The next phase is to make America beautiful again. We are still far outgunned in arts and culture. Leftist patronage networks fund ugliness to rub in our faces everywhere, including in Charlotte where MacArthur gave grants to reduce incarceration with a focus on racial equity: https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/public-art-ugly-demoralization
Good point! Since young people are turning conservative in growing numbers, it might be time for an artistic revival that is not corny or boring. I've also been following the trend in Europe [particularly in Eastern Europe, where the nativist renaissance originated] toward rebuilding classical architecture, which is the water in which urban dwellers swim. For an artistic revival, I'm thinking country music that's more like Hank Williams & Johnny Cash than all the modern crap I can't listen to for thirty seconds; as well as some new avenues for R&B that resemble the legacy of '60s-70s soul. Maybe even classical orchestra, who knows? Perhaps the biggest surprises will be what happens in the Latin American music scene, with the seismic cultural shifts happening all across the Americas.
What else might be in order is a revival of conservative environmentalism. Not the lame performative green new deal, but Teddy Roosevelt & John Muir environmentalism. After all, Progressives have made a mockery of their moniker by being regressive ideologues. Why should we emulate them by failing to conserve what makes America great? There is a middle way that includes mining and energy prioritization. I say this because the green new deal's elephant in the room is outsourcing dirty industry to China, Africa, etc. If we are going to be honest about our energy needs, we should be honest about reshoring as many critical minerals and hydrocarbons as we can, because we can do so more cleanly [albeit more expensively, but with an eye to long term security].
The BP gulf coast disaster, as the Exxon Valdez disaster, were failures of protocol, not the fault of our reliance on oil. Just as the Fukushima disaster was not a failure of nuclear, but of TEPCO's glaringly un-Japanese bureaucratic sloppiness. We are eventually going to do more exploration and extraction in Alaska, and we are going to open a few more rare earth mines in the mainland. But we can set an example for the rest of the world, just as Israel has developed desalination and water management technologies that others can benefit from due to their own needs and innovative culture.
The more you study history, the more you discover that our basic narratives are very narrowly constrained to our time and our culture; this is probably the most significant lesson of history. And it's not only written by the winners; every party to a conflict has their own version. The job of a good historian is to analyze the intrinsic paradoxes in every narrative, and constantly ask yourself if you're using the best framing to interpret other times and places, as well as your own.
"My town of Carlsbad, California has a desalination plant"...currently being horribly mismanaged by incompetent bureaucrats and grifters- as is the usual for this state.
There- I finished the thought for you.
Sorry. Can never resist taking a shot at californicatia.
So true. While leftists have converted the arts into one of their propaganda outlets, conservatives continue to regard art as ‘epiphenomensl’, irrelevant to serious policy wonkery. This is a persistent mistake made by conservatives, which they typically regret too late. To build conservative philosophy into governance, they must actively support and sponsor an art of freedom.
Yes, a portrait of a family of asylum seekers illegally entering the United States, in one of the Smithsonian museums. The leftist agenda of the painting is to celebrate law-breaking and obscure the fact that some of those who enter the United States illegally go on to commit other crimes such as rape and murder.
They are committed to the belief that migrants are all peaceful asylum-seekers escaping intolerable conditions in their home countries, wishing to provide for their families and contribute to the betterment of the United States. That’s their belief. It’s just not true. Foreign governments have been emptying out their prisons and insane asylums, and inmates and non-inmates alike bring their violent culture to the U.S. (or Europe). Some leftists run child sex-trafficking operations through NGOs and charities that prey on migrants. So leftists try to obscure the truth because A) the truth contradicts their cherished beliefs, and/or B) the truth would expose their criminal activities. So, to return to the point, we need an art that celebrates real freedom, not the false heroics of the migrant family on display in the Museum painting.
All due respect, the Right has not become the establishment. They have managed to achieve Federal administrative power, and they hold a large swath of the Working Class... but the entire middle-management bureaucracy is still solidly an Enemy of the People. That, and boomer-conservatism is dead. We are currently working on establishing a new framework for governance, which produces internal splintering. Boomer-con conservatism is dead. It died January 6th, 2021, and no amount of wishful thinking will bring it back.
What we need now is new ideas. I think Christian Nationalism will be the one that works best. Some think racialism needs to be returned to the American Experiment. With certainty, we need strong nativism and isolationism. No longer, so I want to play world police on the global stage. Lyndon Johnson's boomer-conservatism is dead. Stop trying to resurrect it, and work with the next generation to build something new.
These are reactionary, half-baked ideas that are promoted by ideologues. Gen-Z Right should use some logic instead of drinking their kool-aid.
