Rolling the Dice on Republicans: Has the Right Become Delusional?

By Robert Peck

Conservatives in my state are currently abuzz with talk of gubernatorial primary candidates. One candidate seems favored by activists on the right, partly because he’s saying key things they want to hear but also because he’s the best-funded and deemed most able to beat the Democrat in November.

Upon hearing that this candidate previously served in Congress, I decided to put the matter into perspective by looking up his score in the respected Freedom Index. The index grades representatives on their adherence to the U.S. Constitution, principles of liberty, and fiscal responsibility. During his six terms in the U.S. House, this individual, now proffered as the gubernatorial champion of the right, scored an average of 33 percent adherence to traditional conservative values–worse than simply guessing on a true/false quiz.

Rolling the Dice

I did a little more research and discovered that during the same period, the Republican delegation in the U.S. House as a whole scored a whopping 50 percent adherence to the constitutional rule of law. That’s a 50/50 chance that on any given day, Republicans might protect our God-given rights or give them away. We could get the same results if we just sent a pair of dice to Congress and said, “Give ’em a roll and let’s see which way the country goes.”

Simply casting lots for the future of our country would save millions–probably billions of dollars per election cycle that the right currently wastes on campaigns. It would prevent the stress that results from listening to the incessant political soap opera of candidates, campaigns, bills in Congress, and calls to “write your Congressman and beg them to do what they promised to do when they were campaigning.”  We could be relieved of all our political cares and still achieve the same results. Just roll the dice on the floor of the House, then let the people tune in to hear what number came up today and whether we still have any freedom left. It could come on right after the Power Ball drawing.

But in a free country, if the Christian-conservative-right wants to spend their time and hard-earned money rolling the dice on Republicans, then that’s their right.

My real complaint is not as much with “roll of the dice Republicans” as what the right could be doing with its time and money instead.

A Proactive Plan

What if, after each major election, the right went into education mode for two years? Conservative organizations could use materials like those produced by the Institute on the Constitution, Hillsdale College, Wall Builders, or others to teach principles of liberty and constitutionally limited government to our families, friends, and neighbors. The right could create an educated and informed electorate and a constitutionally minded base that at least has a vision of what true victory would look like.

Then, spend the third year grooming candidates from among those now educated in the principles of liberty. In the vetting process, an understanding of the proper role of government in preserving God-given rights must be the first criterion. The second is the spiritual maturity and strength of character needed to hold true to principle under pressure. After these come considerations of skill and experience.

Finally, the fourth year could be spent organizing campaigns and raising funds for candidates who will go into the public arena to proclaim God-given rights, liberty, constitutionally limited government, and fiscal responsibility in races at every level. Even if such candidates did not win, at least the principles of liberty and limited government would become part of the public debate. That alone would be a victory.

However, for the decades that I’ve been observing the political process, the right has instead spent the first three and a half years after an election decrying Democrats, complaining about Republicans, and waiting to see what candidates the Republican establishment will offer the party faithful at the next election. Then, a few months before the election, the conservative right swings into action, frantically rolling the dice on Republicans like their lives depend on it.

Why does the right do this, and do it over and over, and do it with ever-increasing fanatical determination to believe, “This one’s a real conservative,” or “This time the Republicans will ride to our rescue?” This is the definition of delusion: “a false fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence.”

How the Right Became Delusional

For as long as I’ve been politically aware, the mantra of the right has been “FEAR; fear the Democrats; fear the liberals; fear the left; be afraid; be very afraid; if the Democrats get in this time, we’ll all die.”

Fear intimidates. Intimidation makes timid. Timidity leads to compromise. Once we find ourselves in compromise, we must either repent and return to our principles or do something to drown out the voice of conscience. The right has chosen to override that voice with arguments that compromise is necessary to win, and therefore, compromise of conservative values is wisdom and a virtue that paves the way to victory for conservatism. Such self-deception leads to a state of delusion, and through this process, what used to be “the conservative right” has become “the delusional right.”

That might sound extreme, but I’m watching it play out in front of my eyes as some of the conservative activists and influencers in my state are calling for preemptive surrender as the means of victory.

Preemptive Surrender

In online communications that I’ve seen between Republican activists and people once considered conservative stalwarts, I’ve heard calls for all but the favored, best-funded, establishment gubernatorial candidate to drop out of the race now, five months before the primary election. The reason? Fear that multiple Republican candidates in the primary will “split the vote,” somehow weakening the position of the primary winner and diminishing his chances of beating the Democrat in November.

Splitting the vote used to be a term applied to a minor party or independent candidate running in a three-way general election. It was reasoned that the independent might get votes that would otherwise go to one of the establishment party candidates. My view has always been that if the independent candidate better represents the values of a given voter, then the establishment party candidate never deserved that person’s vote in the first place.

To call for candidates to drop out half a year before the primary only ensures that voters will never even hear about, much less be able to express support for, any views or values other than those of the Democrat and the Republican deemed capable of beating him. It also eliminates any leverage conservatives might otherwise have to move the Republican Party and its candidates in their direction. It’s a preemptive surrender to the establishment that ensures the continuation of the status quo.

Nevertheless, some conservatives are contending that to beat the Democrat in November, the faithful must set aside their principles in March and rally around the only candidate deemed capable of beating the Democrat. And why is this favored candidate deemed capable of beating the Democrat? Why money of course.

Using Conservatives’ Donations Against Them

Immediately following every presidential election, the Republican machinery goes into motion soliciting donations from the right, offering the Republican Party (and its enumerable front groups and PACs) as the only salvation standing between conservatives and the big-bad Democrats who will huff and puff and blow our house down. Then, the party bosses, power brokers, and PACs funnel those funds toward candidates who will toe the establishment line. When the next election rolls around, conservatives are told they must support the establishment candidate, as he is the only one with enough money to beat the Democrat. Gee, I wonder how that happened.

Interestingly, during his six years in the U.S. House, the gubernatorial candidate who conservatives in my state are being told can beat the Democrat had exactly the same Freedom Index score as the Democratic delegation in the House–33 percent adherence to conservative values. So, you can see how important it is for conservatives to set everything aside, engage in preemptive surrender of principles, and support the only candidate with enough establishment backing to beat the Democrat.

Fear has done its job. The right is fully cowed. Conservatives are chomping at the bit to abandon their principles half a year before the first primary ballot will be cast. The delusional right is engaging in preemptive surrender and calling it the path to victory.

I’m not angry. I’m actually sad for those caught in the trap of fear. God opposes fear because “fear hath torment” (1 John 4:18). There is something even worse than living under the oppression of socialist Democrats–living under the torment of fear. Fear drives us to desperation, and the fear-filled desperation of the right has driven it to full-blown delusion.

There is Hope

The good news is that there is treatment for this disorder and hope for recovery. It consists of making one quality decision to begin bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), remembering that oft-cited Biblical command, “Fear Not.”

Never ever let fear be counsel to your decision-making process. Fear will drive you to compromise, and it has rightly been said that anything you’re willing to compromise to keep, you’ll lose.

Be of good courage and fear not (Joshua 1:9). Honor God, and He will honor you (1 Samuel 2:30).

© Robert W. Peck

From Perspective by Robert Peck at robertpeck.net