Especially if you consider yourself being part of the “responsible, pragmatic” wing of the Party as you contemplate why, why, WHY your candidates are tanking; you have brought us upon yourselves:
Thanks to Donald Trump, American elites are finally paying attention to blue-collar, white America. They do not like what they see. Racist. Bigoted. Irrational. Angry. How many times have you read or heard one or more of these words used to describe Trump’s followers? Whether they are the academic, media, and entertainment elites of the Left or the political and business elites of the Right, America’s self-appointed best and brightest uniformly view the passions unleashed by Trump as the modern-day equivalent of a medieval peasants’ revolt. And, like their medieval forebears, they mean to crush it.
That effort is both a fool’s errand for the country and a poisoned chalice for conservatives and Republicans. It is foolish because the reasons the peasants are revolting will not fade easily. Ignoring and ridiculing their concerns, the way European elites have done with their own electorates for most of the last two decades, will simply intensify the masses’ rage and ensure that their political spokesmen become more intransigent and radical. If you want an American version of Marine Le Pen tomorrow, ignore the legitimate concerns of blue-collar Americans today.
And it is a poisoned chalice for the Right because such a strategy requires a permanent informal coalition with the Left. Keeping blue-collar white Americans out of political power will result in exactly what Washington elites have wanted for years: a series of grand bargains that keep the status quo largely intact and the Democratic party in power. . . .
The constituency that is rallying to Trump is not fully conservative, but it shares more values with conservatives than do any of the other constituencies that could possibly be enticed to join our cause. It is thus imperative that conservatives understand what these fellow citizens want and find ways to make common cause with them where we can. . . .
Indeed – it is the FAILURE to look in the mirror and recognize “hey, there’s a crowd behind me with pitchforks – maybe they DO have a beef”. We believe in stuff, especially those values you spout. Too bad you don’t really value those values – it really is just spouting off. We live it – we expect you to do the same. Thanks to the disruptive nature of the Internet, we get to talk – a lot. And now you see what you have sparked, fanned, and raised – against you. Poll after poll says that Republicans are angrier at their Party than the Democrats – gee, I wonder why?
You’re beef is that we won’t be silent and just vote as we’re told. Ours is that you won’t act as you would have us vote. Congratulations, now we are seeing who has the upper hand (after all, I’ve always said that actual votes are more important than the money spent to get votes – just ask Bill Binnie here in NH a Senatorial cycle ago).
(H/T: Instapundit)
Follow us at our Twitter feed: @GraniteGrok
