The Top Five Reasons We Make Politics Way Too Difficult

Ideological purity, lack of focus, and unrealistic expectations lead the way.

Last month, I wrote about how black-pilling (taking on a sense of doom over an issue) leads to despair over the political process. In that piece, I explained why your engagement in politics still matters, even when it seems futile. I framed it in a moral sense. Ultimately, we have two choices for addressing the nation’s problems, and they are violent advocacy or peaceful advocacy. No Christian or patriot should pray for or encourage violence, or we are no better than the ghouls who cheered the murder of Charlie Kirk. Violence has happened throughout history in such a way that it engulfs the entirety of a nation. You should be prepared for that, and most right-minded people keep and bear arms for that exact reason. Until that happens, which is hopefully never, you must engage in peaceful activism.

Once the mind is made up to engage in peaceful activism, that may come in the form of apolitical gatherings, demonstrating, or advocacy, or if your interest is in changing laws (or preserving existing laws), it will come in the form of political advocacy. It is unfortunate that we have 8 to 10 mainstream ideologies shoved into two parties, but that’s the way the country has unfolded over centuries. By this point, most recognize the only tenable vehicle for the preservation of liberty and this juncture in American history is the Republican Party. This is not to say the party does everything right. Many would say they do very little right, and are only marginally more tolerable than the openly anti-American Democrat Party. That’s not what I’m writing about today, though. I am going to list off five observations as to why we make this process more difficult than it should be.

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I. Unrealistic Expectations

Eight months into his term, President Trump has achieved most of his domestic agenda and has brought peace all over the world, including a pair of fragile arrangements in the Middle East. Over two million non-Americans have left the country, mostly by forced or self-deportation. Still, much of the Trump base that put him in office is quick to point out one thing or another that is “not what I voted for” without considering decades of corruption in the courts, a very slim Republican majority with enough saboteurs to stop many desired outcomes, and a resistance that wants to run out the clock by using any tool imaginable. We forget the enemy wants to win, too.

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II. Ideological Purity

The focus on “conservatism,” an ideology no one really understands or under which little is actually conserved, prevents meaningful change relevant to today’s issues. I pegged this in one of my most popular essays ever, penned in 2023:

Don’t mistake me for a moderate person without conviction. What I’m trying to say is people can’t set aside one set of preferences to accomplish a pressing goal. For instance, most people would consider Trump’s border wall “conservative,” but if you believe conservatism relates to size and scope of government, the border wall is not a small-government solution. It will lead to smaller government by keeping illegals and gang violence out, but for now, it requires permits, manpower, funds, and lots of government supervision. I support the border wall wholeheartedly. Likewise, none of these “conservatives” propose stripping out Social Security because they need senior citizen votes. The morally correct thing to do is to maintain the system they paid into, but it is by no means a conservative system.

We see ideological purity rear its ugly head today when one bad play needs to be made to get ten good outcomes. Consider a concession made in a trade deal, which gets scrutinized although the final outcomes are good in the long run.

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III. Focus on Short-Term Outcomes

Much political unhappiness comes from considering only short-term outcomes. I remember in spring when the stock market tanked, and so many three-time Trump voters with investments plunging were screaming bloody murder. They wanted nothing to do with Trump. Now the markets are back up and they’re nowhere to be found. Likewise, emotionally reacting to every issue of the daily news creates despair. Imagine someone on a fitness routine monitoring weight every day and panicking when they are a pound heavier, without realizing it was due to water weight. It is the long-run that matters.

The way most conservatives act when one bad court ruling comes down, or a concession is made, would be like fans storming out of the stadium after an incomplete pass made by their team on first down. The issue is that they have more downs and series to play after that. No one should expect a free pass to accomplish a nation-changing agenda.

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IV. Wrong Priorities

I care about plenty of issues, but there are four issues that will make or break the country and they must be ticked off now.

• Economic sovereignty - trade, restoring industry and manufacturing, and not sending jobs overseas

• National sovereignty - controlling both borders and our coastlines, ending illegal immigration and sending illegals back, and making legal immigration work for our citizens

• Military sovereignty - not serving as a global police force or waging unwinnable conflicts

• Transparency and anti-corruption - would fix stolen elections and bring about government processes people can trust, including overhauling or eliminating agencies

We can fix all the social issues we want, but if the above aren’t rectified, we will live in a Third World ash heap with traditional values. You can visit Venezuela for that.

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V. Infighting

Every conservative-themed outlet I’ve ever spent much time around or observed online falls apart. Paranoia, guilt-by-association, drama, and jealousy rip these movements apart because far too many people in the political space missed some essential development as a small child. Gossips, drama queens, and people who didn’t win or get put in charge go on vengeance tours, thoroughly piss everyone else off, and make it impossible for anyone to work together on anything meaningful.

This applies not only to local movements, but online, where entire accounts dedicate themselves to bashing others while espousing their own Christian virtues. Locally, most Arizona Republican groups are split in half over the actions of relatively few people, which negates much progress in a state otherwise trending in the right direction. Rachel and I have also dealt with this firsthand, with one of her former legislative seatmates deciding to spend time trashing us and spreading lies rather than working to be reelected.

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Conclusion

There are other reasons political efforts fail, but these are the top five I can think of. I expect “conservative” activists to disagree and not like everyone, but pragmatism is a much more appropriate ideology for the times we find ourselves in. Narrowing the scope and focusing on real solutions more than ideological purity will make the process much more enjoyable and fruitful for all involved.

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Seth Keshel, MBA, is a former Army Captain of Military Intelligence and Afghanistan veteran. His analytical method of election forecasting and analytics is known worldwide, and he has been commended by President Donald J. Trump for his work in the field.