What if someone told you that the left is not winning the culture war?
If you’re like most conservatives, that statement would be hard to believe, right? Repeatedly, we hear that conservatives have lost the culture – but there is an alternative view I would like to put forward: Conservatives are now in a position to seize a stronger position of influence in American society than ever before.
It’s understandable to assume that conservatives are losing the culture battle when you consider the fact that the left controls most of the platforms that are used to spread ideas. The establishment media is controlled by liberals. Our universities are in the firm grip of leftist faculty and leadership. In the entertainment industry, left-wing messages are the most prominent. However, the right may be gaining ground in this culture battle.
Don’t believe me? Let’s briefly look at the evidence.
Consider the 2016 election. President Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, who was highly favored to win. It was one of the most unexpected outcomes of a presidential election in recent history. Moreover, Republicans swept Congress and won most of the governorships in the United States. The left didn’t know what hit them. It was an electoral gut punch that left them stunned. How could they lose when they are supposed to have greater influence over American culture? It’s a question that still vexes many.
If conservatives are going to seize more territory in the culture war, we must adopt strategies that will strengthen our position in society. First, it is important to understand that no side can win the culture war. As long as American society exists, this struggle will continue. It is a constant back-and-forth between right and left – a tug-of-war between conservatives and liberals. The more accurate way to discuss this conflict is not in terms of who has won the war but who currently has the upper hand.
As conservatives, we must take a more aggressive approach. In the past, we’ve been caught playing way too much defense. We used facts and data to support our positions assuming that the American public would see things our way. Unfortunately, facts and data can only take us so far.
Along with defending our ideas, we must vigorously attack the failed ideas of the left. There are three ways to do this. We must:
- Allow the left to defeat themselves.
- Choose our battles wisely.
- Expose their flawed ideology.
While these three tactics are not the only weapons conservatives possess, they are some of the most potent.
Sometimes, the best strategy is to let the left be the left. Conservatives unwittingly used this strategy to win in 2016. Here’s why: The left’s many weaknesses have caused critical damage to their brand. Their political losses last year were more a result of their faults than the efforts of conservatives. They alienated voters with their failed policies, fixation on identity politics, and several other factors.
President Barack Obama worked with Democratic lawmakers to force the Affordable Care Act through Congress while ensuring that Americans had no idea what was in the bill. The legislation had serious issues from the time it was first rolled out. Now, Obamacare is on the verge of collapse because it was a deeply flawed policy. The ACA is a classic example of how leftist policies tend to fail – miserably. As the saying goes: If your opponent is self-destructing don’t stand in his way. Sometimes the best strategy is to let their failure play out. As with Obamacare, left-wing ideology will demonstrate its own ineffectiveness.
Taylor Lewis, in an article written for the American Thinker, argues:
“While conservatives have lost the culture for now, liberalism is not sustainable. The maniacal attempt to uproot and transform human nature will eventually fail. Reality kicks back. When it does, the Right will have its chance to recover the cultural lost ground. And that, in turn, will mean a chance to retake elected offices.”
When Democrats inevitably fail, people become dissatisfied with their Party. At that point, they are open to other ideas.
Beyond their policies, the left also exhibits behaviors that average Americans find repugnant. Sometimes we should just let them repel Americans with their conduct. The social justice movement’s obsession with bigotry and intersectionality provides an example. They use the notion of “white privilege” and political correctness to silence those with whom they disagree.
Robby Soaves, in Reason.com, writes:
“The left sorted everyone into identity groups and then told the people in the poorly-educated-white-male identity group that it was the only bad one. It mocked the members of this group mercilessly. It punished them for not being woke enough. It called them racists. It said their video games were sexist. It deployed Lena Dunham to tell them how horrible they were.”
Other of their arguments are demonstrably false — and the American public sees it. The left’s habit of discrediting those with whom they disagree by calling them bigots has done more to disgust Americans than to attract them. The hard left groups that assault conservatives at speaking events and pro-Trump rallies have shown themselves to be nothing more than bullies. The more they engage in these types of behaviors, the more they alienate people.
The establishment media is also an example of how the left pushes people away by propagating false narratives. They have regularly promoted the Russiagate narrative to convince the American public that President Trump worked with Russian intelligence to influence the election — regardless of the lack of any real substantial evidence. People are tired of this. A recent poll showed that Americans have grown weary of hearing about the Trump/Russia collusion conspiracy theory.
Liberty Nation reported:
“The poll found that 64% of voters believe the Russia investigation is dragging the country down. 56% believe there are more important matters that the government should address. 73% are concerned that the investigations are distracting Congress from the real issues. 62% did not believe there was enough evidence of collusion.”
Conservatives can — and should — make compelling arguments against leftist ideas. However, there are times when we should just allow the left to repudiate their own arguments. In many cases, the flaws inherent in their views can be quite obvious to those who are not firmly on the left. On the other hand, there are times when Conservatives can and should jump into the fray.
Jeff Charles is Race Relations Media Affairs Correspondent at LibertyNation.com.
Source material can be found at this site.