Christian Nationalism is an oxymoron. It would lapse into sectarianism the second the "Christian Nationalists" got into power. There would be an incredible temptation to label Catholics as "dual loyalty" (as has happened before in our nation's history) just as the "Christian Nationalists" are currently labeling The Jews. Say what you want about "cultural rot" but the trend toward secularism has largely kept American sectarianism at bay for the last half a century or so. I don't think anyone wants a return there. The Roman Catholics pushing this stuff are literally out of their minds: historically speaking, the Jews have as much (if not more) claim to being at the founding of the US as they do.
Isolationism is too stupid to address. It is ceding geopolitics to China (and lesser extent Russia and Iran.). The ultimate in dumb black-or-white thinking that either we have unnecessary foreign wars or we go isolationist. It's silliness by people who have no clue about alliances, politics, trade routes or anything else that matters in the real world.
If the Gen-Z Right is incapable of serious, mature, nuanced thought, then we are fucked just as bad as if the left were in charge.
Why would we hold nuance when our enemies in the Left have clearly demonstrated that they just want to kill us all? I think that first we need to clean up our house a little bit, and then we can afford more complex philosophical discussions.
Effective leadership, as we approach the mid term elections, elevates on the basis of some fundamental issues; American safety, financial stability and corruption. The southern border, an issue that bridges safety and corruption, has been sealed in weeks by enforcing existing laws. Eliminating corrupt, Marxist judges/DA’s, is the solution for the same problem in our cities. Enforcing city laws and incarcerating violent criminals will make our cities safer. This problem has been blurred by political activists, masquerading in the judiciary. Steady and consistent law enforcement, however unpleasant, is the only solution to our cities’ problems. The nuclear family breakdown is at the base of moral decay, compounded by liberal activists, aimed at undermining our country. The US government owns trillions in land and other undervalued assets. Should the government mark its assets to market, use the value to offset and reduce debt, our interest expense would fall and help lower prevailing interest rates - a boost to housing, the biggest contributor to GDP. Illinois/Chicago’s recalcitrance to fighting crime, screams coordination with heroin distribution. The tip of ‘the heroin highway (the path from Mexico to Chicago - a major distribution hub in the US), resistance to law enforcement equals coordination with the cartels, with commensurate compensation. The only reason to resist law enforcement is to assist the criminals. The democrats are running on open borders, protecting criminal illegal aliens, espousing socialism (see NYC Mayoral candidate), empowering teacher’s unions at the expense of children’s education, protecting violent criminals - all of which, steps on the necks of law abiding, tax paying, country loving US citizens. If the Republicans are able to communicate this message, clarify the dangers of democratic rule and codify conservative party voting, the mid terms should be a precursor to another 2028 presidential victory.
Seems to me it’s a little early for the Right to take a victory lap. Institutional capture has been under way for 60 years and won’t be undone in six months. There’s still plenty of need for dissent. The cultural Marxists are still entrenched in nearly all major cities, the media, arts, entertainment and the education and judicial systems. And they have no intention of waving the white flag.
The majority of university administrations, a huge % of faculty are cultural Marxists. You may call them woke leftists today. The likely new mayor of NYC is a cultural Marxist and is very proud of it. The leaders of CA, Karen Bass and Newsom are too. The have done some things you may find objectionable, they have buried us in crime, homeless defecation and in January, ashes. Here's another one, your local ballet and museums likely run under DEI requirements, such as, no straight white males may apply for a job.
You seem to have a proclivity to ask such questions. If you can’t provide me with an answer to my simple clarifying query, then neither shall I answer you.
I might be going off on a tangent from this very sensible exhortation (that I entirely concur with) about steering away from "various ideological rabbit holes" but I think there are some others that need flagging: There are currently two kinds of unhelpful false dawns swirling round in conservative media.
The first is the Woke is So Over! meme. Somehow the tens of millions of laptop culture warriors, including those sitting at all levels of the West’s civil service and bureaucracies, never got the message. And tell it to the ‘creatives’ in the multi-billion dollar TV advertising industry.
The second is a narrative where everything gets blamed on a so-called ‘Woke elite’. In this telling of our 21st Century hyper-progressive dystopia, Woke reality has simply been foisted on a great mass of grounded and well-adjusted citizenry. Yes, they have put up with it, but entirely unwillingly. There’s one big flaw in this narrative. By implication, the US Democratic Party ought to have attracted around 5 per cent of the popular vote last November, not the near-50 per cent it actually got. https://grahamcunningham.substack.com/p/everyone-has-lost-control-of-the
"Woke reality has simply been foisted on a great mass of grounded and well-adjusted citizenry. Yes, they have put up with it, but entirely unwillingly"
I used to work for a giant multi-national company making air filters. Couple times a year we had a HR meeting. One day My boss says we've got an HR meeting Tuesday, how would you like Tuesday off with pay? Why I asked, he said Because I'm tired of getting talked to by my boss because of you and I don't want to loss you. I'd Ask Questions...uncomfortable questions
Chris, as usual, your ability to diagnose the malady goes unparalleled. When we turn to a sense of resentful powerlessness rather than responsible agency, we beat a dark and destructive path.
