The Changing Complexion of Conservatism

As I write this, the fourth and final night of the RNC is about to kick off. It has been fun to watch, but I am taking a break from this round because we are expanding our business, and this will be the last peaceful night Mrs. Brown and I will have together for the foreseeable future. I am sure that @Vodkapundit will more than do the evening justice, so there is no need for my two cents, anyway.

I faithfully watched nights 1-3. Paula and I covered this in the podcast, but I was particularly moved by the benediction on the first night offered by Harmeet Dhillon. 

Not everyone was impressed.

ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE!! I have nothing but respect for Harmeet Dhillon but fire whoever invited her to pray to a foreign god, there is only one true God we pray to and his name is not whatever she said. His name is YAHWEH and his only begotten Son is Jesus Christ pic.twitter.com/Vxiq4NSZdi

— George (@BehizyTweets) July 16, 2024

In my town, there is a gas station that, for years, looked and smelled like a neglected men's room. One morning, I was out running errands and was in the mood for a breakfast sandwich. I saw that the gas station in question had been remodeled, complete with new gas pumps. I pulled into the lot and went inside. As soon as I walked through the door, I heard a voice say, "Good morning! How can I help you today?" Who says that in America in 2024? For an instant, I thought I had slipped into another dimension and would have to battle an evil version of myself to preserve the space/time continuum. Actually, the station was under new management. The gentleman behind the counter, who was wearing a green turban, was genuinely interested in helping me and was happy to see me. I told him I was looking for a breakfast sandwich, and he directed me to a warmer where just about every breakfast sandwich known to man was stocked. That is when I noticed that the store was clean, well-lit, and had an up-to-date inventory. It was nice. It became a place where people wanted to shop. 

I didn't ask him about his religion since that would have been crass. He may have been Sikh. To be honest, I didn't consider it any of my business. There is a food truck in the lot that offers Indian food. I love Indian food and will gladly climb over the top of innocent bystanders for tandoori chicken and naan bread. Not to mention Kheer. So, I patronize the food truck as often as possible. 

The importance of this family is not in their exoticness and the fact that they may wear turbans, kirpans or saris. It is that they came to America to live better lives. These people are opposed to high taxes and government overreach. They probably rolled the dice on their entire lives to make their business a success and are willing to sink the sweat equity into it to see it happen. They didn't come here to go broke and subsist on the federal dole. They came here to make a dream into reality.

And that is a distinctly American trait. As a small business owner myself, I hope he opens up franchises across the West and makes millions.   

The majority of people were very supportive of Dhillon, which is good. Conservatives need to realize that not everyone who holds their values looks, dresses, or worships the way a traditional conservative does. If we prize the ideas of freedom and success, we need to make sure that we truly are a big tent. Not just for the optics so we can show a few token minorities to the MSM, but because the values we hold matter to everyone. 

In a recent column, I commented on how Utah conservatives are usually pretty homogenous in appearance. They are frequently LDS, blindingly white, and often blonde. And to be fair, up until about ten years ago, most of Utah looked that way. That aesthetic is usually on display at the state GOP convention. A reader remarked:

I'll try not to take umbrage at that crack about Utah Republicans. When I walk into any event in my full Chassidic outfit, I'm about as noticeable as a drag queen. That being said, I did meet Lady MAGA once, and we had a great conversation about right-wing conservative civil rights cases, a conversation I'll always cherish.

Touche'.  And more to the point, the last time I graced the gates of a Utah GOP convention, I saw Asians, blacks, Hispanics,  women in hijabs, and men in turbans.  

The people who are going to help make America great again may not look, sound, speak, or worship like traditional conservatives. But they think like conservatives because they are conservatives. And America will need each and every one of them going forward.