Wow, what a week for politics. Here's a field guide for conservatives, from a Christian pastor's perspective.
1. Take a breath.
Cooler heads need to prevail. Anyone trying to make you angry right now is not doing the country any favors. It's very likely that ALL of your favorite news sources have been doing this. Learn to detect this and reject it. We need more light and less heat. God remains on the throne when things go sideways.
2. Learn humbling lessons.
a. We were lied to.
By the main stream media, with their liberal bias, yes. It's gone beyond liberal bias to touting false narratives: "Trump is a white supremacist. Basic conservative ideas are racist." Etc. Millions have believed this, and thus hate Trump. This accounts for the record turnout for Biden and the Georgia far left senators. Many of them were "not Trump" votes. We just don't want to believe so many could reject Trump so strongly, but the MSM's false narratives and influence remain strong.
b. YOU were lied to. By the far-right media. OANN, Newsmax, and by Trump himself. They tried to tell you the election was rigged, but when they went to court they didn't argue that at all. Newsmax walked back its allegations of Dominion, once threatened with legal action. They shamelessly whipped you up to a frenzy in a vain hope that it would change things. Such talk depressed the Georgia Senate conservative vote and gave the Democrats control of the Senate. Anyone who told you January 6 was our last chance to turn this around was lying to you. Everyone knew congress had no authority to overturn state results Wednesday. Except the barbarian weirdos who believed the lies. It's humbling to admit when you are convinced by Sidney Powell's sincere tone, or by other media tricks.
c. You were manipulated - by big tech: Twitter, Facebook, etc. They showed you what they wanted you to see, and kept from you the news that would have hurt Biden. This was the real election interference, but it isn't prosecutable at this point. They don't fight fair, but that doesn't mean we feel free to flout the law. Hold them accountable next time, instead.
d. TURN AWAY FROM LIES.
Stop chasing clickbait rumors on the internet.
Don't take what Trump says at face value. Daily Wire half the time just repeats Twitter threads. Don't dismiss anyone who listens to any news left of Newsmax? You are not entitled to your own set of facts, regardless of the evidence.
Don't point to liberal hypocrisy to excuse your own calumnies. BLM riots don't justify last Wednesday, it shows them both wrong, especially the "mostly peaceful" excuses from both sides.
Stop listening to news sources that pass on (give credence to) theories without evidence, just because they've been reported elsewhere.
Exodus 23 couldn't be more clear: "You shall not circulate a false report." Some of my allies (coughfightlaughfeastcough) have done this, to my deep chagrin, while at the same time vociferously advocating for following God's law. They are tempted to put viewership above truth and journalistic professional practice.
e. Else you are part of the problem. Do conservatives care about truth anymore? Doesn't seem like it. Make up and pass on allegations about Dominion. Ignore or spin it when Trump demands a Georgia state official "find" 12,000 votes. Pretend Trump might somehow stay in office. Sheesh.
I told good family friends recently that Trump and their support of Trump at this moment was wrecking the country. They didn't like that, and refuse to believe it. How do I mean? By believing his lies and supporting his personality over the truth. Wednesday, he raised the temperature and came dangerously close to inciting violence. You may believe the right things: pro-life, limited government, etc. But if you support that kind of tactic, then you're for fighting fire with fire until the whole country is burned to the ground. Don't continue to support Trump as if he remains president, when he lost by the rule of law, or you are advocating anarchy.
3. Read a book
It's time to rebuild. Wrap your mind around conservative principles again, separate from urgent events like Wednesday, separate from personalities like Trump and Tucker. Read something by Russell Kirk or Milton Friedman. The Federalist Papers or The Law, by Bastiat. Re-orient your mind to truth. Unhitch from following personalities. Reading instead of watching helps with this. Build up your own mind and thoughts in sound political principle, which is more reliable than the rhetoric that flies around news feeds and youtube clips.
4. Survey the candidates
The republican party and conservative movement is re-aligning before our eyes. Who is on the horizon, now that Trump just ditched his own political career? (I hope and pray he gives up politics, or it'll wreck the GOP for the next 4-8 years.) Cruz and Hawley want to harness and lead the Trump-angry crowd, but seem too willing to pander to it. Tom Cotton and Ben Sasse appear to reject this for a higher-principled approach. Listen to what they all say and how they respond to the radical left's onslaught for the next two years. We need a political leader to fill this huge vacuum. Ben Sasse 2024, for me, at this point!
5. Reform your state and local elections.
In the vein of "hold them accountable next time," we have to do the hard work of ensuring no funny business in the future. Voting weeks ahead of an election is foolish of citizens. What if your candidate changes or bombs after you vote for him? Require ID. Mail-in voting is open to a lot of fraud. Work to tighten things up locally.
6. Trust and Obey and Pray
Most of all, remember God sets up and tears down rulers and nations. As America declines, recall that God's Kingdom is not tied to America's future. His kingdom has withstood the fall of Rome, the Norman conquest, the barbarian and Turkish invasion of Europe, jihadist beheadings, and the secularization of modern nations. Christ will conquer through it all, whatever injustice wins in the short term, whatever wickedness society endorses for a time.
"The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" - Rev 11:15.
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