The left spent 5 decades building their propaganda machine. They still control the media and shape the picture that most Americans see. They control the lower courts. I think you’re out of touch with the younger conservative generation. Your invoking racism is also insulting! The younger generation wants safe places to live, the ability to start families and the opportunity to seek good employment opportunities.
I get a sense you want to roll over and let true racism (left politics), crime/violence in cities and woke radical left policies that have eroded the values of faith and family continue to dominate America. Obviously, these are my observations of your piece.
your opinion. He certainly tip toed around any real issues concerning young conservatives. No? We don’t need anymore apologists in the conservative movement in my opinion.
neither will letting Israel keep killing the world...and stop w all the stu"antisemitism " crap...that just allows more babies to be slaughtered by these rats
Israel "killing the world"? I believe it is terrorist organizations, like Hamas, that have reeked havoc throughout the world. Israel is simply trying to defend itself from an enemy that would see it gone. I would add, it is Hamas who started the war, are holding hostages, and have refused all peace treaties.
And in Sudan, and in Bangladesh, and in Yemen! But to those who listen to NPR, there's only one place on the planet where people are suffering- Gaza. What these Western lovers of Hamas don't want to know is the history of the leftists' alliance with Islamists in Iran. The leftists were killed in droves. Good luck, Elaine Seinfeld!
Those who burned babies alive are not rats to you, but their victims are. Congratulations, you can call yourself a humanitarian now. Your Al Jazeera "journalists" who hold hostages in their houses sell you lies, and you gladly buy them. All starving Palestinian children in the photos turned out to be the ones with genetic diseases who were evacuated by IDF.
LOL. Get real -- the second "Christian Nationalists" get power, the Protestants will "dual-loyalty" the Roman Catholics to oblivion: and they'll have a good case.
You're just too dumb to see it because you can't see past your Jew hatred.
If you're not religious, then you must -- at least -- acknowledge that non-religious, ethnicity-based "nationalism" is such a minority fringe that it's practically a non-starter in the US -- for many historical reasons.
Firstly, WHICH ethnicity? Generic "whiteness" is ahistorical (ask the Irish or The Italians in the US, or The Slavs vis-a-vis Hitler.) If it's a specific ethnicity, like The English, lol. ROTFL even. Not in 21st century US, it ain't happening. Americans are mutts.
I'm a "dumbass" yet you believe in a fantasy that will never exist. In fact, you would be considered an irreligious degenerate even worse than religious Jews by a majority of religious nationalists.
As for the Jewish Defense Squad crack - spare me your whining.
It's not a deconstruction of whiteness, it's a recognition that the kind of pan-"whitism" you seem to be insinuating is ahistorical, a myth, a masturbatory fantasy. The only thing that keeps "white" Europeans from slaughtering each other - yet again - for the umpteenth time in history, is Pax Americana. (Even prior to the Reformation, The Church FAILED at it.)
But since you aren't interested in actual history, of course pointing this out sounds like "deconstruction" to you.
Deconstruction of "whiteness" ffs? Shitlibs define "whiteness" as showing up on time among other basic civilized behaviors; by that rubric plenty of non-whites are "white."
Thank you! And you understand how dire and important the situation is. These influencers are the same as the inner city preachers that blame minorities issues on whites, giving them victimhood status and mindset, rather than telling them they can succeed in life.
Young people need to understand that it is them and them alone who control their lives and the outcomes, it is their responsibilities and their motivations that will decide their future, not victimhood. Victimhood. Victimhood is, as you say, a sap and drain on energy, it's awful and thank you for bringing this to light.
Bill Buckley made the right move when he excluded the John Birch Society from his reformation of American conservatism in the mid 50s. While he didn’t blame the JBS in a public polemic, he kept their opinions and preoccupations with race, away from his movement. In the same way, the influencers who peddle the ideas of racialism, anti-semitism, conspiracism MUST be excluded from the conservative movement of our time, as they were by Buckley in his day. To include them would be a fatal mistake.
It's a problem beyond conspiracism. It's conspiracism plus living in utter ahistorical fantasy with ideas such as "Christian Nationalism" and isolationism.
Well said. Time to Man-up, take responsibility, and move forward in a positive direction with public policies administered by public servants (not career politicians) who will use our vast bureaucracy and government agencies efficiently, without waste fraud and abuse. Especially regarding energy, social security, law enforcement, and immigration reform.
