I never rated Carlson. His speech at Heritage was lauded but it was a nothing burger! Full of fluff. I watched his interview with Putin. Apart from the boring monologue about Russian history which was revealing it was awful with no challenge.
I would not bother with Fuentes. Jonathan Van Maren has written about the dreaded triplets extensively. Who would bother listening to falsehoods and bile? Owen’s lost the plot when she stated ‘Ye is still my friend’.
I am losing patience with TPUSA and it continued patience with Carlson. Piers Morgan has joined the triplets.
To work out people’s allegiances you trust the discernment that the Holy Spirit gives. All those mistreats you mentioned should be ignored.
The conservative side of politics has many facets and discernment is needed. We don’t present a particularly united front because we think and express a variety of ideas and opinions which in our case should be biblical and different.
Trump has the knack of uniting disparate groups and even cosying up to Marxist leaders like our Prime Minister because he needed a stick to beat Xi with. It remains to be seen if he gets his rare earths. The rumblings have started. He cosies up to Middle Eastern dictators too. I have my doubts about the peace process and definitely about JD Vance now. So we just plod along, praying, reading ,loving Jesus and knowing that it is His redemption is the only redemption and God has a plan for Israel, flawed as it is.
Great and thoughtful piece. Well done wading through Fuentes bile.
Look, everybody involved here desperately needs Jesus! And the people who claim to have Jesus need to be reminded that he was born a Jewish boy…
A few observations:
1. I think a lot of the “moderates” here unfortunately never learned the lesson of the boy who cried wolf. Because a great many of them spent the last few years calling all conservative Christians alt right fascist haters - even when those Christians were fierce opponents of Jew hatred, like Charlie Kirk and Doug Wilson - so now, when actual wolves show up, normies understandably don’t believe them. It’s the medical establishment in the COVID years all over again - once you’ve thrown away your credibility, it’s gone forever, you can’t get it back.
2. In the wake of Kirk’s martyrdom, a lot of Christians are deciding to be much more outspoken and brave about their Christian witness in the public square. Many of these, who do not have a shred of Jew hatred in them, are being slandered as antisemites simply because, for the past several decades, Christian witness has been so unfamiliar to the culture that now it returns it reads as racism, since it’s not universalist. So now a bunch of innocent Christian’s who thought they were part of the mainstream conservative coalition are realizing their allies hate them and their God. This is especially confounding to them since they thought they were the ones living in the big tent, what with all the atheist and gay married and Jewish conservatives they supported for years.
3. It’s almost Christmas. We’ll all be listening to White Christmas, composed by Jewish immigrant Irving Berlin. He didn’t write God Bless America in Yiddish, either. During peak Jewish immigration/assimilation, when my own Jewish ancestors came here, the heavily Jewish (and Hungarian! Ahem…) Hollywood made some of the most beautiful pro-Christian/pro-American movies and songs ever. On the other hand, for the past several decades, every mainstream Jewish organization has gone all in on BLM (which hates Jews) and Muslim immigration (which hates Jews), while attacking Charlie Kirk types (who love Jews). And there’s no common pro Christian pro American culture left to assimilate into even if someone wanted to do so. It was never gonna end well on this trajectory. In the Bible, when God allows his people to be conquered by His enemies, it’s not because he hates Jews or is pro-Babylonian, it’s because they’ve turned away from Him.
I can go anywhere and read multiple column feet of screeching against various unclean denizens of the alt right. I consider it a waste of talent. What I can't find is anyone actually responding to their concerns, and they do give voice to real concerns. One may like Tucker or not, his style is to let someone talk and let his listeners decide what they think of what is said. I listen to Tucker when I get the chance because I want to hear what the latest pariah has to say in their own words, not in someone else's clips; not that I have trust issues or anything.
I listened to Tucker's interview with Nick. Nick reminded me of the young Mohammed, at least according to some. He came to the church in Alexandria with questions and ideas and was kicked out on his ear for his audacity, and likely uncouthness. That didn't end well.
Seems a poor strategy for the political side that has valued the free exchange of ideas.
Maybe someone will address the questions of his audience rather than the man. I'll be waiting as I have some of the same questions.
