Elections Have Consequences, But It’s the Other 1,460 Days That Matter

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Once again a presidential election looms. And indeed, the phrase “elections have consequences” is being bandied about as it always is every four years at this time. Only now, considering the abject destruction wrought by Barack Obama and his minions to our economy, our culture, our security, the rule of law and our way of life over the past eight years, we really are staring directly into the abyss. G-d forbid, if Hillary Clinton is elected, I don’t see a way back. Ever. Yet even if Donald Trump should win, I don’t see how he can put the brakes on, let alone reverse course. The great Thomas Sowell says it best:

Make no mistake about it. Neither party has a good candidate for President. The choice is between bad and disastrous.

The question, then, to my way of thinking, is how the hell did we get here? We elected George W. Bush and he became the most profligate spender until the coming of his successor. We had McCain and then Romney forced on us, held our noses and voted. The Tea Party movement then gave the GOP historic midterm victories in 2010 and 2014 in what were rightly identified as consequential elections, and what did that party do? Not only cede its Constitutional authority and duty to check Obama, but willingly created what is basically an all powerful ruler.

When you not only get zero support from the people you help elect, but are actively scorned and derided as rubes, hobbits and whack-o birds, the natural conclusion is to, as my friends over at Ace of Spades say, “let it burn.” And yet here we are with America on the ropes. Four weeks from Election Day. Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.

So, assuming Trump wins (two terms plus two more for Mike Pence, please [that gets me to age 72]), what can we do to make elections less consequential? Let me rephrase that – what can I do to make elections less consequential? To answer that question, you have to recognize that a 100-year coup to overthrow the nation as founded has taken place. The hijacking of academia that started at least 40 years ago has resulted in the lobotomizing of our national identity and values (exacerbated by the passing of older generations of Americans and with them our collective memory). The default mindset of too many Americans is that the country as founded is illegitimate, Judeo-Christianity is oppressive/evil and we must atone.

With all that against us, it is we as individuals that have to shoulder the responsibility to take a stand with family, friends or whomever to set the record straight, every day and not just in election years. I can hear the moans and groans, but what else is there? Forget the personalities and the bullshit – get to the philosophy and the ideology. Again, this is not a one-off deal. This means being in the rhetorical trenches every day, to counteract narratives and propaganda with facts, history and common sense. It’s a constant battle and it’s tiring. But it’s the only way. Of course, there are people you won’t reach. Maybe even most of them are a lost cause. But if you can convince even one person to at least think about what your saying, it’s a victory.

I don’t know, maybe I’m sounding like a complete naif. After living through the last eight years it’s hard not to just give up, knuckle under and endure a metaphorical curb-stomping of indeterminate length. But I won’t. What’s happening to my beloved country is hateful. We have to do something. I have to do something. Lao-Tzu said, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Let’s go.

19 comments to “Elections Have Consequences, But It’s the Other 1,460 Days That Matter”
  1. The bad: I’m not a warrior of that type by nature. My life is way full with my family, and my business, and trying to grab a little recreation with good friends when I can fit it in. I have a code I try to live by; politics is an interest and something I need to be aware of out of self preservation, but it does not inform my life. Probably similar to many conservatives.

    And in my blue mid-Atlantic enclave, virtually all of my friends and acquaintances are liberal Democrats. Life is easier when politics and religion are not discussed in most circles.

    The conservative ones, as am I, are repulsed by both candidates (just leave me alone, don’t talk to me about it, they both suck). What you are talking about is the long game. I don’t believe there are really that many undecided voters at this point. I think Hilary will win, just the way I thought in my heart of hearts, that Comey would cave and she would skate.

    The good. Not great, more of a dull silver lining. The last eight years and Hilary being so Godawful are liberating in a weird way. The libs and Democrats were shrilling shrews (and the pols were borderline treasonous when we were at war) about the Bush years. At this point, they’ve had it all their way for eight years, and how ya likin’ it now?

    It is easier now to have those hard discussions, and to be a little edgier. I’ve made a dent (maybe more of a ding) in a couple of intelligent people. I’ve actually ranted a couple of times, and because that is so rare, they actually listened. Don’t think it will change a vote or mind, but I’ve made them think a bit.