I'm seeing this among right wing influencers, in particular constantly finding ways to show that everything wrong in the world is actually somehow bc of Israel, and then the daily freak outs ie: "omg did you see what Trump did? I knew he was captured! We're cooked!" (cooked is the new screwed) Usually the same crowd. The one that really threw me for a loop though was finding out that Flat Earth theory has come to be popular among some of them. Didn't see that coming. It's painful watching it all unfold.
You need competent people who know how to leverage institutions to exact a severe cost for any support for the violence. Cut off their oxygen and mop them up.
I think you're overstating where we are on this path. The right may control the electoral power, but we are far from being the "establishment" (in a sense of 1950's WASP or 2010's progressive).
I have to disagree with the point that Conservatives have become the Establishment. Conservatives, by disposition, are prone to greater hubris than Progressives, and articles like this show it. The fact is, higher education is a massive part of the establishment, and Conservatives have made almost no headway there.
Indeed, the distribution of conservative to liberal tenured faculty hasn’t shifted in any significant way. The same is true of administrative jobs. Conservative students are still afraid to express their views, and know they are graded lower for having them.
This wouldn’t be a big deal, except the universities train all the bureaucrats and lawyers. The activist disciplines have aggressively taken over the university-to-bureaucracy pipeline, and inserted themselves in HR everywhere in America. Until this is reclaimed by conservatives, the movement is just deluding itself to think it has become the establishment.
Look at Canada, Australia, and the UK if you would like to see the cost of maintaining that delusion. Now consider that Qatar funded American universities to the tune of $100 billion dollars in dark money in the last few years, with contracts that give them nuclear secrets (source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHyZH9vtets) . When enemies of the state have that much influence in your academies, you get what the British commonwealth countries are languishing in right now.
So please, @Christopher F. Rufo, take the time to consider the costs of Conservative Hubris. History is littered with exampled of how it backfired because the enemies of conservatism know about it and quietly, relentlessly, know how to wait it out and prepare for their next turn in office.
It's also inadvisable to think that these people are all die-hard true believers unaffected by pressure and appropriate incentives. Most people like that are careerist cowards who will adjust their attitudes when reality smacks them hard enough. They need to be sufficiently demoralized, s'all.
We need enough time and enough skill to make that happen, but don't overestimate their level of commitment to the leftist cause. The hippies became the yuppies, after all.
The next phase is to make America beautiful again. We are still far outgunned in arts and culture. Leftist patronage networks fund ugliness to rub in our faces everywhere, including in Charlotte where MacArthur gave grants to reduce incarceration with a focus on racial equity: https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/public-art-ugly-demoralization
Good point! Since young people are turning conservative in growing numbers, it might be time for an artistic revival that is not corny or boring. I've also been following the trend in Europe [particularly in Eastern Europe, where the nativist renaissance originated] toward rebuilding classical architecture, which is the water in which urban dwellers swim. For an artistic revival, I'm thinking country music that's more like Hank Williams & Johnny Cash than all the modern crap I can't listen to for thirty seconds; as well as some new avenues for R&B that resemble the legacy of '60s-70s soul. Maybe even classical orchestra, who knows? Perhaps the biggest surprises will be what happens in the Latin American music scene, with the seismic cultural shifts happening all across the Americas.
What else might be in order is a revival of conservative environmentalism. Not the lame performative green new deal, but Teddy Roosevelt & John Muir environmentalism. After all, Progressives have made a mockery of their moniker by being regressive ideologues. Why should we emulate them by failing to conserve what makes America great? There is a middle way that includes mining and energy prioritization. I say this because the green new deal's elephant in the room is outsourcing dirty industry to China, Africa, etc. If we are going to be honest about our energy needs, we should be honest about reshoring as many critical minerals and hydrocarbons as we can, because we can do so more cleanly [albeit more expensively, but with an eye to long term security].
The BP gulf coast disaster, as the Exxon Valdez disaster, were failures of protocol, not the fault of our reliance on oil. Just as the Fukushima disaster was not a failure of nuclear, but of TEPCO's glaringly un-Japanese bureaucratic sloppiness. We are eventually going to do more exploration and extraction in Alaska, and we are going to open a few more rare earth mines in the mainland. But we can set an example for the rest of the world, just as Israel has developed desalination and water management technologies that others can benefit from due to their own needs and innovative culture.
I enjoyed reading your excellent thoughtful comment. Many good ideas I hadn't thought of. I hope this happens!
The more you study history, the more you discover that our basic narratives are very narrowly constrained to our time and our culture; this is probably the most significant lesson of history. And it's not only written by the winners; every party to a conflict has their own version. The job of a good historian is to analyze the intrinsic paradoxes in every narrative, and constantly ask yourself if you're using the best framing to interpret other times and places, as well as your own.
