Jerry Messeg

How to Woke Right: Step 1: Spend months attacking virtually every decision President Trump makes, from the war in Iran to his economic policies, telling Americans how badly they're being betrayed and how unaffordable everything has become, without bothering to analyze the data and without making any effort to explain what the administration is actually trying to accomplish or why those decisions were made in the first place. Step 2: When Republicans lose elections, blame Trump for supposedly ignoring what Americans want, as if your own constant outrage and attacks had absolutely nothing to do with shaping how those voters feel. Forget examining whether the policies were justified, whether they were properly explained, or what alternatives would actually benefit the country. Step 3: Lecture everyone else about the importance of keeping the Republican Party united. Tell us that criticizing Tucker Carlson is dangerous because he's part of the conservative movement and we cannot afford to divide the right. Tell us that criticizing Tucker for spreading insane conspiracy theories and promoting everything anti-America is supposedly a threat to conservative unity, while telling Republican voters that their own president has betrayed them for no apparent reason. Now, I want to be clear about something, because I think this is where the argument often gets lost. Nobody is obligated to blindly defend Trump or agree with every decision he makes. There are legitimate arguments to be had about the Iran war, its costs, and the administration's economic policies. But if you genuinely care about conservative principles and want Americans to understand what Republicans are trying to accomplish, why wouldn't you at least explain the reasoning behind those decisions? Do you seriously believe Trump went into office intending to make life more expensive for Americans? Do you think he decided to confront Iran for absolutely no reason? Even if you believe the war was a terrible mistake, is it really that difficult to explain why preventing the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons would be an important American national security objective, and then make your argument about why his approach was wrong? Many of these people enthusiastically supported Trump and helped convince Americans to vote for him. Now they spend their time telling those same voters that everything he does is a betrayal, while offering absolutely nothing in the way of serious policy alternatives. If you believe a policy is wrong, explain why, including what it was intended to accomplish and why your alternative would serve Americans better. But don't spend months encouraging voters to see every difficult decision as proof that their president has abandoned them, and then act surprised when those voters become disillusioned. Oh and I forgot step 4) Blame "neocons" or Jews for the loss instead of actually doing a moment of introspection or asking if your "republican" friends telling everyone not to vote may have had something to do with it.