Authored by Josh Stylman through The Brownstone Institute,
Let me begin by saying I detest politics. I’ve all the time been drawn to liberal concepts—particular person freedom, defending the weak, questioning authority, and the basic perception that consenting adults must be free to reside their lives nevertheless they select so long as they’re not harming others. These aren’t political positions to me; they’re fundamental human rules. However the recreation of politics itself repulses me. What I’m about to share isn’t about politics; it’s about our shared actuality and the way we’ve misplaced contact with it.
The Mindvirus
What’s really mind-numbing to me is how folks don’t see what’s taking place proper in entrance of them. The media has devolved into nothing greater than a propaganda mouthpiece for the institution, programming folks to react relatively than assume. I’ve skilled this firsthand: When I drew historic comparisons between vaccine mandates and 1933 Germany’s early authoritarian insurance policies, I used to be immediately labeled an extremist and cancelled by my NYC neighborhood. But now, these identical folks casually name everybody at Trump’s MSG rally Nazis. The irony can be humorous if it weren’t so tragic.
My Liberal Basis
I nonetheless imagine deeply in core liberal rules:
- Real free speech, not the managed company model we see in the present day
- Standing in opposition to institution overreach
- Opposing unchecked company energy
- Combating in opposition to pointless wars
- Full bodily autonomy – your physique, your alternative, in ALL contexts
- Defending particular person rights constantly, not selectively
These aren’t simply political positions—they’re rules about human dignity and freedom.
The Democratic Get together’s Transformation
The Democratic Get together’s drift from these values didn’t occur in a single day. Many people, exhausted by Bush’s brutal wars, lies about weapons of mass destruction, and the Patriot Act’s assault on civil liberties, invested our hopes in Obama’s promise of change. However as an alternative of the transformation we sought, we received what felt like Bush’s third and fourth phrases.
Underneath Obama, we watched as company affect grew stronger, not weaker. The Snowden revelations uncovered huge surveillance applications. The housing disaster devastated atypical Individuals whereas Wall Road received bailouts. Moderately than difficult institutional energy, the Democratic institution grew to become more and more entangled with it.
The betrayal of liberal values grew to become even clearer with Bernie Sanders. Like Trump, Bernie tapped into one thing actual—a deep frustration with a system that had left atypical Individuals behind. Each males, from vastly completely different views, acknowledged that working folks had been struggling whereas elites prospered. However the Democratic institution couldn’t enable an precise progressive challenger. They used each trick within the e-book—from media manipulation to major shenanigans—to dam him from the nomination. Most disappointing was watching Bernie himself bend the knee to the identical institution he had railed in opposition to, leaving tens of millions of supporters feeling betrayed and politically homeless.
When Hillary Clinton emerged because the nominee, we had been instructed rejecting her meant rejecting ladies’s management. However we weren’t rejecting feminine management—we had been rejecting warmongering and company cronyism. What we wanted was a pacesetter embodying the female divine: qualities of compassion, understanding, nurturing knowledge, and the power to actually pay attention. As a substitute, we received one other hawk within the company institution’s pocket. And when that failed, they doubled down on cynical identification politics with Harris.
At present, the state of affairs regarding Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. completely exemplifies how far the celebration has fallen. Right here was a lifelong Democrat, a member of the celebration’s hottest household, who needed to problem these corrupting influences—they usually wouldn’t even let him on the controversy stage. I firmly imagine that had they given him the chance, he may have united the nation and crushed Trump.
However that reveals the reality: this was by no means about beating Trump. It was about making certain they maintained management by putting in one other institution stooge who wouldn’t problem their energy construction. His departure from the celebration isn’t nearly one candidate; it’s the fruits of an extended betrayal of liberal rules.
The Politics of Distraction vs. Actual Points
Take abortion rights. That is an extremely nuanced challenge with deeply held convictions on all sides. I’ve spoken with a number of constitutional attorneys who’ve defined that overturning Roe was legally sound—not a political choice however a constitutional one about federal versus state authority. That makes it much more telling that Democrats, after they had a supermajority, selected to not codify these protections into federal legislation. As a substitute, they’ve stored this challenge unresolved, utilizing it as a dependable device to drive voter turnout each 4 years.
