Former U.S. Representative Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) is a small footnote in the history book of politics in the Palmetto State. To judge from his Twitter bio, Inglis would prefer to be remembered as the GOP congressman who crossed the partisan divide to compromise with Democrats on climate change at the height of the Tea Party movement.
But that’s not at all how he’s remembered in South Carolina.
In 2009, an activist named Harry Kibbler, founder of a group called The RINO Hunt, bolted a toilet to the bed of his pickup truck. He then put a mannequin upside down in the toilet bowl and parked his truck outside an Inglis fundraiser in the town of Greenville.
“Honk to flush Bob Inglis,” read a large sign adorned to Kibbler’s truck.
And that’s how Inglis, who was walloped in his reelection bid, is remembered in South Carolina.
Both Inglis and Kibbler learned a lesson in power that day. Kibbler learned that he had much more power than he knew. Inglis learned that he had much less.
What Kibbler did was not a calculated political move that can only be taught by the stuffy, pastel-wearing suits at places like the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute. In fact, they don’t teach those lessons there. Rather, Kibbler simply decided that he didn’t fancy the way Inglis was giving away the farm to Democrats, and he made it a point to be a royal pain in Inglis’ ass.
In political terms, Kibbler inflicted pain upon Inglis, and perhaps inadvertently Kibbler taught us another valuable lesson about political power. He punished Inglis for being a traitor to the cause. Instead of helping Inglis, who planned to compromise with the political Left and pass climate legislation, Kibbler understood, perhaps only instinctively, that the conservative cause would benefit more from gridlock than compromise. He preferred inaction over bad action.
Therein lies the simplest key to political power.
Don’t Make Stupid Promises
Ever hear a GOP politician promise to “end the gridlock” in Washington? They promise this all the time. What they’re really saying is “I’m going let Democrats use me as a doormat, and then I’m going to thank them for the pleasure.”
If you hear those words, or any variation of them (“compromise” is a popular one) it is incumbent upon you to march down to that politician’s office or campaign headquarters and tell him that if he plans to “end the gridlock,” you plan to end his political career or campaign. When you leave, tape a sign that says “Stupid GOP Politician Here” on his office door for good measure, or simply “GOP Politician Here” to avoid redundancy.
In reality, gridlock rules. Our system of governance was intentionally built for gridlock. It was specifically designed so that one group cannot easily exert its power over another group. Turns out, the only way one group can be dominated by another in our system is if the group being dominated actively assists in its own domination.
For all of their glowing adulation of America’s founders, who designed this system, you’d think the GOP might have picked up on that.
By the way, have you ever heard a Democrat say he’s going to Washington to “end the gridlock”? Of course you haven’t.
Since the 1980s, the GOP has been so hell-bent on compromising with Democrats that it has nearly defeated the purpose of its own existence. A prime example is Ronald Reagan’s “one-time” amnesty for illegal aliens, as signed into law in 1986.
The deal was simple. Reagan and the GOP gave at least 3 million illegal aliens amnesty, and in return, they received a promise that Democrats would never push for another amnesty, and that Democrats would compromise with them to close America’s borders.
More than 30 years later, we are still processing applications from the 1986 amnesty, and the border remains as wide open as ever. In case you were wondering whether the Democrats simply forgot to hold up their end of the bargain, they’re about to try to pass another amnesty, in direct and knowing violation of the promise they made during the Reagan era.
Let Bad Actions Have Worse Consequences
In 1986, the GOP chose bad action over inaction. They did the exact opposite of what Harry Kibbler—who again, I remind you, is not a highly-paid strategist or decorated political scientist—did to Bob Inglis. If it is just going to compromise and give the Left everything on its berserk wish list, what’s even the purpose for the GOP’s existence?
Democrats don’t make stupid promises like “I’m going to Washington to get things done” to their constituents. Instead, they make smart promises like “I’m going to Washington to pursue and implement our agenda, no matter how many GOP schmucks I have to dupe into compromising.”
Like Kibbler, you must be ready to take a stand against the GOP.
A politician’s only goal is to remain in office. You must make it perfectly clear to GOP politicians that passing bad legislation will lead to them being thrown out of office like the bums they are. You will be surprised at how quickly they fold under the threat of political pain. Or in the case of the GOP, maybe you won’t. After all, you’ve watched them get worked by Democrats for decades, when they shouldn’t even be afraid of Democrats. They don’t answer to Democrats. They answer to you. You must make them understand that by making them afraid for their political lives.
Currently, they’ve charted a course toward a Communist hell through compromise with the Left. If you do not make them afraid for their political lives, that is exactly what we will get.