Why I Still Care About Politics

And why you should, too.

As is the case with any significant upheaval or setback, many are questioning the effectiveness of the political process and asking themselves why they should engage with it. It is a fair question and one that requires a fusion of core beliefs and plans of action to get to the bottom of. Rachel and I went to Florida this week for one of her conferences, and we spent time with three new legislative friends from Idaho. One of them is a fine legislator with a sterling voting record, who let on to feeling black-pilled. The various political pills are inspired by the movie The Matrix, in which taking a blue pill keeps a man in fantasy land, and a red pill allows a man to see the world as it really is. Political observers have added white and black pills to the list, each adding distinctive mindsets to consider. These are the known mindset pills:

Blue-pilled – to buy in to the establishment narrative and effectively become a walking propaganda poster. Most commonly associated with becoming or remaining a leftist. Use in speech: “Joe Walsh looks more and more like Ellen DeGeneres every day, and is now in support of every position 180 degrees the opposite of those he held in 2012. He has been thoroughly blue-pilled.”

I have known several army officers who, in their choice of wives, became blue-pilled and detached from the testosterone that put them in uniform to begin with.

Red-pilled – to have a “road to Damascus” moment on a particular topic and radically alter views on a particular issue or set of issues with the purpose of eradicating said issues. Most commonly associated with becoming a right-winger and rejecting leftism. Use in speech: “Bill and his girlfriend Ashley went out on the town in Austin after the latest Beto rally, and a Somalian migrant stole Ashley’s purse and knocked her to the ground. Bill has since plastered Gadsden flags all over his vehicle, spent $10,000 at the local guns and ammo store, sent a max donation to Trump’s campaign, and is backing an armed invasion of Somalia. He has been thoroughly red-pilled.”

This is the personal experience of most who have become politically awake in the past decade. President Trump has been red-pilled by a number of topics, such as illegals immigration and trade abuses, in a way that makes him much further to what we call “the right” than he had been at his peak as a businessman.

White-pilled – to find oneself extremely and suddenly encouraged about a possibility, or set of possibilities. Many people are currently white-pilled over the outpouring of proper unity and potential revival of the American spirit in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death and the national response to it. Use in speech: “Kevin spent several days feeling depressed after the latest left-wing violence rocked America to its core, but after seeing every church in his city filled to capacity for all three services, he began to feel hope that America’s future was bright once again. He has been thoroughly white-pilled.”

Many people feel this way at various phases of the geopolitical back-and-forth, often in response to a good win on a trade deal, strong jobs reports, news of illegals immigrants being removed, or election victories, but often sink toward the most dangerous pill once the high wears off:

Black-pilled – to find oneself so demoralized and unlikely to obtain victory that giving up hope in a political solution is the default answer. A growing number of American conservatives/right-wingers/MAGA/MAHA give in to black-pilling when things don’t go their way and in the timeframe expected. Use in speech: “John began to feel that other countries were calling the shots and bought the loyalty of our politicians and quit voting. He no longer thinks anything can be solved via the political process, and as such, is now thoroughly black-pilled.” Once the black pill takes effect, there is often no coming back.

It is very easy to get black-pilled if you spend too much time dwelling on what you hear on podcasts, including some operated by very talented and patriotic Americans.

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Why I Still Care

I am on neither of the four courses listed above. Slow and steady wins the race, and as my Dad said, “attitude maintenance” is important for staying in the fight long term. Politics is a brutal endeavor, but one that must be undertaken. John Adams said as much:

"I must study politics and war, that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. Our sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain."

Too many people get into politics, especially after their side wins, expecting instant satisfaction and universal camaraderie. They never find it. One reason is because the United States has a two-party system. Sure, there are minor parties, but political science all but guarantees they’ll never hold power as long as the current dynamic persists, and the result is that eight or ten different ideologies get stuffed into two parties. You find ideological extremes competing for power under both banners, including some who have almost nothing in common with the party they join, save for an issue or two. That is why there is so much discord within what is expected by newcomers to be a circle of allies.

Political organizations are full of good and bad people alike. Many of the bad ones claim they want to win but, when presented opportunities to win in a way that won’t point others to their own strategic brilliance, shy away. I have contacts near the top of the national GOP hierarchy recommending my method of analysis, which is far more accurate than polling, but have not received a single phone call from those who don’t want new blood disrupting the apple cart. Whether personal or professional, there are plenty of things that keep the rank-and-file conservative voter from engaging with the local Republican Party. The same is true for the other party.

Ultimately, what keeps me grounded and realizing we must pursue political solutions is the realization that a binary choice exists. Remember, I’m a pragmatist by ideology before I am a conservative, or properly described by any other ideological label. This is why I understand why Susan Collins is the best choice in Maine, even though she leaves a lot to be desired as a Senator. The binary observation is that America’s problems can only be solved by two methods:

1) Political Solution

2) Violent Solution

History is full of examples of the second choice. No Christian or patriot should hope for the second solution, nor should it outweigh preference for the first choice. If the second choice comes to pass, it will be inevitable and known to all. We are perhaps closer to that being reality, thanks to both foreign and domestic provocation, than we have been in our lifetimes and the lifetimes of our parents and grandparents, but we must still strike to seek peaceful solutions to our national problems. We are getting an assist from Heaven with the outpouring of unity against political hatred and violence since September 10.

My positions held here would be the same even if I were not the First Gentleman of Arizona’s 17th Legislative District. Some of my black-pilled friends think it is futile to hold out hope for political solutions given so much evidence of owned politicians, betrayed loyalties, and potentially blackmail or compromise at all levels of government. I say it is up to God to direct our actions as events unfold, and until put on another mission, I must seek to outclass my opponents, allow them to show themselves as disloyal and dangerous to a free people, and push back with ferocity when they spread lies.

Belief that we must pursue peaceful political outcomes does not indicate weakness. It indicates restraint and wisdom. If you’re feeling black-pilled today, remember that you can only control so much and there is much you cannot see, and therefore attach significance to. There are still good office holders and office seekers out there, and I’m married to one. I have been contacted by many campaigns to map and analyze races that are already underway or ahead in the upcoming campaign cycle, because they are also realizing that the current political operation is in disrepair, and new insight is needed. Your campaign can contact me at skeshel@protonmail.com to discuss.

Do not despair. We were put here for a purpose, and power, love, and sound mind are of eternal value. Prepare yourself for the worst case, but invest yourself in the best case. Get involved everywhere you can, understand that politics is broken because it has been overpopulated and inundated with the wrong people while the good people said things like, “only bad people get involved in politics.” In a way, we are exactly where we should be because so many otherwise good people have left politics and every institution a man can think up to people who want to use them for their own power.

As a reminder, I’ll be having a Live for paid subscribers today at 6:00 PM EST, which can be found at this link: https://open.substack.com/live-stream/61334

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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.