Whereas abortion entry issues deeply to many Individuals, we’re going through a number of crises that threaten the very basis of our republic: inflation is crushing working households whereas Wall Road posts document income; authorities surveillance of residents has reached dystopian ranges; and our regulatory businesses—the FDA and CDC—have been fully captured by company pursuits, approving one poisonous product after one other whereas our kids are being poisoned by processed meals, environmental toxins, and experimental medication.
The local weather disaster (or what some see as deliberate geoengineering) threatens our very survival. Our border is in full chaos—whereas we ship billions to overseas conflicts most Individuals barely perceive. All this whereas our personal infrastructure crumbles and our nation grows extra divided than ever.
The hypocrisy round ladies’s rights is especially telling. The identical celebration that claims to champion ladies’s bodily autonomy pushed for necessary experimental medical interventions, regardless of documented proof of mRNA vaccines affecting ladies’s reproductive cycles and fertility. These results had been recognized from early trials, but elevating considerations received you labeled as “anti-science.” In the meantime, they’ve insisted that organic males have entry to ladies’s areas—together with locker rooms, bogs, and sports activities competitions—prioritizing modern ideologies over ladies’s security and honest competitors.
The Democrats completely misplaced any ethical authority on bodily autonomy the second they advocated for necessary medical procedures—but they proceed to lecture us about it and not using a trace of self-awareness. Liberal rules aren’t a Chinese language menu the place you get to choose and select which freedoms matter.
Take Kamala Harris—she actually campaigned on “My physique, my alternative” whereas concurrently mandating experimental Covid pictures for her personal marketing campaign employees. You possibly can’t declare to champion bodily autonomy in a single breath and deny it within the subsequent based mostly on political comfort. Both you imagine in particular person liberty and bodily autonomy, otherwise you don’t. There’s no à la carte choice relating to basic human rights.
The Company-State Fusion
What we’re seeing in the present day aligns disturbingly nicely with Mussolini’s definition of fascism: the merger of state and company energy. Have a look at Klaus Schwab’s World Financial Discussion board selling “stakeholder capitalism,” the place firms and governments kind partnerships to manage numerous points of society. The WEF’s company membership reads like a who’s who of Democratic Get together megadonors: BlackRock, which donated tens of millions to Biden’s marketing campaign whereas pushing ESG insurance policies that profit their backside line; Pfizer, which poured over $10 million into Democratic coffers whereas securing huge authorities contracts; Google and Meta, which not solely donate closely however actively suppress data difficult Democratic narratives.
This isn’t a coincidence; it’s coordination. These identical corporations form coverage that enriches them: BlackRock advises on monetary coverage whereas managing authorities property, Pfizer helps write drug approval pointers whereas promoting necessary vaccines, and Massive Tech collaborates with federal businesses to manage data circulate. We noticed this play out in actual time: from day one of many Biden administration, they created backdoor channels into social media corporations to censor Individuals’ speech about Covid, the 2020 election, and different delicate matters.
This isn’t a concept—it’s documented reality. Each main coverage choice appears to learn these company companions: vaccine mandates, digital foreign money initiatives, censorship applications, local weather insurance policies—all funneling cash and energy to the identical firms that fund the Democratic machine. When firms and authorities work collectively to manage data and habits, that’s exactly the corporate-state fusion that classical liberals as soon as fought in opposition to. The Democratic Get together has grow to be the celebration of company fascism whereas claiming to battle in opposition to it.
The Democratic Facade
The present administration embodies all the things flawed with our system. Have a look at Kamala Harris—she dropped out of the 2020 presidential race earlier than any major, polling beneath 1%. Biden then chosen her solely as a result of he restricted his pool to black ladies—not due to her {qualifications}, however due to identification politics. Her document as Senator was abysmal—she sponsored zero important laws and missed 84% of votes throughout her transient tenure. Then as Vice President, her function as border czar has been an unprecedented catastrophe—one the administration now tries to fake by no means occurred.
And right here’s the final word irony: that is the celebration screaming loudest about “threats to democracy,” but they actually put in Harris as their candidate when no one voted for her—she dropped out earlier than a single major vote was solid attributable to dismal polling. They wouldn’t even let their very own members take part in major debates. They’re lecturing us about democracy whereas actively suppressing democratic processes inside their very own celebration. After they say “democracy is on the poll,” what they actually imply is their managed model of democracy the place they choose the candidates and we’re alleged to fall in line.