  2. Totally understand where you’re coming from. I’m not saying to be an evangelist but if, in small ways, you can at least raise doubts in even one person’s mind, it’s a victory.

    It is a long game. A VERY long game, but something has to change and it starts with us as individuals, in whatever way we are comfortable in making it happen.

    Keep the faith. It’s about all we have left, and sometimes it’s all we need.

  3. I’d like to believe that if Hillary wins this, folks who would otherwise be content to sit at home, head in the proverbial sand, will be forced to finally act, because circumstance dictates action. The hell this bitch will unleash is beyond anything we’ve ever seen.

  4. You’re right, I think. The left has spent decades infiltrating the culture and ratcheting politics in their direction, and it’ll take at least as long to undo it. Our own Long March back out of this blind canyon we’re stuck in now. I’m not a natural conservative/ libertarian evangelist either, but I don’t see any way out of this responsibility. The lackadaisical approach of my generation and the one before haven’t left me much choice.

    One thing that’s been hard for me is accepting the need for imperfect allies, political mercenaries, and temporary marriages of convenience. Trump’s the most important example right now, of course, but the real issue’s a lot bigger than him. For example, people of a libertarian bent, like myself, need to accept that social conservatives are our the best front-line fighters we’ve got. They don’t fit in, but you need them on your side and not against you. So we’ve got to respect them and work toward common goals even when we’re convinced their motivations are “wrong”. Sometimes that means willing to concede ideological perfection for the sake of incremental improvements.

  5. You guys are the forlorn hope. You aren’t going to change anyones mind. Liberals, Progessives, and Lefties (whatever they may call themselves) cannot be swayed. You’re wasting your time talking to “Independents” since they’re too stupid to make up their mind anyway.

    This nation as we know it hosed. It’s better to sit back and enjoy the ride. Stock up on necessities, guns, and ammo. Prepare for the collapse and be ready to take advantage where you can when it happens.

  6. I agree with Chris. The Republic is lost. The general public has no taste for liberty or self-determination. Those that do are more than happy to use the government to close the door behind them and avoid competition. Unlike Chris, I don’t see an option to enjoy it. Bloodshed is coming, and none of us is safe.

    We could try for a long march, but there’s a crucial difference. Because this country believed (note past tense) in liberty, we didn’t actively suppress things like the Frankfurt school. Have no doubt the left will actively suppress us.

  7. Pingback: Trump Can’t Do Anything Unless You Elect Him President – Daily Pundit

  8. A long march? Seriously? We’ve been fighting a controlled retreat for the last 20 years.

    Violence is off the table. Like Chamberlain still believing he can negotiate peace in our time. The right wing is not willing to fight. That’s why they will lose.

    It will be the same with gun confiscation – lots of thoughtful articles, lots of calls to rally the troops. And no one will come. One by one you will be picked off. And then its really over.

    We aren’t willing to use violence to defend Liberty. And we are at the point where that’s all that is left.

  9. There are many parallels here in the US to the slow but inevitable collapse of imperial China in the 19-20th centuries. The combination of cultural arrogance, opium trade, increasingly aggressive foreigners (who’d overtaken them in military and industrial capacity), and peasant rebellions eventually brought the once proud nation to its knees.

    It seems that we now have arrogant monolithic liberalism, unchecked drug cartels and a worsening opioid epidemic, riots over police action, and rising giants in China and possibly India whose industrial and military might could surpass our own in the next few decades if we continue to let rot set in. These are early days yet. It took China roughly 70 years from the first opium war to the Manchu collapse in 1912… Our kids and grandkids are very likely in for a rough ride, especially since China remembers how Westerners treated them during their decline.

    Trump talks about a rigged election. I don’t think it’s rigged. I just think that, as you say, we ceded our institutions like the courts, schools, universities, press to the liberals. Everything we’re seeing follows directly from that. Seeing where we are on this historical arc, I see no point talking to liberals or independents. I fear the principles we share, while noble and worth fighting for, probably need a monastic, escapist preservation rather than a random hill to die on in stupid Ken-Bone-Character-Assassinating 2016.