Thank you, I meant to say! 😁
My town of Carlsbad, California has a desalination plant.
"My town of Carlsbad, California has a desalination plant"...currently being horribly mismanaged by incompetent bureaucrats and grifters- as is the usual for this state.
There- I finished the thought for you.
Sorry. Can never resist taking a shot at californicatia.
I heard about that! We're going to need more of those soon. The Colorado River can no longer supply the needs of its dependents.
No river can supply the needs of a community when you build it in a desert. It’s absolutely mind blowing that people think otherwise.
Everyone who wasn't alive when Mulholland built the canals has forgotten.
So true. While leftists have converted the arts into one of their propaganda outlets, conservatives continue to regard art as ‘epiphenomensl’, irrelevant to serious policy wonkery. This is a persistent mistake made by conservatives, which they typically regret too late. To build conservative philosophy into governance, they must actively support and sponsor an art of freedom.
Do you have an example of a piece of art you see as propaganda for leftists?
That so much of their art is deliberately ugly or banal (Christo and his white sheets) is a form of propaganda in itself.
I remember the Gates one in Central Park NYC. What is it propagating?
It cheapens life with banal sensationalism and grand empty gestures.
Yes, a portrait of a family of asylum seekers illegally entering the United States, in one of the Smithsonian museums. The leftist agenda of the painting is to celebrate law-breaking and obscure the fact that some of those who enter the United States illegally go on to commit other crimes such as rape and murder.
Thank you for the response. Why do think leftists want to obscure that? What’s in it for them?
They are committed to the belief that migrants are all peaceful asylum-seekers escaping intolerable conditions in their home countries, wishing to provide for their families and contribute to the betterment of the United States. That’s their belief. It’s just not true. Foreign governments have been emptying out their prisons and insane asylums, and inmates and non-inmates alike bring their violent culture to the U.S. (or Europe). Some leftists run child sex-trafficking operations through NGOs and charities that prey on migrants. So leftists try to obscure the truth because A) the truth contradicts their cherished beliefs, and/or B) the truth would expose their criminal activities. So, to return to the point, we need an art that celebrates real freedom, not the false heroics of the migrant family on display in the Museum painting.
I like this.
All due respect, the Right has not become the establishment. They have managed to achieve Federal administrative power, and they hold a large swath of the Working Class... but the entire middle-management bureaucracy is still solidly an Enemy of the People. That, and boomer-conservatism is dead. We are currently working on establishing a new framework for governance, which produces internal splintering. Boomer-con conservatism is dead. It died January 6th, 2021, and no amount of wishful thinking will bring it back.
What we need now is new ideas. I think Christian Nationalism will be the one that works best. Some think racialism needs to be returned to the American Experiment. With certainty, we need strong nativism and isolationism. No longer, so I want to play world police on the global stage. Lyndon Johnson's boomer-conservatism is dead. Stop trying to resurrect it, and work with the next generation to build something new.
These are reactionary, half-baked ideas that are promoted by ideologues. Gen-Z Right should use some logic instead of drinking their kool-aid.
Christian Nationalism is an oxymoron. It would lapse into sectarianism the second the "Christian Nationalists" got into power. There would be an incredible temptation to label Catholics as "dual loyalty" (as has happened before in our nation's history) just as the "Christian Nationalists" are currently labeling The Jews. Say what you want about "cultural rot" but the trend toward secularism has largely kept American sectarianism at bay for the last half a century or so. I don't think anyone wants a return there. The Roman Catholics pushing this stuff are literally out of their minds: historically speaking, the Jews have as much (if not more) claim to being at the founding of the US as they do.
Isolationism is too stupid to address. It is ceding geopolitics to China (and lesser extent Russia and Iran.). The ultimate in dumb black-or-white thinking that either we have unnecessary foreign wars or we go isolationist. It's silliness by people who have no clue about alliances, politics, trade routes or anything else that matters in the real world.
If the Gen-Z Right is incapable of serious, mature, nuanced thought, then we are fucked just as bad as if the left were in charge.
Why would we hold nuance when our enemies in the Left have clearly demonstrated that they just want to kill us all? I think that first we need to clean up our house a little bit, and then we can afford more complex philosophical discussions.
Because aggressive dogmatic stupidity is not more conducive to WINNING than nuanced understanding.
The left wants to kill you - yes. That means you have to bring as much intelligence as possible to the situation so you can defeat them.
Yeah... but also... y'know... the tools required to ensure that we're heard rather than shot on sight.
They ARE giving you the shovel to bury them with.
All I'm saying is, understand they're doing that, take advantage and don't do anything dumb or out of anger.
Charlotte is a dark place. I was there for a weekend ten years ago and I could barely stand the oppression. Worse now I’m sure.
Why do you think that statue in Times Square is leftist?
