The First Republican Debate Cometh

And I couldn’t care less if I tried

The first Republican debate is Wednesday night, and for several days the Seven(ish) Dwarfs have been jockeying for media attention, trying to position themselves as best they can for the donnybrook so many are hoping to see.

Personally, I’m expecting a total yawn-fest, but I could be wrong. Who knows? Flesh-eating flies could mass-assault Mike Pence. V-Ram could snap and go full-bore Kali the Destroyer on all of them, and Chris Christy could have a massive attack of the munchies and starting eating the remains. Probably not, so boring, but hope springs eternal and all that rot.

If anything like that does happen, could somebody text me asap? Otherwise, don’t care, don’t bother me. Seriously—do NOT care what that motley collection gets up to, especially since Perry Johnson won’t be there. His campaign store, I like (but not nearly as much now as when all his stuff was $1. Yeah, I snoozed, I losed. Bummer.). Neither will Larry Elder, who the RINOs That Be rejected! (My suspicion? Because he’s just too good at being, you know, a REPUBLICAN!) Both of them are going to sue the RINO-NC, good on them!

At any rate, one such attempt at positioning came from FL Governor Ron DeSantis, who said recently that, “A movement can’t be about the personality of one individual.” He went on to say that “If all we are is listless vessels that just happen to follow whatever comes down the pike on TruthSocial every morning, that’s not gonna be a durable movement.”

Props to the Meatball where they’re due—he’s absolutely right. He’s also not the first one to point this out. The need for the MAGA movement to grow beyond a campaign slogan meant to elect one man to the Presidency is one of the main reasons I wrote Beyond MAGA. There were other reasons, of course. I remember the TEA Party, how it was all bright excitement and energy, and then how it died. I don’t want MAGA to suffer the same fate, because if MAGA goes, the Republic we once had will be gone with it.

I first saw this weakness in the MAGA Movement pointed out with great clarity by Jim Hanson at American Greatness:

“The problem is that Trumpism and Make America Great Again, by themselves, are not a coherent ideology, governing philosophy, or a political platform. And they are far too dependent on one man. We need to coalesce around something larger and more lasting. We need a movement that recognizes the dire situation of the country; and, has substantive solutions and the will to impose them on an unwilling bureaucracy. This must include the ability to explain these principles to a large enough number of American voters to win elections.“

Mr. Hanson was calling for a “NatCon-ConInc. Mashup”—a burying of hatchets and a combining of resources between the feisty National Conservatives and the institutional power and resources of Conservatism Inc., as represented by the Heritage Foundation. He thought he saw the beginnings of just such a rapprochement at the September, 2022 National Conservatism Conference. Heritage’s new (at that time) President, Kevin Roberts, gave a strong talk in favor of just such an alliance: “I come not to invite National Conservatives to join our conservative movement, but to acknowledge the plain truth that Heritage is part of yours.”

Brave words, and welcome to many. Pity most of ConInc. didn’t seem to get that memo. Even more of a pity, those who got it balled it up and tossed it. For all I know, Ronna McRomney McRINO ate hers. She certainly didn’t read it, much less act on it.

Of course, MAGA must grow beyond the ideas of just one man if it is to survive, much less thrive beyond a few short years. So, as I wrote in Beyond MAGA, Chapter 2:

“The MAGA Movement is at the point where a set of basic principles must be established to guide this growth and help ease the way past those awkward moments when someone asks the question, “But is it MAGA?”

““Is it MAGA?” This question will inevitably arise as more and more people join the Movement. The ability to answer that question as to whether something is MAGA (or not) is essential to solidifying the MAGA brand as a viable political entity, not just a cult of personality. It is essential to creating a unified philosophy and ideology, from which positions and solutions logically flow. It is essential to telling average, everyday Americans what the MAGA Movement is and what it stands for, in plain terms they can easily understand….

“What’s needed are a few simple criteria to judge if an idea is compatible with MAGA ideals, based on the merits of what is being questioned. These criteria can then guide the continued growth of a coherent ideological structure built on the foundation of President Trump’s America First agenda. These criteria must also, of necessity and for the sake of the Movement, be separate from Trump the man.”

With that in mind, I set out four questions to ask, to see if something was truly MAGA, or not:

“If the answer to any of these questions is NO, then whatever is being questioned is clearly NOT MAGA. If the answer to all of them is YES, then the item in question MAY be MAGA—but this is not an absolute certainty, as you’ll see below.

“Whenever a policy, law, regulation or other matter of the public interest is being considered, ask the following:

• Does it promote, protect, defend and/or advance the cause of ordinary Americans?

• Does it promote, protect, defend and/or advance the cause of America as a sovereign nation?

• Is it consistent with the ideals of the Founders, especially those expressed in the Declaration and the Constitution?

• Is it moral, just, and right?

“When answering these questions consider not only the purported benefits but also the costs, consequences, and effects, both intended and otherwise. These four questions require honest judgments, made by honest MAGA Patriots, for their answers to have any real value. Sadly, the opponents of MAGA are well-versed in twisting their statements, reasons, rationalizations and arguments to further their anti-American, anti-MAGA goals. And, lest we forget, those who would thwart the MAGA agenda have a tendency to just flat-out lie to get what they want.”

If there is a “secret sauce” or “magic formula” in Beyond MAGA, these four questions are it. They represent my understanding of what MAGA stands for at its very best, and my hope is that MAGA Patriots will find them useful long after I’m gone.

Of course, that could be from Death by Alphabets, given our current Regime. I wouldn’t be the first, and I probably won’t be the last. Such is the world we live in.

At any rate, Wednesday night we’ll see a bunch of dwarfs debating on stage without the God-Emperor overshadowing them. Most of the dwarfs will be frantically trying to convince you that they are a better choice than the God-Emperor—they’re not.

Yes, yes: I know. One of these days I really must write that piece that explains to all you normies just who the God-Emperor is and why he is such an excellent metaphor for President Donald J. Trump. Don’t hold your breath—it’s a journey far into the esoteric depths of geekdom where most normies dare not go. For now, think “Lord of the Rings in Space”, he’s one of the good guys, and let it go at that.

As the dwarfs prattle on, keep asking yourself if what they’re saying is MAGA, or not. If it sounds like MAGA, are they faking it (likely) or does it fit with the four questions? Most of them recognize they’ll never be President, but of course they can’t admit that on the debate stage (hat tip to The Dossier for his excellent analysis of that, especially the line about Christy thinking it’s a hot dog eating contest!). What will be interesting is just how far they go to present themselves as “MAGA without Trump”—which right now is totally impossible—and how badly they embarrass themselves while doing it.

As for me? Meh, I’m probably going to binge Foundation. I wonder what Hari Seldon would have to say to us today?

This Substack is free, because I despise paywalls. You can also follow @DocContrarian on Twitter (X), GETTR, Gab and TruthSocial. If you want to support me, help spread the word about my book Beyond MAGA. Get it, review it, and tell your friends.

Feel free to share the pics, too; sharing the link would be awesome, too! More people need to see Ronna’s RINO face, don’t you think?