The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

How and Why #Shutuppery Works

Posted on | October 20, 2013 | 89 Comments

A point I made Saturday at The American Spectator:

When so many cultural institutions, from the news media to Hollywood to your local university campus, are utterly dominated by liberal Democrats, there inevitably arises a stigma toward conservative ideas and Republican politics. When people are hammered day after day by the relentless partisanship of what the late Andrew Breitbart called the “Democrat-Media Complex,” when movies and TV sitcoms habitually mock or demonize Republicans, when conservative college students are afraid of their liberal professors and radical campus activists, who can blame anyone for thinking there is something wrong with being a Republican? Cast under this shadow of stigma and suspicion, many Republicans seem to internalize the negative stereotype of themselves, to become defensive and apologetic — “Please don’t hate me” — and generally to act as if they are guilty of doing something wrong. . . .

Please read the whole thing. Republicans who send out signals of weakness and fear are, in effect, inviting attacks. And because so many Republicans lack either the courage to fight back or the skill to fight back successfully, their enemies are emboldened.

Organizations have images — reputations — and if a negative perception develops, that perception tends to become self-perpuating. The Republican Party is currently perceived as an organization of selfish, cowardly losers, and this makes it difficult for the GOP to attract support from people who admire generosity,  strength and success. The party is increasingly defined by its whining pathetic supporters.

From the perspective of the neurasthenic weaklings who now run Republican politics, anyone who wants to stand up and fight for principles is considered a troublemaker. Ted Cruz? Mike Lee? Rand Paul? No, the GOP leadership doesn’t want to elect people like that. They want smooth-talking sellouts like Lindsey Graham and good ol’ boys like Mitch McConnell who understand that the job of Republicans is to “compromise” by giving Democrats everything they want.

Well, who in their right mind would fight on behalf of a such a party? Who would risk their reputation, their comfort, perhaps even their livelihood, to defend the Republican Party, when the party itself is run by wimps who only care about their own re-election?

Think about this: When Lady Liberty and Sister Toldjah came under fire by North Carolina Democrats, did anybody in the North Carolina GOP apparatus stand up for them? Hell, no.

You cannot win in political combat by continually retreating. If you ever hope to win, you must first determine to fight. And once you’re in the fight, you must never stop fighting until you win.

 

Category: Republicans

Comments

89 Responses to “How and Why #Shutuppery Works”

  1. Professor_Why
    October 20th, 2013 @ 12:32 pm

    How and Why #Shutuppery Works http://t.co/Ad10KXsc5L

  2. Quartermaster
    October 20th, 2013 @ 12:42 pm

    Thomas Jefferson as I recall. Alas, we are doing the experiment again.

  3. Quartermaster
    October 20th, 2013 @ 12:43 pm

    Patton would already have the lot of them shot for cowardice in the face of the enemy.

  4. Quartermaster
    October 20th, 2013 @ 12:45 pm

    Hopefully Cornyn has a primary opponent. He needs to go home. If I were Cruz, I’d campaign against the slug hammer and tongs.

  5. Quartermaster
    October 20th, 2013 @ 12:46 pm

    The car is gonna go off the cliff and take the rest of us with it. The only hope is in secession.

  6. M. Thompson
    October 20th, 2013 @ 12:51 pm

    “We’ve got to keep our phoney-baloney jobs!”

  7. AmPowerBlog
    October 20th, 2013 @ 12:53 pm

    How and Why #Shutuppery Works http://t.co/SXuocpT3iZ via @RSMcCain

  8. rsmccain
    October 20th, 2013 @ 12:58 pm

    RT @AmPowerBlog: How and Why #Shutuppery Works http://t.co/SXuocpT3iZ via @RSMcCain

  9. Andrew Apter
    October 20th, 2013 @ 12:59 pm

    Tectonic shifts in ethnic makeup in America plus dumbing down in education make it unavoidable that the virtues of conservatism will also die a miserable death. I’m no fan of Pat Buchanan but he is close to right.

  10. museofhistory
    October 20th, 2013 @ 1:00 pm

    RT @AmPowerBlog: How and Why #Shutuppery Works http://t.co/SXuocpT3iZ via @RSMcCain

  11. ACSpollen
    October 20th, 2013 @ 1:02 pm

    RT @AmPowerBlog: How and Why #Shutuppery Works http://t.co/SXuocpT3iZ via @RSMcCain

  12. Shutuppery works because Conservatives cave too easily | The Daley Gator
    October 20th, 2013 @ 1:07 pm

    […] The Other McCain explains […]

  13. Rosalie
    October 20th, 2013 @ 1:13 pm

    Another RINO, Jeb Bush, is now asking Cruz to show resraint. All that “restraint” is ruining our country.

  14. postaldog
    October 20th, 2013 @ 1:26 pm

    It’s not just the politicians, but the voices in online communities and on television as well. Right after the big cave-in, Ann Coulter was on Hannity advocating for electing more RINO’s, as if having a majority of spineless cowards in the Senate would solve things.
    Take a look at HotAir, a supposed leading conservative website. Chamberlainesque RINO candyass Allahpundit has never seen a fight he wouldn’t back away from. He was doing his “game over, man!” bit from the opening salvo by Ted Cruz.
    When the folks that are supposed to be our voices in the media don’t have our (conservatives) backs, it makes it all the easier for liberals to beat the Republican party down.
    We’re losing in all phases of the game here.

  15. richard mcenroe
    October 20th, 2013 @ 1:46 pm

    No. The fold was choreographed days in advance, and timed to be sure no fresh wave of outrage could oppose it. McConnell and Boehner are complicit, not simple losers.

