My Party Has Been Overtaken by ‘Cancel Culture’ Trolls
What if, while we were distracted by the ongoing culture war, conservatives surrendered the social contract—the implicit agreement between citizens and the state? I think we are witnessing that right now. While Fox News was focused on Dr. Seuss and “owning the libs,” Democrats passed a wildly popular $1.9 trillion stimulus package billed as COVID relief.
Republicans unanimously voting against it belies the fact that, unlike the Tea Party movement that arose during the Obama era, there was never an organized, much less coherent, attempt to sway public opinion against it. What remains is something akin to Obamacare on steroids. Whereas Americans only gradually came to expect that health care was a birthright, we are starting from a premise that American families should expect a monthly check from the government. For a party that cries “socialism” at the drop of a hat, the GOP’s response to this was, shall we say, underwhelming.
Conventional wisdom suggests that the GOP is completely embarrassing itself and being historically and morally irresponsible—they’re voting against help for their own constituents and instead trying to get people riled up by Dr. Seuss. But my take is different. I think the culture war is legitimate. And it’s not just about Dr. Seuss—or even Mr. Potato Head. It’s about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.