No person voted for her, and truthfully, no one actually likes her—they only hate Trump extra. They may prop up a steaming pile of manure as a candidate, and folks would vote for it simply to vote in opposition to Trump. However right here’s the true query: If Trump is really the democracy-ending menace they declare, why didn’t democracy finish throughout his first time period? And if Harris is the answer to our issues, why hasn’t she mounted something whereas in workplace?
The Trump Enigma
My view on Trump has developed, although not in the way in which many would possibly anticipate. I didn’t vote for him in 2016 or 2020. Rising up on this area, I knew him solely as a second-generation actual property developer—Woody Guthrie had written these vital lyrics about his father, “Outdated Man Trump.” On the time, I assumed Donald was simply one other entitled inheritor who occurred to opportunistically faucet into one thing actual.
However there’s a lot extra to this story. His connections to secret societies and the occult run surprisingly deep. His Trump Tower penthouse is actually a Masonic temple, designed as a reproduction of Versailles with deliberate esoteric symbolism all through. His mentor was a 33° Scottish Ceremony, and Roy Cohn’—grasp of blackmail and darkish arts—formed his early profession. Most intriguingly, his uncle John Trump was the MIT scientist tasked with reviewing Nikola Tesla’s papers after his dying—papers that allegedly contained world-changing applied sciences, from free vitality to extra unique potentialities. I don’t know what all of it means, however there’s clearly extra to this story than the “orange man dangerous” narrative we’re fed.
At this level, I see solely three potentialities:
- He’s enjoying his half in a grand political wrestling match (WWF fashion)
- He’s a dueling dangerous man (genuinely a thorn within the institution’s aspect)
- He’s truly the hero of this story (which might be essentially the most hilarious plot twist conceivable from the vantage level of somebody like me)
The Path Ahead
Candidly, I don’t know and at this level, any of those appear believable. What I do know is what the blue group represents—their actions have made that crystal clear. However Trump stays a little bit of a thriller to me. I’ve a tough time believing any politician could possibly be our savior—actual change has all the time come from the underside up, not the highest down. However one thing attention-grabbing occurred that gave me a glimmer of hope: RFK, Jr. leaping on board.
The RFK, Jr. state of affairs is fascinating. Right here’s a Kennedy—basically Democratic royalty—teaming up with Trump after being shut out by his personal celebration. This isn’t simply any political alliance. RFK, Jr.’s deep understanding of the executive state, from public well being establishments to regulatory businesses, mixed together with his confirmed observe document of exposing company seize and combating pharmaceutical corruption, makes this significantly intriguing. Possibly, simply perhaps, this alliance may defend our kids from dangerous insurance policies and pointless wars?
I wrestle with what comes subsequent as a result of I perceive the gravity of our state of affairs. Our republic is extremely fragile—extra fragile than most individuals understand. The Founders knew this, warning us concerning the issue of sustaining a democratic republic. However I refuse to surrender on dialogue, even when it feels hopeless. If folks don’t see what’s taking place by now—the censorship, the mandates, the war-mongering, what seems to be intentional schismogenesis (I wrote about this concept right here)—will they ever?
The powers that revenue from our division; they’ve mastered the artwork of conserving us combating one another so we don’t look as much as see who’s actually pulling the strings. These aren’t simply political points—they’re existential challenges that require cheap folks to debate advanced options. Your neighbor who voted otherwise isn’t your enemy—they seemingly need lots of the identical belongings you do: security, prosperity, freedom, and a greater future for his or her youngsters. They could simply have completely different concepts about find out how to get there.
I do know that is heavy stuff. You would possibly disagree with all the things I’ve mentioned, and that’s okay. What’s not okay is letting these disagreements destroy {our relationships} and communities. The selection isn’t nearly who we vote for—it’s about how we deal with one another, how we talk about our variations, and whether or not we are able to discover frequent floor in our shared humanity.
The way in which ahead isn’t by way of hatred or worry. It’s by way of understanding, open dialogue, and most significantly, love. We may be dwelling by way of the dying throes of the American experiment, or we may be witnessing its rebirth. Both manner, we’re on this collectively, and our power lies in our capacity to work by way of these challenges as a neighborhood, as neighbors, and as mates. Let’s select knowledge over response, understanding over judgment, and love over worry. Our future will depend on it.
Republished from the creator’s Substack
