; 3) an admission of guilt with a promise never to do it again (a genuine and transparent apology); and 4) blaming the accuser (“But Trump!”). Some suggest a fifth way of trying to segue to another topic, or creating a diversion, or staying silent, but let’s suffice to say that the Democratic responses focused on numbers 4) and 5) aren’t very persuasive, nor should they be.

Having said all that, Walsh’s observation is not wrong, and I experienced it myself when I had my own brush with cancel culture almost exactly seven years ago. You find out who your friends are in a hurry, including those who hold you accountable as a genuine friend for any errors, perceived or otherwise (see Proverbs 27:17). I won’t recount the sordid episode here, which dealt with the October 2018 migrant caravan, other than to say I was largely proven correct by journalist Michelle Malkin, to whom I will always be grateful. Still, it’s not fun being lied about by the likes of CNN and others.

The debate really began with this Walsh post on X.

A couple of observations. First, Republicans and conservatives aren’t losing. The GOP controls (nominally) the House, the Senate, the White House, most state governorships, and most state senate and house seats. While neither major party is very popular, the GOP holds a slight favorability edge over Democrats. GOP voter registration gains are evident in almost every state and have been improving for some time, even in erstwhile blue states like New Jersey. Matt, whom I occasionally follow, has always been a pessimist, even at times dour.

Second, if you don’t hold your own side to account, the voters will do it for you. Just ask Democrats. Oh, wait, don’t bother, because so many clearly haven’t learned any lessons from their 2024 defeat and are doubling down on crazy. With the help of a divided opposition, they’re about to elect a self-proclaimed “Democratic Socialist” who wants to dramatically expand state control over commerce to pay for free stuff like bus rides. He may or may not be an anti-semitic communist, but Zohran Mamdani sure talks like one. He’s likely to win on November 4th.

Also, as Erickson and others have noted, when you marginalize or hold your own side to account, you appear more sane to independent and somewhat more moderate voters, who don’t like crazies in either party. Should we stand by while Tucker Carlson platforms a nutty pseudo-historian like Darryl Cooper, who blames Winston Churchill more than Adolf Hitler for World War II? Or, the anti-semitism that continues to plague the so-called “far right” in the form of the execrable provocateur Nick Fuentes?

Holding your own side in check also doesn’t mean that you have to be anti-Trump. I’ve been critical of him in this space, even as I support most of his policies and love most of his personnel choices, starting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. I’m inoculated against Trump Derangement Syndrome, which I’m increasingly persuaded is a chronic mental disorder.

I could go on. We have extremists on both sides of the political spectrum, and instead of censoring them, we need to ensure that good speech outweighs the bad and, in all things, allow speech to flourish. How we respond matters, and I’m persuaded that a great many voters will reward the party that holds its own side to account.

For all the Democrats excusing Jay Jones as saying stuff equivalent to Donald Trump, that is no excuse because you think Donald Trump is unfit for office. You should feel the same way about Jay Jones and say so, instead of circling the wagons.

And for all you Republicans who think Jay Jones is unfit for office, you should be willing to say the Young Republicans, in a group chat for Young Republicans, should not be edge lord racists, nor abusing donor funds.

Erick Erickson

Suppose Republicans exceed expectations in New Jersey’s and Virginia’s upcoming elections next month, despite history and demographics clearly suggesting they should lose. In that case, it will serve as further evidence of voters holding Democrats accountable when they refuse to discipline their own. The polls are close in both states. Voter registration and early trends favor GOP candidates, and the polling seems to be undercounting GOP voters (again), but we will see. New Jersey’s GOP gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciatterelli outperformed polling by 5 points four years ago, and the climate for him has improved.

Seth Dillon is the founding CEO of the conservative satire and news site, The Babylon Bee (I’m a paid subscriber). He’s also come under fire for agreeing with Erickson and others about the importance of holding his own side to account. History is a good teacher.

By insisting on “no enemies to the right,” the right is repeating the left’s biggest mistake. That phrase comes from the French Revolution, when the warning was pas d’ennemis à gauche—“no enemies to the left.” It was meant to establish strength through unity, but it quickly turned into an excuse to avoid self-scrutiny—a way out of confronting one’s own radicals by insisting the only real danger was on the other side.

This is how the American left has operated in recent years. Looking at all the ground the left has lost lately, it’s clear it was a huge mistake. Instead of taking on their own radicals and self-correcting, the left ignored uncomfortable questions and let its most extreme factions set the agenda.

Seth Dillon, writing for The Free Press

Politics has been and will always be a numbers game, and addition is better than subtraction. We add numbers to our column (no matter which side you’re on) by appealing to the sensible center, even as it dwindles. They still decide elections (see: 2022 midterms). The fact is that non-aligned independent voters outnumber registered Democrats and Republicans in most states. We enhance our messages and the quality of our candidates and campaigns by debating with each other and holding our side accountable.

Much of the left doesn’t do that, prizing conformity over competition and disagreement, and doesn’t understand why they’ve lost their appeal and are losing almost everywhere. Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). Spirited disagreements, even with our own side, sharpen debate and make us better advocates, whether right or left. And when you demand conformity of thought and still lose, I can see how it turns people violent. We saw evidence of it in the Soros-funded “No Kings Day” demonstrations, including a school teacher mocking Charlie Kirk’s murder, and signs to “8647” (Kill Trump), among others.

The fact that we’re openly having this debate is a good thing. The left should try it. It beats killing people.

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