As America is settling into a second Trump presidency, it can be easy to relax, bask in the victory, and settle down for the great four years. After all, Trump’s majority in both the popular and the electoral votes, as well as his becoming the second president in our history to serve two nonconsecutive terms, is a stunning comeback. But on the other hand, the more cynical among us might take the time to wonder if election results matter at all? And can life in the USA truly get better when we’re switching political parties—and ideologies—every four years? This is a valid concern; as demonstrated throughout history, but especially in the first couple years of Biden’s term, very few political things have permanence. However, that is not cause for despair. It is both a curse and a blessing that politics is, in many ways, merely a reflection and not the creator of our culture and societal ethics.

So what would it take to make permanent strides towards a more constitutional government?

The Strengths & Weaknesses Of Freedom

One of the defining features of any freedom movement is that it is, by definition, grassroots. Freedom is organized from the bottom up, instead of from the top down. On the one hand, this is a definitive strength, because trying to stop a grassroots movement is like trying to stop the Mississippi river. In addition, the general populace has a natural anti-elitist tendency, as demonstrated by the Revolutionary War, the elections of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Donald Trump. These are only a few of many examples of this tendency. This was capitalized on very effectively by the founding fathers, who designed our government in a way that constantly pits those in power against each other while enabling the citizenry the ability to peacefully dethrone those in power.

However, this is also a strategic weakness. The defense of freedom is a constant battle, and freedom’s chief defenders are ordinary men and women who want to go to work, earn a paycheck, come home, and live life with their family. They find purpose and moral value from this. While they can and will fight, they would much rather just live their life. On the other hand, the opposition is comprised of many individuals who find purpose and moral value from activism.

In addition, the opposition is highly and strategically organized. As just one example among many, the DEI, LGBTQ, and green movements all receive back-door federal funding through USAID (White House). USAID also funds George Soros (The Economic Times), a billionaire involved in initiatives spanning regime changes (Gulag Bound) and economic collapses (Soros: The Unauthorized Biography), who also helped fund and organize BLM protests (Washington Times).

The Elite’s Playbook

So what playbook can we expect the elites to follow over the next four years? Saul Alinksy’s Rules For Radicals is a guidebook used by leftist activists for generations, and it is improbable that we will see a change in tactics any time soon. While an in-depth read of Rules For Radicals is recommended, here are three specific tactics we will likely see a lot of over the next few years.

Highly organized shadow efforts. The discoveries with USAID are a prime example. Unaudited funding provided by US taxpayers has been instrumental in activism across the world, often at direct odds with national interest, or even common sense. This is so easy to overlook, or just never even consider, because this isn’t really something that happens among the supporters of freedom

Contention, Chaos, and Controversy. As can be seen in the last month, the media and other liberal figures create chaos through deception and manipulation. One example among many is the protests that have erupted against Elon Musk and DOGE across the United States (USA Today) (ABC News). This was also demonstrated by the 2020 Summer of Love protests (Police Magazine)—funded in part by George Soros and USAID—which were used to demand racial equity, reparations, defunding of the police, and more.

Controlling the Overton Window. The ability to control what is acceptable in the public discourse is incredibly powerful and not to be underestimated. Some of this is done overtly, such as calling people they disagree with racist or nazis or other deplorables; some of this is done by choosing emotional rhetoric that subconsciously sways readers and listeners in one direction or another; and some of it is by simply not bringing up topics they don’t want discussed. For example, almost two years after the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake, many children are still missing (Yahoo). In fact, we have no idea how many are missing. It’s potentially in the thousands, but no one is sure, and there is a very good chance that these missing children are being sexually trafficked and will never be found. But that wasn’t something discussed in the direct aftermath of the earthquake, or even now. It was mentioned a few times, and then simply brushed under the rug, even though this is a literal human rights crisis and a huge tragedy.

Freedom’s Response

The response from those fighting for freedom must be one of patient, consistent, and unwavering action. The nature of the above responses, as well as many other tactics used, is to intimidate and wear down their opposition. And it’s incredibly effective.

From the way that Americans knelt down to the CDC’s COVID19 response, to the collective backing down of every-day Americans in the face of the BLM riots, chaos and contention have been repeatedly used to get We The People to capitulate to a tyrannical agenda. After all, we reason, if we give in, then everything will go back to normal, and we can get back to every-day life. However, this is ignoring the activist nature and tactics of the elites. 

This time, we can’t back down. We must be committed to our principles, and willing to remain standing even as chaos and controversy are stirred up around us.

In addition, we can’t continue to see this as a fight of us vs them. It’s not about Democrats and Republicans, or even liberals and conservatives. It’s a fight between the normal people and the elites. But we’re so stuck in this two-party narrative that we can’t even comprehend that. We need, first of all, to see people on both sides of the aisle as people—fallible people, sure; we all are—but people first and foremost.

We also need to put a greater focus on communication. From explaining exactly what’s going on in the government (which President Trump and his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, have been doing an excellent job with), to articulating exactly what we believe, and why, and being willing to welcome those changing their minds with open arms. The desire to gate keep our movement will be our downfall. “They weren’t here when it’s hard, they’re just grifting.” So what? They’re here now. Let’s celebrate that, and continue changing minds! Every little victory, no matter how late, is a victory worth celebrating. 

