Now that all the ambiguity has been removed, and Republicans, conservatives, and Trump supporters are confronted with the stark reality of — gulp! — the Age of Biden, the time has come to consider just how bad things will get, and how we can muddle through for the next two to four...years? Generations?
First, how bad is it? Pretty darn bad. Consider the fact that, even with Donald Trump in the White House and Mitch McConnell holding court in the Senate, leftists were predominant in every other consequential institution nationwide. They dominated the federal bureaucracy; primary, secondary, and higher education; the media; social media; Hollywood, and the arts and letters in general; corporate boardrooms; athletics — you name it, and they ran it. As a result, “the resistance” to Trump's presidency was always stronger, and louder, than President Trump himself. Arguably, he, and those of us who supported him, never had a chance. That we got as far as we did was a small miracle.
Now, at any rate, “progressives” (God help us if we “progress” much further!) will narrowly control both Houses of Congress, and thanks to Sleepy Joe they will be in charge of the Executive Branch as well. In other words, the only major institution left in which some version of “conservatives” will hold sway will be the federal courts. We had better hope that those “Trump judges” show some backbone, because they are, in many ways, our last line of defense. In the event that they defect to the Left, as so many Republican-appointed judges do, or they gradually recede in significance given fresh appointments made by Biden, even our judicial Trump card (no pun intended) will be unplayable.
To make a long story short, therefore, Republicans, conservatives, and Trumpers are about to find themselves living in a country utterly dominated by their political enemies. Moreover, these are not just people with whom we politely disagree. These are, by and large, crypto-Marxists who hold us in total contempt. When they call us racists, sexists, traitors, fascists, and the like, make no mistake — they mean it! We can confidently assume, therefore, that they will use their newfound power and privilege to persecute us. As always, our silence is the least of their demands. Most of them would prefer to see us bullied, humiliated, fired, evicted, and more than a few would like us to be incarcerated or hanged from the nearest lamppost. Of course, you can't have everything that you want in life, but they sure will try!
How can we navigate this depressing landscape?
First, conservatives can expect that previously innocuous forms of speech will be proscribed, to the best of the Left's ability to do so. For instance, if you profess support for President Trump, advocate strong borders, criticize BLM, or count off all the genders on your hand without running out of digits, you can safely assume that you will, henceforth, be accused of “hate speech.” Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media behemoths are cracking down on conservative speech as never before. Trump himself — the president of the United States, in case anyone's forgotten! — has been banned from most of these platforms, and it would be naive to think that his supporters will be any more welcome. The best that Trumpers can hope for from Big Tech, in fact, is that our comments will be merely censored, rather than expunged.
Luckily, there are alternative platforms where conservatives can (for now!) communicate and share information. More and more, we should abandon the social media mainstays that so despise us and relocate to venues where those of our “kind” are treated with respect. This won't always be easy, since the “transaction costs” in terms of lost connections and friendships can be high, but it has to be done. Frankly, if we don't make the choice ourselves, it will sooner or later be made for us. For my part, I plan to send my final tweet in the coming days.
Already, for years, conservatives have been turning their backs on the mainstream media, which has become a cesspool of “activist” journalism. This process must continue, and if anything it must and will accelerate. I have said it before, and I will say it again: not only should conservatives cease to patronize and consume the mainstream media — they should also, if they are public figures themselves, cease to interact with it. Why would any Republican, conservative, or Trumper give an interview to the New York Times or appear on CNN? Unless they are masochists, such behavior makes no sense. We should always remember that “progressive” reporters talk to conservatives for one reason and one reason only: they want to make us appear stupid and/or evil. Why give them the satisfaction?
I fear conservatives will experience much more adversity in the coming months and years in the workplace. Not only will their public and private speech be scrutinized by management, but in many cases we will face subtle retaliation, overt “discipline,” and even termination for our beliefs. Some states have laws that are designed to protect workers from discrimination based on ideology or partisan affiliation, but just as laws against racial discrimination are never used to protect whites, we can safely assume that law enforcement and prosecutors won't be bending over backwards to protect the peace of mind and the livelihoods of Trumpers either.
