While the left always gets what it wants, those on the right find themselves more often than not politically jilted.
One thing you have to credit the political left with is that they never leave anything on the table. Look at illegal immigrants. They let them in without any limits, did not care about their Covid status, and in many cases, the US government flew them from their home countries to places throughout the US. They often gave them housing, food, clothing, and even money—things that veterans and homeless are not entitled to receiving. And this is only one example. Look at the trans stuff: forcing girls and women to compete against guys, making others recognize nonexistent pronouns of people with mental disorders, and pushing hard to destroy the military and other institutions to please a very tiny percentage of the population. When the left goes for something, they go all the way.
But the same cannot be said about those on the right. They are always forced into compromises. In Israel, those who support Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu are periodically disappointed in him. He gave up on judicial reform, he has often been questioned about his prosecution of the war, and before the October 7th attack, he gave Hamas millions monthly from Qatar. Those on the right in Israel have been disappointed by Bibi and his supposed hawkish predecessors, such as Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert, who together kicked thousands of Jews out of their homes in Gaza. Bibi talks a good game, but when it comes to brass tacks, he often moves to the middle or even left.
And so, too, in the US. The latest kerfuffle is over H-1B visas. As is usually the case, both sides have some valid points. Elon Musk is adamant that the program must continue. The visas allow tech companies to hire much-needed engineers, and it gives foreigners a shot at living the American dream. For tech companies, the foreign help is about 10% cheaper than American equivalents. Those like Steve Bannon who want the program dropped point out that those being hired are often at the expense of American talent. There were horror stories of Disney and other big companies demanding that their American employees train the visa holders before the Americans were then fired. So what should be done?
Recommended
Donald Trump has excellent political instincts, and at his heart, he is more a businessman than a dyed-in-the-wool conservative. His call to let each state decide its abortion laws was both in line with the Supreme Court ruling and succeeded in completely removing abortion as a winning election issue for the Democrats. With that said, many people wrote—including on this website—that they, as pro-life Republicans, were very disappointed with Donald Trump’s stance. Some said that they would not vote for him, while others said that they would support him, because the alternative was far worse. This is just one example of those on the right end of the political spectrum not getting what they want, possibly because they do not have the political mass to push through their ideal platform.
So what will President Trump do on the H-1B visa issue? He has stated in the past that his companies have used such visa holders and that he supported the program. During his first term, there were reports that he planned to cancel the program. So what will he do now? I don’t pretend to know, but I find it hard to believe that he would go against Elon Musk. Musk is not a classic conservative, though he loves the US and is a strong supporter of free speech. He also is critical to the second Trump term. Steve Bannon and those on the right are also critical to Trump’s support during the next four years. One option could be to continue the program but give tax or other incentives to companies that hire a certain percentage of American-trained engineers and programmers. The option to bring in foreign expertise would still be on the table, but the preference for American scientists could be encouraged via tax or other benefits.
But just as with abortion, those on the right will probably have to live with the visa program. They will probably have to live with some form of Obamacare continuing forward. They will have to see fewer illegal aliens removed than promised, if only due to the resistance of illegal sanctuary cities and states. They should expect the military not to reach its full potential, with the retention of officers who should be given the boot for failure to perform or their promotion of DEI destruction in the ranks. Being a conservative means expecting a great deal and ending up with half or less. While the lefties seem to get everything they dream of, the conservatives simply do not have the numbers in Congress to push through a truly conservative agenda. Donald Trump is the most conservative president to come along since Ronald Reagan, but in the end, he is a deal-maker. He wants Musk and Ramaswamy to redo the federal budget and bureaucracy. To keep them on board, he will probably either keep the H-1B visa program intact or make minor changes.
Fire-breathing conservatives are rare in the House as well as in the Senate. They do exist, but their numbers are small enough that whenever some “conservative” issue or law comes up, it always gets watered down in order to get the more mainstream Republican voices on board. Remember the border bill supported by Republicans? It allowed "only" 5,000 people to enter illegally each day. Can conservatives expand their brand so that they get what they want? That’s what politics is all about: as Margaret Thatcher said, win the argument and then win the election. Donald Trump won, in part, because he brought Bobby Kennedy, Jr. Tulsi Gabbard, Musk and others into his tent. That action brought victory but it also reduced the position of conservatives on the team. Conservatives should definitely stick to their principles but they should also realize that they don’t yet have the political heft to get everything they want. The more right-wing members of Bibi’s cabinet threatened to quit every other week due to the prime minister’s waffling. In the end they learned to deal with a less conservative leader than they had hoped and get what they can. Apparently, Republican voters may have to learn a similar lesson.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member