So, Where to Now?

As an old talk radio guy, I tend to listen to several talk shows, more out of prior professional interest than anything else. I tuned into Glenn Beck today and didn’t last too long. Nothing against Glenn, I just couldn’t listen to another post-election post-mortem and another diagram of who had to do what for the odds to shift for someone to win the House or Senate in one state or another.

We have analyzed the 2022 midterms to death. Now it only remains to be seen what we do moving forward, provided we even move forward. For example, as Matt Margolis mentioned, do Republicans have to come to terms with the fact that mail-in ballots are a reality and develop a plan to deal with them? Is it time to send Mitch McConnell to the showers? Ted Cruz probably thinks so, and he blasted McConnell during his latest podcast. The Daily Caller quoted Cruz as saying to co-host Ben Ferguson:

“Well, Ben, let me start off by saying I am so pissed off, I cannot even see straight. We had an extraordinary opportunity. We had a generational opportunity. This should have been a fundamental landslide election. We should have won the House and the Senate. We should have a 30, 40, 50 vote majority in the House. We should have 53, 54, 55 Republicans in the Senate,”

Cruz is particularly irked that McConnell pulled $8 million from Blake Masters’ campaign. Masters has said that he would vote against McConnell. Cruz said McConnell would prefer to hang on to his position as minority leader rather than see a GOP majority in the Senate. On the House side, the Freedom Caucus has made it known that it is thinking about finding someone to challenge Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the House.

And of course, much has been made about the negative impact of Donald Trump on the elections and the developing rift between the Trump and DeSantis camps. While there is a chance The Donald may announce he is not running in 2024, he wouldn’t stage an event to do that. Judging by the number of articles and comments, people seem to be moving in the direction of wanting to thank Trump for his service and ask him to move on.

So while we sweat the results of the last few races and fret about the outcome of the Walker/Warnock runoff, we need to ask ourselves what we do next. Despite factors like inflation, crime, and immigration, much of the country indicated that it prefers the status quo. Perhaps these voters could not bring themselves to admit that they were wrong and wanted to give the Democrats one more chance. Who knows. Republicans remain at a disadvantage when it comes to messaging and money, and sweat equity. Whatever else you want to say about the Left, its people work hard during election season.

We can campaign all we want, dethrone McConnell, block McCarthy, and even fire Trump. We can also learn how to maneuver in a world in which balloting has been made so convenient that now it takes days instead of hours to count the votes. But we have to change the game on the ground.

Take abortion, for example. Robert Spencer recently pointed out that Gen Z voters helped push the Donkeys across the finish line. Single women played a huge role in this election. And many single women have bought into the line that abortion access equals freedom. I know that most conservatives rejoiced over the Dobbs decision, but the reaction was swift and strong. And I really doubt that we’re going to get rid of abortion legislatively or through the courts. We have to change the way people think about abortion. And other things.

To do that, we are going to have to keep swinging the picks against the wall and take it out one chunk at a time, wherever we are standing. Not just as a group of conservatives, but as individuals. Which means taking risks.

For example:

Indiana State University student Lake Ingle told Campus Reform that he was standing up to the school’s Academic Integrity Board after he was barred from attending a class called Special Topic – Self, Sin, and Salvation. The religious studies major says that the class was made to watch a Ted Talk hosted by Paula Stone, who is transgender. Stone discussed “‘mansplaining,’ ‘male privilege,’ and systematic sexism.” After the video, the instructor told the room that discussion was now open, but men could only comment after all the women had expressed themselves. Lake waited for thirty seconds and when no one spoke, he decided to take his turn. He refuted the notion that there is a gender wage gap and stated that there are only two genders. He said “I objected to the use of the anecdotal accounts of one woman’s experience to begin a discussion in which they were considered reality. It was during my objection that Dr. Downie attempted to silence me because I am not a woman.” The instructor shut him down and Lake found himself facing the charge of:

“Disrespectful objection to the professor’s class discussion structure; refusal to stop talking out of turn; angry outbursts in response to being required to listen to a trans speaker discuss the reality of white male privilege and sexism; disrespectful references to the validity of trans identity and experience; [and making a] disrespectful claim that a low score on any class work would be evidence of professor’s personal prejudice.”

In other words, he called the professor out and got chucked out of the class for expressing an opinion. And for exercising his First Amendment rights. But he has retained a lawyer and is taking on the school. He wants to be readmitted to the class so he can graduate on time.

Related: College Faces Backlash for Its Anti-White Cis Man Paint Night

Keith Wann is an actor and comedian who is also fluent in ASL. In March, he was hired as an ASL interpreter for the Broadway adaptation of “The Lion King.” The Blaze is reporting that he and another interpreter were asked to back out of the show because the Theatre Development Fund, which procures ASL interpreters, decided that Wann and his colleague needed to be shown the gate since they are white. The Fund feels that only black interpreters should be used since the story takes place in Africa and the majority of the actors are black.

In April, Wann received an email from Theatre Development Fund director Lisa Carling informing him that he needed to back out of the show. Carling apologized and explained that Shelly Guy, the director of ASL for “The Lion King,” had made the request. Wann saw the situation for what it is: discrimination. He decided to file a federal discrimination suit against Carling and the Theatre Development Fund. This, of course, is the equivalent of asking for a napalm sandwich since Wann is going up against the entertainment industry, but change takes courage.

But there are also victories to be had. Earlier in the month in Michigan, a federal court ruled that the Ann Arbor Public Schools could not muzzle conservative students from speaking out on Proposal 3 which codified abortion rights under the state constitution. According to Chalkboard Review, the officials at Skyline High School refused to read a statement from the president of the Republican Club on the proposal, during morning announcements. But the school had allowed students to skip class to protest in favor of the proposal. It is alleged that pro-abortion students and supporters of BLM were allowed to use the PA system to make announcements. The Thomas More Law Center sued the district and the school and was granted a temporary restraining order. When the statement was finally made, the students who supported the proposal got up, left the building, and marched once around the school. Because that of course is how you make the world a better place. While the measure succeeded, at least conservative students were permitted to use the same platform that the school had given left-wing pupils.

Finally, the Daily Caller notes that Moms for Liberty worked tirelessly this election to right the ship when it comes to the makeup of school boards across the nation. The group helped secure wins in Florida, Maryland, Indiana, and Michigan. The 1776 Project PAC also reached a milestone, flipping its 100th school board since it began in 2021.

Between now and the 2024 race, the key to victory may not solely be replacing Trump or McConnell, or Extreme Makeover: GOP Edition. The key may be you taking action right where you are standing. It may be an issue, a law, or even a school or municipal board that needs your voice.

As a reader of PJ Media, you pay more attention to the developing issues in our country than probably most of your neighbors. You can be the voice in your community that so many people need to hear. You can also support PJ Media by becoming a VIP Member. Not only do you get things like access to all of our products including VIP articles, podcasts, and of course the comments sections, but you are also helping to support the work that is done here. (Click here and use the promo code VIPWEEK when you sign up before midnight PT tonight for a 45% discount on your membership!) In the meantime, keep swinging. After all, the 2024 race starts tomorrow or something.