By Matthew Wadler:
I am going to steal a theme that I heard from a talk radio host this morning. I suppose it shows my age (and his), but its truth, although obvious, completely alluded me. Many on the left are completely up in arms about the fact that President Trump has come into office and done something amazing and unheard of—kept his promises of change.
The left is falling over themselves in a rage. I, for one, find it hilarious that the President is using the power of the pen against them. I see it as the ultimate form of irony and cosmic, karmic justice.
The right, for their part, are stupefied at the fact that a “Republican” (quotes because although he ran under the banner of Republican, I am not really convinced the president is in fact a conservative) can actually have intestinal fortitude. But none of this is the theme that I was speaking of; I just can’t get over the paradox of the left being so enraged by executive orders.
What the talk radio host stated—and what blew me away—was how everyone under the age of 40 thinks that our nation’s turn to conservatism is such a new and terrifying state of affairs. I never realized how truly indoctrinated and uninformed the millennial generation was in terms of what conservatism and the Constitution actually represent, past and present.
Those on the right have become pathetically weak and quiet, afraid to stand up for their views and beliefs because they will get shouted down so emphatically by the left. So instead, they sit quietly and watch as they are mocked and made to seem extreme for their views. All the while, their children see and hear this, believing that this country has always had a leaning to the left. Then, when all of a sudden we elect two houses of Congress, a president, and a majority of governors as Republicans, they see their world collapsing.
After all, from their perspective, Republicans represent racism, sexism, slavery, misogamy, murder (2nd Amendment)—the list goes on and on. It is really not even their fault, as they were never taught to hear or evaluate alternative viewpoints. In school, they were coddled (not by the teachers, mind you, but by the administrators who took away a teacher’s ability to enforce tough standards and expectations). If, per chance, they had a teacher who made them feel bad because they failed to meet expectations, the parents were there to tell the child, “It’s not your fault, she is picking on you.”
The fact is that what we are returning to is the norm. These conservative notions are not crazy conjecture and wild extremism, so I felt it was the right moment to correct the injustices and misnomers from the left. Let us focus on the common call that the right is full of racists and women-hating sexists.
Time for a fun-filled history lesson.
This country was built on a crazy and unique idea. The idea was that the government would not be responsible to write the destiny of its people. Each individual would be free to chart their own course. Did we accomplish this feat perfectly? Clearly, we did not. Racism and sexism played a part in the development of our nation. I feel it is only fair to recognize that this was not a uniquely American phenomenon. This is not to mitigate the horrific effects of such things, only to note that they were cultural norms at the time throughout the world, and we have come quite far in correcting these injustices during our evolution as a country.
What blows my mind is how few people understand that it was the Republican party that brought out almost every advancement in freedom for others in our country. If you are a millennial and are reading this, I recommend you find a safe space and center yourself before you continue. By reading further, you will be exposed to truths that will shake your foundation and cause you to either: fall into an abyss of denial to include tantrum-throwing, name calling, holding of breath, and possible unconsciousness, followed either by sadness or a reevaluation of the lies that you have been fed for your entire life by those who were supposed to be honest and truthful.
Let’s continue our history lesson with a look at the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. This amendment effectively ended slavery. Now, the left would like for you to believe that they are the ones who marshaled in massive change in our society. No, they never actually come out and say it, but they are masters of the insinuation that Republicans are evil and racist.
It is fortunate for them that the media does not seem to let the truth dictate their view of the world, since 100% of the congressional Republicans voted for the amendment but only 23% of the Democrats. However, the 13th Amendment was only one portion of the total package.
The 14th Amendment, which gave freed slaves their citizenship, was equally important. In this case, it wasn’t 23% of the Democrats who voted to approve the amendment. It was 0% (for the mathematically challenged, that means not a single Democrat voted for former slaves to receive their citizenship from a country who had, up until that point, viewed them as nothing but property).
Clearly, these are not the actions of an open and caring Democratic party. Or are they exactly that? Let us continue to look at history. For example, the left wants to excoriate President Trump because the KKK endorsed him during his run for the White House, yet it is seemingly forgotten that it was Democrats who started the KKK.
But what about women’s rights? We all know about the war on women that the Republican Party has been waging. On a side note, I really really really (three times means it is extremely true) hate the moniker “war on women.” Not only is it degrading to Republicans, but more importantly, it is a slap in the face for any service member who has ever been in combat.
I am pretty sure that Republicans are not running around in the middle of the night, digging holes and placing anti-tank mines next to women’s cars. I am equally sure that there have been zero reported cases where women have been ambuscaded at their offices, with Republicans setting up hasty ambush positions outside the elevators waiting for several ladies to walk into the kill zone. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of exaggeration to drive a point home, but for a country that has been engaged in the longest period of ground combat since its inception, I think this whole idea is a bit over the top (and a complete fabrication as well).
Now back to our discussion—the 19th Amendment. This is the amendment that gave women the right to vote. During the vote in the Senate, 82% of Republicans voted for its passing, as opposed to only 54% of Democrats. Additionally, out of the nine states that voted against the amendment, eight of them were controlled by Democrats.
Historically, there are more examples of where the Republican party has been on the right side of history. It has always stood for the rights of the individual and the belief in freedom. It has been a staunch supporter of our democratic republic and a belief in what holds it together.
This is not to say that it is without sin; that would be a complete misrepresentation of our history. For some reason, however, we conservatives are afraid to stand united against our vilification. The absolute of this can be seen with President Trump’s loss to Hillary Clinton on November 8, 2016. I say “loss” because, according to almost every poll out there, he had lost the election. Not by much, mind you, but statistically speaking, there was no true path to his victory. People were afraid to tell the truth about who they supported. They were hiding in the shadows. It wasn’t until late in the evening when the polls all started closing that the reality of the situation could be seen.
I for one am not afraid or ashamed to say it—I am a conservative. I believe in freedom for all. I believe in everyone, regardless of sex, race, or any other identifying feature or trait being judged based upon the totality of who one chooses to be. It is about time that the rest of us who identify as conservatives stand up for what we believe and voice our outrage at those who try to silence our voices by labeling us based on a mis-remembering of history.
Matthew Wadler is a Senior OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army veteran. Matt served in the Army for 20 years as both enlisted and officer before retiring. His service includes time as Military Police, Field Artillery, Adjutant General, and Recruiting. His deployments include Somalia and two tours to Afghanistan. His formal education includes a master’s degree in HR Management. He is a strong supporter of the constitution and advocate for the military and veteran communities. Follow Matthew on Twitter @MatthewWadler.
To contact or book OpsLens contributors on your program or utilize our staff for your story, contact [email protected]