And here's what he gets for all his efforts:
https://www.hiddentruthsbysunny.com/p/decarlos-brown-jr-remember-that-name
excellent. thank you. drat. nothing is easy... why are people so human...
If only people would do what I want, then I'd be happy. Isn't that what we all want, ME to be happy?
That mindset goes nowhere but inwards.
But...But Dieter (my invisible friend) tells me I'm Really Really smart and important. :-)
You certainly are. You just need a new standard for interpreting people which allows meaningful trust.
Effective leadership, as we approach the mid term elections, elevates on the basis of some fundamental issues; American safety, financial stability and corruption. The southern border, an issue that bridges safety and corruption, has been sealed in weeks by enforcing existing laws. Eliminating corrupt, Marxist judges/DA’s, is the solution for the same problem in our cities. Enforcing city laws and incarcerating violent criminals will make our cities safer. This problem has been blurred by political activists, masquerading in the judiciary. Steady and consistent law enforcement, however unpleasant, is the only solution to our cities’ problems. The nuclear family breakdown is at the base of moral decay, compounded by liberal activists, aimed at undermining our country. The US government owns trillions in land and other undervalued assets. Should the government mark its assets to market, use the value to offset and reduce debt, our interest expense would fall and help lower prevailing interest rates - a boost to housing, the biggest contributor to GDP. Illinois/Chicago’s recalcitrance to fighting crime, screams coordination with heroin distribution. The tip of ‘the heroin highway (the path from Mexico to Chicago - a major distribution hub in the US), resistance to law enforcement equals coordination with the cartels, with commensurate compensation. The only reason to resist law enforcement is to assist the criminals. The democrats are running on open borders, protecting criminal illegal aliens, espousing socialism (see NYC Mayoral candidate), empowering teacher’s unions at the expense of children’s education, protecting violent criminals - all of which, steps on the necks of law abiding, tax paying, country loving US citizens. If the Republicans are able to communicate this message, clarify the dangers of democratic rule and codify conservative party voting, the mid terms should be a precursor to another 2028 presidential victory.
Could you please tell them that because you articulated that PERFECTLY.
Seems to me it’s a little early for the Right to take a victory lap. Institutional capture has been under way for 60 years and won’t be undone in six months. There’s still plenty of need for dissent. The cultural Marxists are still entrenched in nearly all major cities, the media, arts, entertainment and the education and judicial systems. And they have no intention of waving the white flag.
Do you have any example of a Cultural Marxist who has captured an institution?
katherine maher
Thank you! Is there any particular thing she’s done that is objectionable? I’m scrolling her tweets now.
The majority of university administrations, a huge % of faculty are cultural Marxists. You may call them woke leftists today. The likely new mayor of NYC is a cultural Marxist and is very proud of it. The leaders of CA, Karen Bass and Newsom are too. The have done some things you may find objectionable, they have buried us in crime, homeless defecation and in January, ashes. Here's another one, your local ballet and museums likely run under DEI requirements, such as, no straight white males may apply for a job.
Do you know what a cultural Marxist is?
I’m interested in learning an example of a Cultural Marxist who leads an institution if possible.
If you don’t have any examples, thanks anyway.
You seem to have a proclivity to ask such questions. If you can’t provide me with an answer to my simple clarifying query, then neither shall I answer you.
All I was hoping for was one example, but unfortunately that was too much to ask. Sorry!
I might be going off on a tangent from this very sensible exhortation (that I entirely concur with) about steering away from "various ideological rabbit holes" but I think there are some others that need flagging: There are currently two kinds of unhelpful false dawns swirling round in conservative media.
The first is the Woke is So Over! meme. Somehow the tens of millions of laptop culture warriors, including those sitting at all levels of the West’s civil service and bureaucracies, never got the message. And tell it to the ‘creatives’ in the multi-billion dollar TV advertising industry.
The second is a narrative where everything gets blamed on a so-called ‘Woke elite’. In this telling of our 21st Century hyper-progressive dystopia, Woke reality has simply been foisted on a great mass of grounded and well-adjusted citizenry. Yes, they have put up with it, but entirely unwillingly. There’s one big flaw in this narrative. By implication, the US Democratic Party ought to have attracted around 5 per cent of the popular vote last November, not the near-50 per cent it actually got. https://grahamcunningham.substack.com/p/everyone-has-lost-control-of-the
"Woke reality has simply been foisted on a great mass of grounded and well-adjusted citizenry. Yes, they have put up with it, but entirely unwillingly"
I used to work for a giant multi-national company making air filters. Couple times a year we had a HR meeting. One day My boss says we've got an HR meeting Tuesday, how would you like Tuesday off with pay? Why I asked, he said Because I'm tired of getting talked to by my boss because of you and I don't want to loss you. I'd Ask Questions...uncomfortable questions
Chris, as usual, your ability to diagnose the malady goes unparalleled. When we turn to a sense of resentful powerlessness rather than responsible agency, we beat a dark and destructive path.
