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Conservative news outlet RedState has been in a state of transition for nearly a year now following reports of an early 2018 purge of anti-Trump voices on the site. Two of the only anti-Trump survivors of the purge, senior contributor Kimberly Ross and contributing editor Andrea Ruth, resigned today.
The pair have been at the site for years and do a podcast together. Their joint statement, published on the newly formed site The Bulwark, details their last three and a half years and changes that have been happening at RedState.
Why We Are Quitting RedState
We are conservatives. We believe in limited government, the free market, the Constitution, and protecting the rights of the unborn. We have therefore supported the Republican Party and believed in the Republican Party for years. But a healthy Republican Party cannot exist without a healthy conservative media; likewise, a toxic, poisonous conservative media is like a parasite for the conservative movement— and, make no mistake, it will eventually kill it.
We publish this with the hope that it serves to push the Republican Party and conservative media back to the ones we respected, admired, and believed in.
“There is a time to stay and stick things out and hope you can help keep an organization from going completely against what they’ve traditionally stood for and the reason you’re proud to be a part of it,” Ruth said. “I still consider myself a Republican — even though I have deep disagreement with its current iteration — because of this philosophy.”
Sentiment in the party ebbs and flows based on the actions of the President. Earlier this month, pressure started mounting from some conservative voices wanting the President to find an end to the government shutdown. Then, severe backlash started coming in from conservatives when the President caved on a temporary funding deal that reopened the government without a penny for wall construction.
Ruth and Ross aren’t the first to make moves based on their sites’ pro-Trump leanings and won’t be the last.
“But there’s also a time to leave and understand that something is just too far gone and has no interest in regaining lost integrity,” Ruth continued. “The writing was on the wall for most of 2018 and we simply could not stay affiliated with RedState in good conscience.”
My Take
There are three types of conservatives today in the media. There are the two extremes – those who see no good in what the President does and those who see no bad. Then, there are those who base their perspectives on a case-by-case basis. These categories have been given loose titles: Never Trump, Always Trump, and Sometimes Trump.
I’ve been in that third camp since the President was elected. It’s easy to judge others, but most Republicans and conservatives have placed themselves in the Always Trump camp for the sake of tribal polarization that is forcing people to pick a side and ram that side down as many throats as possible. As a result, I have been more sympathetic of the Never Trumpers in media. We have more Never Trumpers writing here than Always Trumpers, though most fall into the same category as me.
Ross and Ruth have strong followings, but they’ve been hampered in some ways by their perspectives on Trump. On the other hand, their boldness in speaking out about the direction of the party has helped them gain a different type of following that, in many ways, makes their voices more relevant now than ever.
I understand the challenges of speaking out against the President because I’ve experienced it myself. On Twitter, for example, I could post ten Tweets in favor of the border wall, but if the eleventh Tweet asks why President Trump waited until Democrats were taking over the House to take a stand for the wall, I’m hit with negative comments and dozens or even hundreds of unfollows. What’s worse is the effects these actions have on the algorithm; my Tweets used to reach tens of thousands at a time, but now reach hundreds. I’ve lost over 20,000 followers since just before the midterm elections.
As I said in a Twitter thread a week ago, this doesn’t bother me at all.
To the guy who asked me why I don't post things that will get more likes or retweets such as strictly #MAGA or strictly #NeverTrump posts, I ask this (since he blocked me after messaging me): Are we on Twitter to express OUR ideas or to seek affirmation for sharing others' ideas?
— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) January 25, 2019
I am neither Republican nor Democrat, which gives me the unenviable status of not having a tribe to back me up. I'm okay with that. I come to Twitter to see things that make me think and to occasionally, hopefully, make others think as well. I'm not here for likes or affirmation.
— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) January 25, 2019
Lest we forget, some of our founding fathers feared political parties in general and a two-party system in particular. I now understand the wisdom of this fear and have fought to break the system. It won't happen on Twitter, so I get to sit back and just be me with no worries.
— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) January 25, 2019
I have nothing against RedState, but I appreciate what Ross and Ruth are doing. If conservative voices that call out Republicans or the President are quashed, there can be no conscience to keep the party focused. Their voices are necessary.
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