Two of my colleagues wrote similar pieces expressing concern and even distress about the conservative movement. Don McCullen penned a piece The conservative intellectual movement is on life support and in decline and Irina Tsukerman wrote Conservatives are lagging behind in recruiting young talent. Here’s how to fix that. At NOQ, we are not an echo chamber. Just ask each of us about Trump and you’ll likely get different answers from each of us. We are allowed to have a friendly back and fourth. In my youthful perspective, I disagree with them. However much I disagree, I still recognize our common goal is to advances a limited government conservative cause. My main disagreement is that while things are not great, they are better than in years past. And while substantial improvements can still be made, we should move forward with optimism not alarmism.
Much of McCullen’s piece is derived from polls and statistical data. This data is good to have, but also misleading. How many elections have we noticed polling was far from accurate. Polling didn’t predict Brexit or Trump. Beyond 2016, polling has been wrong on numerous occasions. Point being, if we can’t rely on polls for elections why should we rely on them for public opinion. The methodology of polling is likely too outdated. Moving forward:
We truly took conservativism for granted, and yet collectively we can’t explain it. It seems that so-called liberalism is on the rise according to a recent Gallup poll.
Consider this:
Pleasantly surprised that 40% of all Americans think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. Horrifically surprised that 1/3 of Christians don't. https://t.co/deK00qXdSC
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) January 24, 2018
Tell me, would you genuinely believe in the faith of the 1/3 Christians who are pro-abortion? I wouldn’t. And I know many Christians are the same way. Now since, people identify as Christian, even a specific denomination, but aren’t actually Christian in their beliefs, can the same practice be done with political ideology? People identifying as conservative but not actually being one? We certainly see that all the time in Congress. Polling doesn’t show quality, only quantity, and in recent years, conservatives have been honing in on quality. This is an improvement. However the danger is there also. I agree that the Democratic machine is rising:
The Democrats at least are advancing a progressive agenda, and those who call themselves progressives are registered with the Democratic Party. The committed progressive does indeed have a home with the Democrats.
There are two reasons the Democratic Party is growing: the mass immigration since the immigration reform spearheaded by Ted Kennedy in the mid-1960’s, and our educational institutions.
But the fun fact about this is that while Democrats may be growing their numbers, they are likely growing their numbers in their own strongholds, urban areas. So in regards to the House and Electoral College, these advances are limited in their effectiveness… for now. If Conservatives are smaller, we’re likely stronger. But even if smaller, Conservatism is making waves.
Have fun blacking out the #SOTU
We have done the same to your liberal institutions
We have blacked out
The NFL
The Golden Globes
The Grammys
The Oscars
The movie industry
ESPN
MSM News
Network TVWe honestly don't care
The ratings tonight will be awesome!#SOTUBLACKOUT— Jake Highwell ??????⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@JakeHighwell) January 30, 2018
The point about education is wholly accurate. Leftist are pushing propaganda in schools. The focus on multiculturalism teaches kids to believe every culture is equal, when in reality, this is not true. Education plays a big role, but millennials are realizing how flawed the system is and how little preparation it gives students for the real world. To put it simply, Democrats are producing weak thinkers. They are going to reap what they sow and it gives conservatism leverage for now and the future. But until then they have a growing movement of socialist. The best way to combat this is real world experiences and intellectualism.
There weakened thinkers and elitism is paying dividends to the point where “This is why Trump won” is a memeworthy motto and leftist Hollywood is suffering.
The Dark Age of Conservatism
There was a time when conservatism was weak and that was while a Republican was in the Oval Office. During the Bush years, conservatives made few achievements. Sure Partial Birth Abortion was outlawed but we got lousy judges in the Supreme Court and other Federal courts. It was during these years where we took conservatism for granted. Therefore in 2008 the only “conservative” opposing the liberal RINO John McCain was Mike Huckabee. Real strong candidate guys… The third place contender was Mitt Romney who, I guess, is slightly right of McCain. Either way what a field of losers in the most accurate sense of the word.
Obama’s victory was a wake-up call to conservatism and conservatives. The Bush years were the low point for conservatism. We are in better shape now than those years. We have better thinkers now and stronger conservatives.
Young Talent
In formal settings, conservatives are indeed lacking in recruiting young talent. But the talent is there, and there is no shortage of it on social media or rising publications. Where I disagree with Tsukerman is the impression she has of young conservatives.
At best, many young conservatives who undergo any sort of training strive to imitate the failing Hannity, Limbaugh, and other conservative models, who have been good at riling up anger, not so great on promoting internal diversity of ideas and the break out from comfort zones and groupthink within the conservative movement.
Perhaps I don’t see these types on social media and think of them as young. As a young conservative, I don’t find this accurate in my own self examination. The young conservatives I see on twitter more resemble Ben Shapiro, Steven Crowder, and Matt Walsh.
Colleges have moved so far left that it has created a rebellious counter-culture just as Tsukerman suggests:
To some extent, the left-wing extremist attitudes on campus are creating a counterreaction. Conservative-leaning college students, in response to pressure, tend to vote more Republican. This represents a perfect opportunity for identifying, recruiting, and training promising future thinkers and doers. Yet conservatives as a whole are failing in this endeavor.
See this is where I agree and disagree. This counter-culture is a prime opportunity to advance conservatism. However, I question whether colleges or even high schools are the most effective avenue for the movement. Many colleges are liberal arts colleges that conservative leaning students are less likely to go to anyway. Other colleges are commuter schools. Perhaps the avenue for capitalizing off of the counter-culture is the internet. The public is tiring of being called racist misogynists by entertainers and educators. They are seeking entertainment and education in other places. This counter-culture has led to many conservative intellectual content creators thriving. Prager U has over a billion views. Ben Shapiro is one of the country’s most popular podcasts. The rise of conservative content creators may be more efficient than an on every campus approach. If conservatives choose to be organized on campus, more power to them. However, I am not yet convinced to say that this should be the focus.
Moving Forward
Even if new faces aren’t emerging to “pundit” status, the next generation of conservatives is being cultivated by better minds than the previous radio and Fox News anchors. Because of this we should move forward with optimism. And perhaps these minds will answer a call to action. And when they do we should give them a larger platform. I am likely the youngest writer here, 22. I continually seek ways to advance small government Conservatism and landed myself here at NOQ Report. Perhaps this is a next step for you. If it is, I invite you to join NOQ Report.