The left spent 5 decades building their propaganda machine. They still control the media and shape the picture that most Americans see. They control the lower courts. I think you’re out of touch with the younger conservative generation. Your invoking racism is also insulting! The younger generation wants safe places to live, the ability to start families and the opportunity to seek good employment opportunities.
I get a sense you want to roll over and let true racism (left politics), crime/violence in cities and woke radical left policies that have eroded the values of faith and family continue to dominate America. Obviously, these are my observations of your piece.
Those are bad observations. He didn't invoke that either. He said it's time to focus on building.
your opinion. He certainly tip toed around any real issues concerning young conservatives. No? We don’t need anymore apologists in the conservative movement in my opinion.
i stand by my observations!
Well put--racialism will take us nowhere good as a country.
neither will letting Israel keep killing the world...and stop w all the stu"antisemitism " crap...that just allows more babies to be slaughtered by these rats
Israel isn't killing the world, "Elaine", they are fighting and winning a war against Hamas. War isn't nice, best not to start them.
Israel "killing the world"? I believe it is terrorist organizations, like Hamas, that have reeked havoc throughout the world. Israel is simply trying to defend itself from an enemy that would see it gone. I would add, it is Hamas who started the war, are holding hostages, and have refused all peace treaties.
what is happening in Gaza is not 'defending yourself'. Neither was the pre-emptive strike on Iran.
Iran shot 300 rockets at Israel BEFORE Israel responded. What is happening in Gaza would have not happened if the Islamic fanatics released hostages.
Mxtyplk So you think we should have waited for Iran to finish enriching uranium and build bombs--and then bomb some of our largest cities?
There's a song called Even Trolls Love Rock & Roll. Is that true? I thought I'd ask an expert.
Elaine: Another leftist allying with Islamists. Odds on bet.
And what are your thoughts on all the poor people dying in Ukraine?
And in Sudan, and in Bangladesh, and in Yemen! But to those who listen to NPR, there's only one place on the planet where people are suffering- Gaza. What these Western lovers of Hamas don't want to know is the history of the leftists' alliance with Islamists in Iran. The leftists were killed in droves. Good luck, Elaine Seinfeld!
And barely a whisper about the Uyghurs
Those who burned babies alive are not rats to you, but their victims are. Congratulations, you can call yourself a humanitarian now. Your Al Jazeera "journalists" who hold hostages in their houses sell you lies, and you gladly buy them. All starving Palestinian children in the photos turned out to be the ones with genetic diseases who were evacuated by IDF.
Israel is only killing the part of the world that's trying to exterminate it.
Remember Oct 7? They do now, in Qatar.
Sadly that's a large part of the world--new UN vote today to establish a Palestinian State
So clever of you to choose a Jewish name as a handle, Elaine!
OK, Mr. "Stein"
That's what remains of Rufo's readership.
A few Christian Zionists and Jews scared that the right will turn on them like in the 30s.
LOL. Get real -- the second "Christian Nationalists" get power, the Protestants will "dual-loyalty" the Roman Catholics to oblivion: and they'll have a good case.
You're just too dumb to see it because you can't see past your Jew hatred.
I'm not religious you dumbass.
There are better forms of nationalism, based on ethnicity. Nobody sane cares about your petty religious squabbles.
Jewish Defense Squad logged in. Can criticize everything, but can't do for Jews! They're too special!
If you're not religious, then you must -- at least -- acknowledge that non-religious, ethnicity-based "nationalism" is such a minority fringe that it's practically a non-starter in the US -- for many historical reasons.
Firstly, WHICH ethnicity? Generic "whiteness" is ahistorical (ask the Irish or The Italians in the US, or The Slavs vis-a-vis Hitler.) If it's a specific ethnicity, like The English, lol. ROTFL even. Not in 21st century US, it ain't happening. Americans are mutts.
I'm a "dumbass" yet you believe in a fantasy that will never exist. In fact, you would be considered an irreligious degenerate even worse than religious Jews by a majority of religious nationalists.
As for the Jewish Defense Squad crack - spare me your whining.
Who the fuck cares about the US? There's also Europe, which is the cradle of our civilization.
Deconstructing whiteness now?
tztztz
Very shitlib/progressive of you!
Or is it... Jewish? How many Jews focused on the deconstruction of whiteness, while maintaining that other groups have strong ethnic essences?
We could have religion if you insist so damn hard though. We could use it pragmatically, to purge the unclean.
Uhhh hit me back when we have witch trials again! I wanna prosecute some!