I think you’re really on to something when you point out that much of this goes back to elevating non-interventionist foreign policy to maniacal levels of importance. Post-Iraq, some people have let their traumatized commitment to The Never Ever Ever War become so intense that it deadens their moral sense to anything else. It’s been interesting as someone who also regularly reads Rod Dreher to observe how he’s handled this. I don’t always agree with his takes on foreign policy, and I occasionally roll my eyes a bit when he talks yet again about how ashamed he feels for supporting Bush ‘43. But I think his commitments to social and religious conservatism, as well as his human decency, run deep enough that even those strong feelings haven’t induced him to suck up to dictators or demonize Israel in the way many in Tucker’s mold have. Rod may feel that The War on Terror was largely a con job, but he has other values of sufficient importance not to let that disillusionment consume his soul.
Do we have an actual American conservative movement? I am a bona fide, actual, full blown, total worldview, American conservative, of some age now, and I don't think there is anything presently like an "American conservatism." The closest we've had in my life was the 80s Reaganism, which I would gladly take right now. I don't think we've splintered now, there was little to nothing to splinter, we've been wandering since the 80s, with most "conservatives" not even being able to articulate what American conservatism is, much less state why it's good and why we should have it.
It's in pockets here and there sure, but I don't see any general American conservatism in a living breathing doing things form. This is why we have Tucker, and Fuentes, and French, etc... and perhaps most of all... Trump.
I am still an optimist because my hope is the same as yours, but it's so frustrating.
If there were something I could do, besides what I've already done, I would do it.
We have no common culture in large part because we have no common history. The Left understands the value of narrative and how destructive it is to their efforts to destroy the West. They are succeeding by first gutting education and now by flooding the zone with people with whom we have little to nothing in common.
I don't think most "conservatives" are conservative. Things would be different if they were. I think they're of the right in some way but not actually conservative.
You’ve drawn the line exactly where it belongs—between criticism and complicity. You keep the air clear, exposing how "nuance" so often serves as moral fog.
I never rated Carlson. His speech at Heritage was lauded but it was a nothing burger! Full of fluff. I watched his interview with Putin. Apart from the boring monologue about Russian history which was revealing it was awful with no challenge.
I would not bother with Fuentes. Jonathan Van Maren has written about the dreaded triplets extensively. Who would bother listening to falsehoods and bile? Owen’s lost the plot when she stated ‘Ye is still my friend’.
I am losing patience with TPUSA and it continued patience with Carlson. Piers Morgan has joined the triplets.
To work out people’s allegiances you trust the discernment that the Holy Spirit gives. All those mistreats you mentioned should be ignored.
The conservative side of politics has many facets and discernment is needed. We don’t present a particularly united front because we think and express a variety of ideas and opinions which in our case should be biblical and different.
Trump has the knack of uniting disparate groups and even cosying up to Marxist leaders like our Prime Minister because he needed a stick to beat Xi with. It remains to be seen if he gets his rare earths. The rumblings have started. He cosies up to Middle Eastern dictators too. I have my doubts about the peace process and definitely about JD Vance now. So we just plod along, praying, reading ,loving Jesus and knowing that it is His redemption is the only redemption and God has a plan for Israel, flawed as it is.
Great and thoughtful piece. Well done wading through Fuentes bile.
So very well said, Ms. McGrew - thank you.
Look, everybody involved here desperately needs Jesus! And the people who claim to have Jesus need to be reminded that he was born a Jewish boy…
A few observations:
1. I think a lot of the “moderates” here unfortunately never learned the lesson of the boy who cried wolf. Because a great many of them spent the last few years calling all conservative Christians alt right fascist haters - even when those Christians were fierce opponents of Jew hatred, like Charlie Kirk and Doug Wilson - so now, when actual wolves show up, normies understandably don’t believe them. It’s the medical establishment in the COVID years all over again - once you’ve thrown away your credibility, it’s gone forever, you can’t get it back.
2. In the wake of Kirk’s martyrdom, a lot of Christians are deciding to be much more outspoken and brave about their Christian witness in the public square. Many of these, who do not have a shred of Jew hatred in them, are being slandered as antisemites simply because, for the past several decades, Christian witness has been so unfamiliar to the culture that now it returns it reads as racism, since it’s not universalist. So now a bunch of innocent Christian’s who thought they were part of the mainstream conservative coalition are realizing their allies hate them and their God. This is especially confounding to them since they thought they were the ones living in the big tent, what with all the atheist and gay married and Jewish conservatives they supported for years.