My suggestion: those of us who cleave to the right path (you know the path I'm talking about) should watch out for those who will become casualties in the Left's war on the truth. What I mean is this: if you are a person of means, or if you own a business, be aware that thousands, and perhaps even millions, of innocent conservatives will soon be destitute. Many of them will be experienced, hard-working, even brilliant in their fields, but they will be hounded out of their jobs for no better reason than that they refused to toe the liberal line. Try to reach out and support them, in whatever way you can. We should have each other's backs, no?
Lastly, for the sake of your mental, emotional, and spiritual health, not only should you disconnect from the mainstream news media — give Fox News a wide berth, since it's been lost to us for a while now — you should also think long and hard about your “entertainment” options. If your idea of a fun time is imbibing the toxic swill that gushes out of Hollywood's oh-so-glamorous sluice gates, you can guarantee that you will be peppered evermore with left-wing propaganda and the constant denigration of America, God, family, and conservative and traditional values of every stripe. Instead, why not burrow yourself in the culture of yore: watch old tv shows and movies, made before Marxism-Leninism became de rigueur among the creative elite. Listen to music made in those bygone eras when adding a blunt “Up Yours!” to conservatives wasn't mandatory in every song. Play board games with your family and friends. Indulge in a little healthy athletic competition. Take a walk. Read a book (preferably one written before 1960). In short, find ways to live outside the mental prison of wokeness that the Left is striving to build for us. Uncoupling from the malignant culture of modernity isn't easy, but once it's done you'll be glad of it, I promise!
This leaves one final question to ponder: should we, as conservatives, continue to vote? Here I respond with an emphatic: yes! Now, it's true that I can't guarantee that your vote as a conservative or as a Trumper will be determinative of our country's future. Far from it. In fact, I can't even guarantee that it will be counted in the first place. But what I can say with absolute certainty is this: as soon as conservatives stop voting and running for office, the Left will have captured a monopoly over all of our vital institutions that will not be broken for decades, and maybe not for centuries. Voting is one of the few ways in which we can register our disdain with the powers-that-be. Will they cheat? Will they game the system to ensure that our votes are diluted, or even obliterated? Maybe. Probably, but you know what? We might as well force them to go through the motions of electoral thievery. At least that way they will know that their “Democratic” Party was a farce.
I hope that this advice will prove useful as Republicans, conservatives, and Trumpers swallow the bitter pill of political, social, and cultural marginalization. Remember: there's hope, no matter how faint, that the first wave of persecution that we face will evince in those “moderate” Democrats and independents out there some glimmer of sympathy. Maybe they will see the writing on the wall. Perhaps, in that case, there will be a backlash against leftist tyranny in the near future, and we can reverse some of the gains that liberals made in 2020.
If not, though, never forget, my fellow Trumplicans, that you're not alone. Seventy-four million of us voted for America and against socialism this year. That may not have been enough to hold the Swamp and the Marxist horde at bay, but it's certainly a solid foundation for a sizable sub-culture of godliness, patriotism, and common sense. We may not rule the roost, but we'll be mighty hard to uproot altogether.
And, if worst comes to worst, if America won't have us anymore, why, we could all move to Cuba or Venezuela, couldn't we? 74 million Trumpers would spruce up those socialist hellholes in a heartbeat!
We have options, my friends. One thing's for sure: our “kind,” rather like cockroaches, is invasive and remarkably tenacious. If I had to bet, I suspect we'll still be here centuries hence, long after the leftists have exhausted themselves and, more to the point, one another.
Dr. Nicholas L. Waddy is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY Alfred and blogs at: www.waddyisright.com. He appears on the Newsmaker Show on WLEA 1480/106.9.