About a year ago, I wrote an article about what I thought it would take to tear down the lockdown. The article,titled “Challenge an Arrogant Authoritarian, Go to Church,” advocated peaceful, nonviolent resistance to the illegal orders then being issued by the Governor of California, allegedly justified by his “emergency powers.” I made the argument that the orders made by the Governor, as the orders applied to the “free exercise” of religion, discriminated against churches. If you were a big box store, like Home Depot or Walmart, you could let people in. If you were a church, you couldn’t. I received a number of comments from political and legal types around the state that my Constitutional analysis was wrong. This weekend the US Supreme Court, now that Justice Amy Coney Barrett had joined the court, agreed with my analysis. They didn’t go as far as I would have, I would have let freedom ring, and let churches sing, but reopening the church is a good start, and I dare any government official to try and stop a group of nonviolent protestors for religious freedom from singing about Jesus. Like before, I counsel the pastors and churches, should some screwball government bureaucrat try and stop the singing, to take their case to a jury. The government knows what I know, there is no way to get a criminal conviction for singing in church
I believe this is the first step towards the complete collapse of the quarantine, and, for that reason, I say “Thank You President Donald Trump.” His three appointments to the Supreme Court have already rewritten history on the power of government, significantly curtailing the order of the Arrogant Lazy Authoritarian in Charge (ALAIC) of California, Gavin Newsom, and upheld religious liberty. In the past, Republican presidents, Nixon, Ford, Bushes 1 and 2, and even Ronald Reagan, have appointed Supreme Court justices that have disappointed. Trump did not. His appointments helped even Justice Roberts remember the words of the Constitution, and apply a strict construction in such a manner as to restrain the power of government. That is a good thing.
Trump has done more for the conservative movement than anyone since Reagan. He not only talked the talk, as many in politics do, he walked the walk. For his effort, he received the worst slander the left could generate. They called him racist, even though the worst racist thing he ever said was that he wanted “America First.” He shrunk the power of government significantly, which engendered the anger of the Washington establishment, both Democrat and Republican, in ways that no other political figure has ever done. That establishment fought back by attacking him, his family, anyone who helped him, and the American people who supported him by every available public relations vehicle at their disposal.
Trump generated record support. The fact is, if it wasn’t for the frantic fear generated by the activist media over the COVID craziness, Trump would have been re-elected. Leftist Governors would not have been able to change election rules to benefit big city machines, the economy would still be roaring to record levels of productivity, and the constant harangues by the leftist media propaganda machine would have fallen on deaf ears.
This is not new. When Ronald Reagan took conservatism from the halls of a few publications and intellectuals to the mainstream, he received the same attacks to which Trump was subjected. Democrats called him senile, Republican leadership did all they could to minimize his influence. More than one “Republican” political figure and activist bemoaned the influence of Reagan, usually first burnishing their conservative credentials by observing “I supported Goldwater” then following up with “But this is just not Goldwater conservatism, we just can’t follow Reagan on this one.” Sound familiar, the Republican Never Trumpers always start with “I was a big Reagan supporter” then say “but this is not the Reagan Republican Party.” They then follow up with “we need to purge Trumpism from the party.” Republicans picked up seats in Congress because of Trump. He turned out more Republicans in 2020 than ever before in history.
The fact is Trump is the most popular Republican among the rank and file in a generation. He mainstreamed conservative principles, using his form of populism, in the minds of the American people across the country. He has NOT chased people from the party, he has drawn them to it. If Republicans handle this right, the renaissance of the right is an election away. Garner the energy Trump created, focus it on the left, set out a principled agenda for individual freedom, free enterprise, small government and “America First,” and the Democrats will collapse as a party in ten years.
The left doesn’t have Trump to hate any more, and the only thing that will hurt Republicans is if they listen to siren call of the propaganda arm of the left, what is commonly referred to as the mainstream media, and alienate those people who came to the party because of Trump. Those in our own party who wish to purge the Trump influence are listening to this treacherous propaganda, which would lead us back into a minority again, rather than allow us to rise from the ashes of 2020 stronger than ever.
So I say, Thank You President Trump, your Supreme Court appointees have left as least one branch of government that is committed to freedom. You have shown Republicans the path to a long term majority. To those Republican elected officials and political influencers who think we should abandon Trump, you counsel defeat for Republicans. Victory comes from keeping the Trump supporters inside the big tent in which you think we should all reside. I would rather pursue a political strategy that leads to victory.