3. It’s almost Christmas. We’ll all be listening to White Christmas, composed by Jewish immigrant Irving Berlin. He didn’t write God Bless America in Yiddish, either. During peak Jewish immigration/assimilation, when my own Jewish ancestors came here, the heavily Jewish (and Hungarian! Ahem…) Hollywood made some of the most beautiful pro-Christian/pro-American movies and songs ever. On the other hand, for the past several decades, every mainstream Jewish organization has gone all in on BLM (which hates Jews) and Muslim immigration (which hates Jews), while attacking Charlie Kirk types (who love Jews). And there’s no common pro Christian pro American culture left to assimilate into even if someone wanted to do so. It was never gonna end well on this trajectory. In the Bible, when God allows his people to be conquered by His enemies, it’s not because he hates Jews or is pro-Babylonian, it’s because they’ve turned away from Him.
We are a complicated group. Difficult to unite because we think.
I can go anywhere and read multiple column feet of screeching against various unclean denizens of the alt right. I consider it a waste of talent. What I can't find is anyone actually responding to their concerns, and they do give voice to real concerns. One may like Tucker or not, his style is to let someone talk and let his listeners decide what they think of what is said. I listen to Tucker when I get the chance because I want to hear what the latest pariah has to say in their own words, not in someone else's clips; not that I have trust issues or anything.
I listened to Tucker's interview with Nick. Nick reminded me of the young Mohammed, at least according to some. He came to the church in Alexandria with questions and ideas and was kicked out on his ear for his audacity, and likely uncouthness. That didn't end well.
Seems a poor strategy for the political side that has valued the free exchange of ideas.
Maybe someone will address the questions of his audience rather than the man. I'll be waiting as I have some of the same questions.
I think you’re really on to something when you point out that much of this goes back to elevating non-interventionist foreign policy to maniacal levels of importance. Post-Iraq, some people have let their traumatized commitment to The Never Ever Ever War become so intense that it deadens their moral sense to anything else. It’s been interesting as someone who also regularly reads Rod Dreher to observe how he’s handled this. I don’t always agree with his takes on foreign policy, and I occasionally roll my eyes a bit when he talks yet again about how ashamed he feels for supporting Bush ‘43. But I think his commitments to social and religious conservatism, as well as his human decency, run deep enough that even those strong feelings haven’t induced him to suck up to dictators or demonize Israel in the way many in Tucker’s mold have. Rod may feel that The War on Terror was largely a con job, but he has other values of sufficient importance not to let that disillusionment consume his soul.
You hit every nail on the head. I hope Roberts resigns and TPUSA and Vance clearly disown Carlson.
Do we have an actual American conservative movement? I am a bona fide, actual, full blown, total worldview, American conservative, of some age now, and I don't think there is anything presently like an "American conservatism." The closest we've had in my life was the 80s Reaganism, which I would gladly take right now. I don't think we've splintered now, there was little to nothing to splinter, we've been wandering since the 80s, with most "conservatives" not even being able to articulate what American conservatism is, much less state why it's good and why we should have it.
It's in pockets here and there sure, but I don't see any general American conservatism in a living breathing doing things form. This is why we have Tucker, and Fuentes, and French, etc... and perhaps most of all... Trump.
I am still an optimist because my hope is the same as yours, but it's so frustrating.
If there were something I could do, besides what I've already done, I would do it.
We have no common culture in large part because we have no common history. The Left understands the value of narrative and how destructive it is to their efforts to destroy the West. They are succeeding by first gutting education and now by flooding the zone with people with whom we have little to nothing in common.
We do have a common history. We have a telos, but you're correct. The left is destroying it, perhaps has destroyed it?
Conservatives are multifaceted and complicated not blindly loyal like Communists and socialists.
I don't think most "conservatives" are conservative. Things would be different if they were. I think they're of the right in some way but not actually conservative.
Conservatives have many hangers on that are not truly conservative.
You’ve drawn the line exactly where it belongs—between criticism and complicity. You keep the air clear, exposing how "nuance" so often serves as moral fog.