The most effective and moral way to revive our nation is not by lashing out and holding a grudge against those who differ politically but by pursuing an offensive defense on behalf of what it is we want to protect.
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson gave an impassioned speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference about how to turn blue areas red. He explained that the way to success in his state was by conquering territories from the bottom up. In other words, electing people to local positions will lead to good local policy that will positively affect lives and spread influence.
The strategy that Robinson gave to save the soul of the United States was to focus not on attacking the bad but on protecting the good, saying, “David didn’t win because he hated Goliath but because he loved God.”
This is a pivotal message for Republicans. It can be very easy to see the evil actors ruling the country deliberately dismantling it alongside all the institutions we love about it and feel the urge to lash out in frustration. Many wish to make them suffer the same things Republicans understand that they have suffered.
However, this is detrimental to the Republican cause. By equipping ourselves with the Left’s weapons of wrath and vengeance, we become no better than them. Many times in history, doing this has turned men with good sentiments and intentions into monsters. The line there is surprisingly thin.
There is a better and more moral alternative to this approach: love. Actual love is an effective weapon of war. Many of Ancient Rome’s greatest political developments came about as a product of love and a reaction to violence against those the Romans loved. Love is the best incentive for self-defense. Love, rather than hate, will also convince supporters of the leftist regime that they are on the wrong side and compel them to walk away.
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By no means does this mean that we should sit back and allow the opposition’s assaults to continue. Offense is often a great defense. We can and should wield all the political power we can to overwhelm and conquer the opposition. This is a moral, practical, and American truth.
To quote one of the most disrespectful and disingenuous films of the last decade, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, in a more contextually accurate way, “That’s how we’re gonna win. Not by fighting what we hate. But saving what we love.”
Parker Miller is a 2024 Washington Examiner winter fellow.