It's not a deconstruction of whiteness, it's a recognition that the kind of pan-"whitism" you seem to be insinuating is ahistorical, a myth, a masturbatory fantasy. The only thing that keeps "white" Europeans from slaughtering each other - yet again - for the umpteenth time in history, is Pax Americana. (Even prior to the Reformation, The Church FAILED at it.)
But since you aren't interested in actual history, of course pointing this out sounds like "deconstruction" to you.
Deconstruction of "whiteness" ffs? Shitlibs define "whiteness" as showing up on time among other basic civilized behaviors; by that rubric plenty of non-whites are "white."
Thank you! And you understand how dire and important the situation is. These influencers are the same as the inner city preachers that blame minorities issues on whites, giving them victimhood status and mindset, rather than telling them they can succeed in life.
Young people need to understand that it is them and them alone who control their lives and the outcomes, it is their responsibilities and their motivations that will decide their future, not victimhood. Victimhood. Victimhood is, as you say, a sap and drain on energy, it's awful and thank you for bringing this to light.
Bill Buckley made the right move when he excluded the John Birch Society from his reformation of American conservatism in the mid 50s. While he didn’t blame the JBS in a public polemic, he kept their opinions and preoccupations with race, away from his movement. In the same way, the influencers who peddle the ideas of racialism, anti-semitism, conspiracism MUST be excluded from the conservative movement of our time, as they were by Buckley in his day. To include them would be a fatal mistake.
tf did Buckley achieve
Probably more than you will.
Buckley was of negative value
Glad to see someone start checking the Right’s rank conspiracism. To me, that’s the single greatest threat to its credibility.
Totally agree
It's a problem beyond conspiracism. It's conspiracism plus living in utter ahistorical fantasy with ideas such as "Christian Nationalism" and isolationism.
Well said. Time to Man-up, take responsibility, and move forward in a positive direction with public policies administered by public servants (not career politicians) who will use our vast bureaucracy and government agencies efficiently, without waste fraud and abuse. Especially regarding energy, social security, law enforcement, and immigration reform.
I'm seeing this among right wing influencers, in particular constantly finding ways to show that everything wrong in the world is actually somehow bc of Israel, and then the daily freak outs ie: "omg did you see what Trump did? I knew he was captured! We're cooked!" (cooked is the new screwed) Usually the same crowd. The one that really threw me for a loop though was finding out that Flat Earth theory has come to be popular among some of them. Didn't see that coming. It's painful watching it all unfold.
Generally speaking, GenZ are unread and cultish, and the Right Gen-Z are not immune from this.
One can only hope they'll mellow by their 30s or we're all cooked.
How do we counter the violence that the left is willing to go to in stopping the conservatives from becoming the establishment?
You need competent people who know how to leverage institutions to exact a severe cost for any support for the violence. Cut off their oxygen and mop them up.
I think you're overstating where we are on this path. The right may control the electoral power, but we are far from being the "establishment" (in a sense of 1950's WASP or 2010's progressive).
I have to disagree with the point that Conservatives have become the Establishment. Conservatives, by disposition, are prone to greater hubris than Progressives, and articles like this show it. The fact is, higher education is a massive part of the establishment, and Conservatives have made almost no headway there.
Indeed, the distribution of conservative to liberal tenured faculty hasn’t shifted in any significant way. The same is true of administrative jobs. Conservative students are still afraid to express their views, and know they are graded lower for having them.
This wouldn’t be a big deal, except the universities train all the bureaucrats and lawyers. The activist disciplines have aggressively taken over the university-to-bureaucracy pipeline, and inserted themselves in HR everywhere in America. Until this is reclaimed by conservatives, the movement is just deluding itself to think it has become the establishment.
Look at Canada, Australia, and the UK if you would like to see the cost of maintaining that delusion. Now consider that Qatar funded American universities to the tune of $100 billion dollars in dark money in the last few years, with contracts that give them nuclear secrets (source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHyZH9vtets) . When enemies of the state have that much influence in your academies, you get what the British commonwealth countries are languishing in right now.
So please, @Christopher F. Rufo, take the time to consider the costs of Conservative Hubris. History is littered with exampled of how it backfired because the enemies of conservatism know about it and quietly, relentlessly, know how to wait it out and prepare for their next turn in office.
I can't believe I'm the first (& at this point in the day) the ONLY like on your comment. I'm sure you are 💯 percent correct.
It's also inadvisable to think that these people are all die-hard true believers unaffected by pressure and appropriate incentives. Most people like that are careerist cowards who will adjust their attitudes when reality smacks them hard enough. They need to be sufficiently demoralized, s'all.
We need enough time and enough skill to make that happen, but don't overestimate their level of commitment to the leftist cause. The hippies became the yuppies, after all.