Alliances

So who are our allies in this continuing fight? While there are many, two in particular come to mind.

First, parents. They will do anything to protect their children. A single example of this is Glenn Younkin, the Republican governor of Virginia, a historically blue state. The defining factor in his campaign was LGBTQ in the classroom, which Younkin firmly opposed (Newsweek). Due to the nature of the policies and ideologies embraced by the totalitarian left, parents are natural and powerful allies that are not to be slighted.

Second, entrepreneurs and innovators. This is another natural alliance; they thrive in freedom (Cato Institute), and are powerful instigators of economic, social, and political change. Additionally, an innovator mindset isn’t just necessary in business; it’s also an incredibly powerful mindset in the fight for freedom. Modern problems require innovative solutions, even if they’re just information age twists to tried-and-true fixes.

Strategic Compromises

A major weakness of Conservatives is to refuse to compromise. We’re unwilling to sully our principles through the messy process of posturing and politicking, but that has cost us many battles. It’s better to demand 100%, and then compromise on 30%, than walk away from the negotiating table because we’re asked to compromise. 30% is still better than 0%, and after we’ve settled into that one compromise, we can come back and ask for even more.

This is one of many tried and true tactics outlined in Rules for Radicals, and one that conservatives need to be more willing to use. While ideals and principles are good and beautiful, we have to be willing to get involved in the process of politics, do some posturing, and get our hands dirty. This is something that President Trump is exceptionally good at. He’s willing to play the game and game the system. He understands that getting messy is part of the process, and not something to be shied away from. Any victory, even a partial victory, is getting somewhere.

Necessary Territorial Gains

But we can’t fall into the trap of believing that all of the battles we’ll fight over the next four years will be political. That is far from the truth, and in actuality, the political battles we’ll fight will be some of the least important battles of the next four years.

If we hope to maintain the progress we make, we need to make major territorial gains in five areas:

Communications. First, social media—conservatives need to make huge strides in creating and using social media that openly celebrates freedom of speech, patriotism, and good faith dialogue. X is an excellent start, but it’s just that—a start. And it can’t be a conservative-only space either; while options such as Rumble and Gab will likely maintain a faithful user base, it will never be a cultural center because it’s not a common space in the way that Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok are. Second, news media—of which there seems to be exactly two kinds. Liberal media, and activist right-wing media. Activist media has a time and a place, to be sure, but sites like DailyWire and Brietbart will never be genuine counterparts to the New York Times, NPR, and MSNBC. And yet, that is exactly what we need. Reputable, influential, exceptional, cutting-edge news media. This is not to glorify NYT, NPR, or MSNBC, because there’s obviously major failings as well, but they hold a unique place of respect and honor in our culture.

Education. Again, conservatives need to make huge strides in creating and using reputable educational institutions. Whether that’s homeschooling, colleges such as Hillsdale and Peterson Academy, or even just ordinary K-12 schools, we have to take back education, something that is largely a left-wing space. Permanence is not the work of a single generation; it is a legacy handed down for many generations. 

Business. Many businesses, from Amazon to Chipotle, and Nike to Walmart, have thrown their weight behind leftism and the associated gaggle of ideologies. We need conservative businesses with quality products and services that we buy because they are so amazing, and not just because we want to support conservative businesses. We need conservative entrepreneurs with crazy ideas that are changing the world and shaping the next generation of technology, medicine, health, philosophy, education and politics. 

Religion. As religion strove to become as inclusive and accessible as possible, so much truth and power has been lost. While religion is for sinners, not saints, we can’t descend to their level to make them feel comfortable—we must invite and enable them to rise to a higher level. We can’t dumb down redemption, or God’s love, or the commandments, or any of these other amazing pieces of our lives, to make them more palatable. Jesus Christ sat with sinners (Mark 2:13-17), but he also commanded them to “sin no more” (John 8:11).

Culture. While obviously everything already discussed under the above heading factors into culture, I am now specifically referring to our entertainment—sports, movies, documentaries and podcasts, books, TV shows, music, and the likes. Again, we need to be creating genuinely good entertainment that isn’t just pushing an agenda. Tell stories. Weave human emotion into tunes. Create epic comebacks and surprising victories. Uncover the truth. Dive deep into the fascinating world we live in. 

In all of these sectors, it isn’t enough to just be present as conservatives, or create for people willing to consume something simply because it was made or sold by conservatives. We have to be genuinely competitive players in the market, in every sense of the word. Write stories that sell, platforms that attract, schools that teach, products that people can’t live without. That is how we take culture back.

A Caveat

All of this considered, a caveat is necessary. This is not a battle of Democrats vs Republicans. This is about We the People vs the elites. We must keep that in mind, and we cannot allow ourselves to fall down the slippery slope of dehumanization.

We must be willing to get our hands dirty, fight the good fight, be involved in the political process—and even the political games—but we cannot allow ourselves to vilify those we’re working against, no matter how justified it may seem. As contradictory as it may seem, we must be pragmatic, optimistic, resilient, political idealists.

I believe that we can see huge victories over the next four years, and take massive steps towards a more free and civil society—and that the strides we make can be maintained. If we are intentional about how we use the next four years, we can lay the foundation of a new era of freedom.

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