As I've matured as a conservative writer, or immatured, depending on one's opinion, my tolerance for clout chasing by "influencers" has seen a steady reduction. Admittedly, there were years when I was the guy making the dumb excuses for the stupid things my preferred politicians did, and there were also times when I was the doofus saying edgy things, trying to get people to pay attention.
I say that to preface the criticism I'm about to levy because I understand no one is perfect. With that said, the ongoing tendency of the so-called "new right" to say laughably moronic things to farm engagement has begun to grate on me.
That brings me to this banger from Tim Pool, who was a raving liberal about five minutes ago but now has notoriety on the right due to a series of obviously strategic partnerships and his support of Donald Trump.
So edgy pic.twitter.com/b04UfXNvVM
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) January 4, 2024
One of the editors over at The Blaze responded approvingly, saying that Pool was "woke" on the issue of Reagan. As the story goes, the former president was terrible because he signed an amnesty bill and supported no-fault divorce in 1969.
Also see: Reagan and Carter Showed Us There Were Bigger Things Than Ego
I always find it fascinating how purity tests are applied in right-wing circles. Was Reagan perfect? Of course not. No person is, and if anyone claims they are, they should be summarily dismissed as a lunatic. Reagan was a successful president who did far more good than bad, though.
There is no denying that the former president brought America's economy back from the brink and into a golden age that lasted into the early 2000s. His defeat of the Soviet Union is impossible to ignore as well, representing one of the greatest presidential achievements in history. Reagan's foreign policy also included a distinct lack of new major wars, helping to bolster what was a time of expansion for the middle class domestically.
Then, there was Reagan as a purveyor of ideas. Few have had his ability to express conservative principles in a way that the masses could digest and respect. We are talking about a president who won 49 states during his re-election bid.
Did he make mistakes? Sure, with most of them coming while he was governor of California. As president, his biggest flub was a relatively small-scale amnesty that he thought would bring a close to the issues at the border.
It's the amnesty issue that is brought up the most when seeking to paint Reagan as not just a failure but as a nefarious figure on the right. Ask yourself this, though: If supporting amnesty automatically makes Reagan "one of our worst presidents," does that mean Donald Trump became such in 2020 by supporting an amnesty bill (that thankfully wasn't passed)?
It would be ridiculous to dismiss an entire president's tenure over a few issues one disagrees with, right? And in the case of Reagan, he admitted his mistake on amnesty. So why are these "new right" edge lords so inconsistent in how they apply their purity tests? Why does Reagan get the rhetorical kibosh, but their preferred politicians get a pass? And why do these purity tests not apply to the political histories of the "new right" figures who are delivering these hot takes?
The right has been inundated with clout-chasers who are more concerned with making a buck than producing good governance. Criticism is good, but cynical revisionism is the tool of a dishonest hack. The nation would be so lucky to once again experience the level of success Reagan delivered. I'll take that over too-online "influencers" mouthing off in beanies any day.
