This is going to be a quick one.
My Thursday Morning Briefing headline used the word "radicalization" to describe how I think American conservatives are responding to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I've had some questions since then on what form conservative radicalization might take or what exactly I meant. Since radicalization is associated with extremism, this reminder from the great Barry Goldwater is a good starting point:
If you ask a leftist, he or she will tell you that conservative extremism is all about white supremacy and domestic terrorism. If you ask a member of The New York Times Editorial Board, every one of us who voted for President Trump is an extremist. The Left shouts "Extremism!" at everyone on the Right to deflect from the fact that they are the real extremists.
White supremacists and domestic terrorists are not conservative Americans. They can occasionally say that they have something in common with us, but they're more akin to Antifa and Black Lives Matter. They are low-function malcontents or high-functioning grifters; usually hordes of the former being led by a few of the latter.
The radicalized extremism I'm talking about in this context is, first and foremost, a complete rejection of the milquetoast Rockefeller/Bush/Cheney/Romney Republican way of doing things. I am very aware that those of you who read my work have been on board with that for a very long time. There are, however, Republican voters throughout this great land who aren't. Or weren't.
I believe that the horror of Charlie Kirk's murder was the worst kind of wake-up call for those people, but a wake-up call nonetheless.
Radicalization for us also needs to manifest itself in a hyper-obsession with winning elections. I've written many times that President Trump made the GOP a party that actually focused on the particulars of winning elections, rather than just talking about wanting to win elections. The party has flipped places with the Democrats under Trump's transformation. My fear has always been that his zeal won't guide the party after he is out of office. The more I see most prominent Republicans lately, the less I worry about that. Especially after Charlie Kirk's assassination.
Lastly, new radicalization of the American Right is imbued with crystal clear, unyielding vigilance. Again, not a problem for the regulars here, but it has been for those who vote Republican, but hang around on the periphery of political awareness. It has been easy for them to dismiss warnings from people like me about the threats from the Left. No more. That all changed yesterday. Keep an eye on firearms sales for the next couple of months.
I'm sure that more will come to me, but my brain is a little numb after the last 30 hours or so.
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