The Consequence of Ideological Purity

The demand for ideological purity was the downfall of the Kamala Harris campaign and the complete rout of the progressive left in the 2024 elections by the Republicans. But the MAGA Republicans may be making the same mistake in the runup to the 2028 elections.

It was clear that most Americans were confused and fearful about the progressive left’s insistence on a far left agenda that renounced everything that made America a great country in the first place, as proven by the millions of people illegally crossing the border to get an opportunity to achieve the American Dream. The left rejects America’s founding principles asserting that the purpose of the American Revolution was not liberty but the continuation of slavery. They reject free market economics that have made the United States the most prosperous country in the world. They assert that equality of outcomes according to a myriad of identity groups is more important than equality of opportunity. They maintain that unequal outcomes are the result of systemic racism and no other cause. They insist that any limitation on abortion is an attack on women’s rights. They contend that boys who think they are girls (or at least say that they think that) should be allowed to play girls sports. They riot in support of a terroristic tyranny that massacred innocent civilians of a democratic country.

None of this made any sense. Of course, it wasn’t supposed to make any sense. The progressive left has embraced a post-modern philosophy that rejects reason and evidence. To them there was no truth, just his truth or her truth. There was no reality but only a lived experience as felt by each person. But despite this discordant mélange of weird ideas, everyone was required to pledge allegiance to each of these ideas even to the extent of supporting religious fanatics that would kill them if given the opportunity such as Queers for Palestine.

Of course, Ms. Harris didn’t mention any of this on the campaign trail. But everybody knew that she and many of her progressive supporters absolutely believed this. The Biden-Harris administration pushed DEI initiatives throughout government and appointed many people that seemed strange to Americans on Main Street. Young men don’t want to enlist in an increasingly woke (but underfunded and unprepared) military. The Democratic party forgot about working men and women and created a platform suitable only for its progressive base.

But the MAGA wing of the Republican Party is in danger of repeating the mistakes of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Mr. Trump demands the loyalty of his supporters. He appeals to their feelings, not their reason. Mr. Trump may not have studied Post-Modernist philosophy but he exemplifies Post-Modernist philosophy. His truth is malleable. His policies are based on his gut, not his brain. He has changed American politics by the force of his personality. But he is not invulnerable.

Trump won his improbable landslide victory by tapping into the feelings of the people on Main Streets across America. But there is a movement afoot to silence even the most moderate voices of alternate opinion in the Republican Party. The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump’s inner circle is pushing out people such as Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley who might have opinions outside MAGA ideological purity. Don Jr. and Tucker Carlson are supposedly advancing the cause of J. D. Vance and blocking anyone who might oppose his right to be Mr. Trump’s heir apparent (making Mr. Trump a lame duck even before he is inaugurated).

These actions are being done in order to embed the MAGA movement into the fabric of the American government. But this strategy runs the risk of overreach similar to the collapse of the Democrat’s attempt to embed far-left progressivism into the government. Surrounding Mr. Trump with sycophants and lackey’s endangers his ability to read the American public. Biden believed his handlers and couldn’t understand why people hated Bidenomics. Vladimir Putin received no warnings of potential disaster in Ukraine from his close circle of minions. Hitler thought he knew more than his generals.

Mr. Trump needs to realize that the MAGA movement represents only a thin slice of the American people, just as the left progressive movement tapped into academia and teachers’ unions but little else. He won an impressive victory but he and his movement are on probation, conditioned upon the continued approval of the American people, just as any president or political party.

In 2024, Mr. Trump gained about a million votes over his totals in 2020 while Ms. Harris lost about nine million votes compared to Mr. Biden’s 2020 totals. That tells me that a lot of Americans didn’t like either candidate. And while many people are wary of the MAGA movement, they held their noses and pulled the lever for Mr. Trump because they feared progressive movement even more. The implication is that a Republican candidate other than Mr. Trump would have scored an even bigger victory. If the Democrats come to their senses and move toward the center Mr. Trump’s movement could be short-lived. Trump has a mandate but not a blank check. He has to make America a better place, not in his eyes, not in the eyes of his surrogates and sycophants, but in the eyes of the American people.