Sometimes we gotta just chill, remember who we are, use some common sense, don’t let others spin us up. Conservatives wage “the good fight,” not the dumb fight. Last week, a bunch of “January 6th” tapes got released by Democrats, hoping to spin people up. Why not, what else can Democrats run on?
Today, the economy is in the worst shape in 40 years, inflation soaring, interest rates rising, stock market falling, energy unaffordable, national security bungled, old allies dropping like flies, the southern border open, crime crazy high, and sense of indifference and no accountability everywhere.
But here is the thing, just because you can enter a spitting contest does not mean you should. What were these terrible tapes? Why does it even matter, since a dozen investigations were done, all similar.
Democrats worked long two-day weeks for long two-week months, trying to create a Pearl Harbor-like narrative. The idea was to spin Americans up – get them emotionally overwrought, draw visions of the Republic ending, our way of life crushed. Most knew that was unlikely.
Tapes are now being released, typical suspects in the media again, to stir people up before the midterms. It is all rather craven, shameless, political, and getting tired, like old lettuce.
We did not lose the Republic or come close. We have digital copies of everything. We saw people locked down for a year reacting badly to an election process, harboring doubt, voicing unhappiness, becoming violent. Believe it or not, the early republic saw a lot of this.
We saw several hundred protestors – out of tens of thousands – use bad judgment, get into the Capitol, damage property, do harm, disobey laws, parade in costumes, wave flags, take selfies, commit crimes, behave like a mob. They were a mob. They should have been deterred and stopped, are worthy of prosecution. Yes, if the President could have stopped them, he should.
But look at the culture. We are increasingly disrespectful of our democracy. We saw violent protests in 2020, breaching federal courts, police stations, destroying, and defacing federal property, churches, businesses, doing billions in damage across 200 cities, much of it organized.
Let us be clear: All political violence is wrong – on left in 2020, on right in 2021 – in a Republic determined to settle political disputes peaceably. We talk, listen, get upset, shout, and protest – but without violence.
Now we come to these much-touted tapes, more muck poured into the public muck-raking machine, more grist for emotional overreaction, as if someone is stoking that approach.
Bad idea, and we cannot take that bait. On the Democrat side, the side releasing all these pieces of embarrassing emotionalism, we hear Steve Bannon say the election might be close, Trump could be upset if lost, protests could happen, any number of things, the way many groused.
He was no different from millions upset at how the election cycle was handled, since a lot of State-level decisions were made autocratically, little input, less explanation, some in violation of longstanding practices, constitutional standards, and public expectations.
At one point, riffing in an informal setting, he says Trump is like a king. Of course, that is wrong, because – as he knew – that is not the authority presidents have, not how they legally remedy election questions. We dumped King George for George Washington, but to hear the tape, it sounds like riffing, bar talk, the way people talk at games, in kitchens, a private citizen.
After the narrative constructed, the left is going crazy. They think this means the outgoing, unhappy president was about to declare himself king. Honestly, do you really think so? Does any congressional Democrat really think that was in the cards? If so, review how losing staff grouse.
People forget some staff around Gore in 2000 – and George W – felt the impasse could tip their way if their candidate declared victory, law cases notwithstanding. Neither legally did that, nor did Trump. People forget many thought Dewey was victor over Truman, until clearly not. In 1960, the race was so close some still claim Nixon won but graciously ceded despite fraud concerns.
Then we get all punched up about another tape, revealing Nancy Pelosi, then an 80-year-old woman, rant for minutes about planning to “punch out” the president if he joins the protest or comes near the Capitol – long before there is any breach.
The back and forth is adolescent, like much of the January 6th and impeachment hearings, people intentionally taking things out of context, imputing bad motives to others, politicizing criminal statutes and the Constitution, citing this and that as if it were a must, and a terrible crime.
No, Nancy Pelosi was not going to take the President down, not likely to swing despite all her talk. Nor was the President going to upend the Republic, mobilize troops and become king. All this is evidence of how far adrift we are from our history, appreciation for strong differences.
Politicians get angry, frustrated, debate, inflate, puff, curse, worry, fret, accuse, excuse, and do all sorts of political things – up to and including stir protests, always have. In the old days, they fought. Yes, they should pipe down. They stir protests and should always discourage violence.
But to get worked up again in the run-up to these elections, allowing others to spin us to the point of political violence, even when we hear tapes of a House Speaker “planning” to “punch out” a president…now hearing calls that she should go to prison for that remark, is goofy.
Conservatives should be the grown-ups. We believe the Constitution is real – including free speech, exercise of religion, right to keep and bear arms, receive due process, equal protection, confront accusers, get a fair trial, no unreasonable search and seizure, abide textual assurances.
To be conservative means to believe in the Nation’s institutions and proper application of laws, take the high road. Yes, we need to respond to ugly nonsense, but with maturity, as if we were the only adults in the room, because sometimes we are.
So, this latest round of tape dropping, rabble rousing, passion stirring by a party with nothing to talk about is instructive. It changes nothing, reminds me of advice a wise president gave his successor. Reagan left a note for GHW Bush. “George, don’t let the turkeys get you down.”
Conservatives need to heed that advice, keep our humor and perspective, then make sure – when it counts – we vote. That is the mission, not falling for this kind of eleventh hour provocation.