Following an election defeat, the losing side often performs a political autopsy to determine what went wrong and allow future candidates an opportunity to correct course moving forward. The process usually leads to a combination of finger-pointing and apologies. For Republicans, though, this year is different. The Party is in disarray. It is in no position to review or make judgments about problems nor suggest paths forward as its issues and divisions are internal.
The lack of unity within the Republican Party is a direct result of officials who are so scared and desperate to cling to power, they refuse to fight for conservative principles. Worse, the ability for conservatives to get a message out is further restricted by the filters of traditional media and censorship of social media companies.
The unwillingness or inability for the Republican leadership to stand up and fight back against cancel culture and limiting political speech will continue to damage conservative candidates’ chances of success at the ballot box.
With a few notable exceptions, Republicans stood idly by as the tech giants choose censorship, blatant partisanship, and activism to silence voices with which its leaders and the Washington establishment (including many supposed Republicans) disagreed. Despite censoring content, suspending accounts, and even banning the former President of the United States, Donald Trump, these media and technology companies are getting a free pass from the very leadership conservatives hoped would fight for them.
The voices of progressives continue to engage on social media platforms (often with demonstrably false information or inciting violence) without fact check or consequence. All while most Republican leadership say (and do) nothing to change it. When a conservative does speak up they are met with disclaimers, suspended, or outright banned.
What is interesting is that these actions against Republicans are only impacting conservatives. The Party leaders, also known as the establishment, are also given a free pass. Karl Rove has never faced such action – and hasn’t said anything to defend those who have. While Republicans do not always have to agree with one another, they should at least support the freedom to express ideas and share information.
Now that the purge of Donald Trump and his supporters from social media platforms is almost complete, there is less debate, less information, and practically no reason whatsoever to participate. Who wants to read an echo chamber from one point of view? What is the point? It is the disagreements, the alternative opinions, and the attempts to persuade that give these platforms interest and value.
It seems as if the Republican Party has simply given up – or given in.
The lack of outrage by Republican leaders as cancel culture strikes again and again will come back to haunt them as election defeats accumulate. This will likely (and hopefully) be the wake-up call conservatives need. The GOP must clean up their own house first, start listening to one another, and defending one another.
The suppression of Free Speech from the traditional and social media giants is continuing a troubling pattern where facts and truth become unrecognizable – and dishonest activists can change their narratives and history to suit political ambitions. Denying unfiltered opinions an equal platform, regardless of the source, causes important information and good ideas to be ignored. All lose in this scenario – especially if there is no one there to fight back.
Donald Trump’s commitment to stay active with the Republican Party offers hope for its future. He is a leader unafraid to stand up to the cancel culture. With his support, those officials who refuse to stand for principals will surely face primary challenges. The establishment may be fatigued, but the rank and file are energized. Combined with the fact that the Democrats will surely overplay their hand as they run to the left as they govern. Conservative leaders who prove they can fight against the left’s nonsense will surely be successful, such as Maj Toure founder of Black Guns Matter who has plans to rebuild the GOP with new messengers.
The Republicans' strategy moving forward must be to diversify and fight hard against the dangerous progressive agenda. The obstacles are real so the party must choose its new leaders wisely. The passive establishment (swamp) officials simply aren’t going to cut it anymore, and we all know it. Now, however, there is energy, enthusiasm, and resources available to make the changes necessary.
Without real objections, the marketplace of ideas closed. However, the very entities that oversaw the downfall – and those who stood idly by while it happened – will suffer most. Without a common enemy, the Washington establishment will end up fighting against itself, opening the doors for new candidates to take over and rebuild.
So perhaps we can save the Republican establishment some time, money, hand-wringing, and virtue signaling by giving them a mirror as they perform the 2020 election autopsy. If they fail to learn their lesson, they will surely be replaced by leaders who will stand up to cancel culture. Real conservatives with support from Donald Trump are ready to rebuild the Republican Party from the grassroots up.
Shaun McCutcheon, a Free Speech advocate, is an Alabama-based electrical engineer and successful plaintiff in the 2014 Supreme Court case McCutcheon v. FEC.