  10. Quoth Fen: “Violence is off the table. Like Chamberlain still believing he can negotiate peace in our time. The right wing is not willing to fight. That’s why they will lose.”

    I agree that the right will lose. But violence is coming regardless. It won’t necessarily be we who start it, but the left is going to work hard to purge those of us who believe in the individual. The kulaks didn’t start the liquidation. The Bolsheviks did.

  11. The long march back would take 5 times as long because it will be recognized and opposed every step of the way. I don’t have 500 years.

    For that reason I’m in the camp of “let it burn” and I’ll support anybody with a match, flamethrower, or whatever to hasten the day. At the same time I’ll try to throw sand in the gears of government at every opportunity I get.

    At the personal level I’m trying to hasten the split in the Methodist church so that we can get back to its rightful origins. Lastly, my safe overfloweth.

  12. Independents are just leaves blowing in the flatulence of the MFM.

    IIRC, there was a scathing article a few months ago about them that showed polling that they were the least informed compared to left/right spectrum ends.

    The middle/independents are not noble, studious, and contemplative but rather just idiots that change their mind all the time. I firmly believe that the majority of independents want to just vote for the person that they think may win so that they can say they voted for the winner.

  13. The one bright side is the democratization of technology that allows anyone to be a publisher or movie maker. Major networks, studios, and publishing houses are losing their domination.

    I have noticed that right leaning documentaries have been improving in quality as time goes on. There should be online resources to help people learn the craft from a technical and storytelling pov.

    Conservatives need to take advantage of this, not just to promote culture but also to educate. Elearning also provides opportunities to teach outside of the classroom.

    Convincing conservatives to go into teaching is tough. Perhaps create scholarship funds or monetary rewards to supplement incomes. Too many states have regulations that prevent working professionals from also being teachers. We need to make it easier to be a teacher by reducing regulatory hurdles and helping people leap existing hurdles.

    I am proposing two parallel strategies, to create media and education that exists outside of the current power structure and to create ways to support people engaging in the existing power structure.

    On the last point, it isn’t just about education. There are many clubs and organizations that lean left.

    It would be great if some local environmental clubs were populated with conservatives that could get into leadership positions and advocate for public lands being used for activities that Democrats hate, like hunting, horseback riding, logging, mining, ect.

    We should do what the Democrats did and slip people into charities and similar groups and nudge these groups to the right. People doing this need monetary and organizational support. Notice that when Democrats send in people to start a riot, they give them lots of training first.

  14. Enjoyed the essay, J.J.

    Unfortunately today — mostly owing to leftist control of academia, the media, and other (even religious) institutions for a century now — most Americans value emotion and collectivism (i.e. remaining dependent, immature, children) over reason and individualism (i.e. becoming independent, mature, adults).

    Forget God … to paraphrase Nietzsche: Reason Is Dead.

    The only hope of salvaging what remains of the American Ideal will require some crisis of unimaginable proportions, destruction, and death to re-awaken traditional American virtues.

    Perhaps it will be the eventual economic/financial collapse resulting from the $200+ trillion exponentially-increasing (when unfunded liabilities are included) national debt — a debt that can never be repaid — without Zimbabwe-like hyperinflation …

  15. “We aren’t willing to use violence to defend Liberty. And we are at the point where that’s all that is left.”

    Sadly, I have to agree with FEN here — well said.

    I wonder how many millions more like us are just waiting for the right flash point — i.e., one with a decent chance at succeeding in order to risk it all — in order to cascade us into action …

  16. “Conservatives need to take advantage of this, not just to promote culture but also to educate. Elearning also provides opportunities to teach outside of the classroom.”

    You may already be aware of this, Wodun, but a successful example of that for which you are advocating here is Prager University — excellent 5-minute courses on a variety of issues presented by knowledgeable experts, using simple visuals and conservative values, reason, and facts …

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  18. Hey JJ, It’s Irish , from The Feral Irishman.

    I saw that you guys were discussing a picture that VtheK shared on his site.

    Her name is

    miss catherine lynn

    google has the rest 🙂

    Thanks for the linkage in Ace’s comments.

    All the best. I hope this gets to you.

    Irish.

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