  16. DaveO
    October 20th, 2013 @ 2:20 pm

    On the port side, dissent is quickly, and firmly dealt with. Sometimes, even violently. The Right may not like dissent, but it doesn’t rub it out like a capo does a snitch.

  17. DaveO
    October 20th, 2013 @ 2:30 pm

    There are two practical reasons for the Establishmentarian reticence: the Left does not hesitate to violently mob any person or thing that is an obstacle. The Left practices doxing on a grand scale – using IRS and other government agencies to provide locations and other key data to overwhelm security and intimidate Republicans.
    The second reason is the figurative sword of Damocles. If the TEA Party and social-fiscal conservatives got what they say they want: smaller government, millions of Americans will riot in fear of no more money for food, rent/mortgage, car and other payments. No welfare means anarchy at worst, or mass mob murder of Republicans, conservative inidependents and Libertarians. Think the Dems won’t release Cruz’s and McConnell’s addresses and their daily itinerary if the Dems are frustrated?
    Rather a catastrophic view, but Louisiana was just a demonstration of the desparation of the comfortably empoverished in America.

  18. BeccaJLower
    October 20th, 2013 @ 2:38 pm

    RT @AmPowerBlog: How and Why #Shutuppery Works http://t.co/SXuocpT3iZ via @RSMcCain

  19. tlk244182
    October 20th, 2013 @ 3:41 pm

    “…move into the heartland….” I’ve been thinking the same thing since Nov.

  20. tlk244182
    October 20th, 2013 @ 3:42 pm

    Only hope that I can see….

  21. ChandlersGhost
    October 20th, 2013 @ 4:07 pm

    It already happened with Cruz.

    http://twitchy.com/2013/10/19/man-under-investigation-apparently-had-threatened-sen-ted-cruz-several-times-before/

  22. rsmccain
    October 20th, 2013 @ 4:15 pm

    RT @commonpatriot: via @rsmccain: How and Why #Shutuppery Works http://t.co/nOYNnVsLw7 #tcot

  23. DaveO
    October 20th, 2013 @ 4:28 pm

    With the NSA and IRS records pointing out who is who and where they are, decapitating conservatism would take less than a week, and the rest of America would be focused on the Jenners’ divorce.

  24. JoNobody
    October 20th, 2013 @ 5:13 pm

    “The first generation builds the business, the second makes it a
    success, and the third wrecks it” is another version of the old saying:
    “It is only but three generations from shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves.”
    American businessman Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919).

    This reminds of where our party is since Reagan. The Tea Party, Cruz, Lee and Palin are the new first generation perhaps. They get what is really at stake and John McPetain et al will always break.

  25. JoNobody
    October 20th, 2013 @ 5:14 pm

    You can’t win just playing defense.

  26. MattRoss
    October 20th, 2013 @ 5:22 pm

    It look like we end up fighting a two-front war. One against he democrats/regressives/statists on one side, and the RINO/Establishment GOP/Statists on the other. Rock, hard place, us.

  27. trangbang68
    October 20th, 2013 @ 5:24 pm

    I’m doing it in the Spring before La Raza takes over Arizona

  28. Oh My. ‘The Fifth Estate’ Bombs | Regular Right Guy
    October 20th, 2013 @ 5:28 pm

    […] How and Why #Shutuppery Works […]

  29. BobBelvedere
    October 20th, 2013 @ 6:37 pm

    RT @AmPowerBlog: How and Why #Shutuppery Works http://t.co/SXuocpT3iZ via @RSMcCain

  30. R8D_Red
    October 20th, 2013 @ 6:40 pm

    RT @AmPowerBlog: How and Why #Shutuppery Works http://t.co/SXuocpT3iZ via @RSMcCain

  31. Bob Belvedere
    October 20th, 2013 @ 6:49 pm

    THIS.

  32. Bob Belvedere
    October 20th, 2013 @ 6:51 pm

    ‘Nuff said…

    http://thecampofthesaints.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/cryin-john-boehner-foldlikeacheapsuit-001.jpg

  33. Bob Belvedere
    October 20th, 2013 @ 6:53 pm

    Refugium inveniemus in provinciis

    [Find refuge in the provinces]

  34. Bob Belvedere
    October 20th, 2013 @ 6:56 pm

    We’ve been looking for the enemy for some time now. We’ve finally found him. We’re surrounded. That simplifies things.

    -Chesty Puller

  35. Rosalie
    October 20th, 2013 @ 7:09 pm

    If your governor keeps on inviting the companies from the blue states, who knows, it just might turn blue.

  36. mtp
    October 21st, 2013 @ 7:30 am

    indeed mr. mccain…

    …the AR15 is called an assault weapon,
    like the tea party is called a domestic enemy…

    …who is it that is afraid these things will be used against them for the things they have done to others?
    *
    they call the ar15 an assault weapon…
    like they call the tea party a domestic enemy…

    …because they are afraid these things will be used against them for the things they are doing to us…

    …rightfully so as that is as it should be…

    …they have gone too far…

    ..and the things they fear because it threatens their illegitimate power to rule over us…

    …will be used because with the power they abuse they have made peaceful redress impossible…

  37. Now Shut Up | Daily Pundit
    October 21st, 2013 @ 2:30 pm

    […] How and Why #Shutuppery Works : The Other McCain […]

  38. Rick Bulow
    October 21st, 2013 @ 4:03 pm

    We would do well to remember Rule 1 in Andrew Breitbart’s Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Revolutionaries.

  39. FMJRA 2.0: Floating : The Other McCain
    October 26th, 2013 @ 2:30 pm

    […] How and Why #Shutuppery Works […]