It Depends?
MAGA… Make America Great Again. This phrase means different things to different people. To those within the movement, like me, it has come to describe a remnant of American patriots who see the United States today as but a shadow of her former self. We look around and see:
Rampant crime at all levels of society and government
Two sets of standards in the rule of law
The enthusiastic murder of babies
A culture that encourages children and adults to mutilate their God-given bodies in the name of “compassion”
Elected officials at all levels, and from both parties, getting rich at the expense of the people who work to generate all the wealth
Globalist corporations manipulating government to restrict competition, and pick winners and losers in every industry
Government driven censorship of anyone who dissents
The deconstruction of the election process that, in many eyes, thwarted the will of the people in 2020.
Looming over all of this is the very real invasion of our country by illegal aliens, many of whom have already established themselves as cartel criminals, and others from hostile nations around the globe, in a deliberate attempt to ensure leftists are elected forevermore at all levels of government, in every state of the union.
To the leftist, MAGA represents the last vestiges of an ignorant, racist, sexist, Neanderthal cult that want to eliminate the woke progressivism that has held the country in an iron grip since the Obama presidency, but simmered under the surface in schools and universities for decades. I will not spend any time discussing this group, because they have been fully indoctrinated, and the only remedy to their ignorance is the pain of being wrong and suffering the consequences for it. We are already seeing the results of these policies across the country in blue cities and states that have become the dung heaps of the nation. Our only real solace is that this group is self-neutering, and will die out in a single generation.
To still others, particularly some in the Republican party, MAGA represents a rabid insurgency, determined to overturn the apple cart of established rules, traditions, and practices within the party. They see MAGA as the Tea Party reborn, fueled by angry groups of libertarians, populists, and nationalists, who will be here today, and gone tomorrow. Once Trump is out of the way, they will settle back down, and accept their fate as party ne’er do wells, only engaged when they are needed to pull the vote lever, because, “You know our candidate is better than those crazy democrats!”.
Whatever MAGA is, the term has become undeniably divisive. In some ways, this is a good thing. Donald Trump saw the terrible things happening in the US and decided to do something about it by running for President. When deciding which party’s ticket to run on, he very quickly set the democrat party aside (because the only people left in that party are corrupt, evil, or delusional), which only left the Republican party, because like it or not, we live in a two party system. The problem with the Republican party is that the vast majority in leadership are RINOs, who either never stood for Republican values, or quickly abandoned them when the first checkbook popped out. They are propped up and paid for by lobbyists and the administrative state, and Trump soon collectively labelled them, “the Swamp”. Naturally, a candidate like Trump, who did not need special interest money, and wanted to deconstruct the administrative state, terrified the Swamp.
A Good Thing?
What has ensued since that time has been an all out civil war in the Republican party, and in my opinion, this is a very good thing, because it is long past time that the Swamp is kicked to the curb. In my experience as a Christian, I can tell you that in the times when I am making the most difference, the attacks of Satan get particularly intense, and come from directions I would never have guessed. This is not the time to withdraw or compromise on principles. This is the time to lean in to the wind of adversity and hold the line.
However, if I am being honest, there are also times where adversity comes, not because I am over the target, but because I am simply wrong, and suffering the consequences for it. That being the case, how are we to know the difference between attacks designed to hinder our progress, and stumbling blocks of our own creation? Personally, I rely on the Word of God, because being wise in my own eyes has never worked out very well for me.
In these times, I often turn to the book of Philippians. It is an excellent study in leadership through adversity, especially when you consider that Paul wrote this letter while in prison, awaiting what could likely be his execution. At the risk of sounding “preachy”, I would submit this small portion of Scripture as a means of guarding against stumbling blocks when we are in danger of “getting too big for our britches”, as my dad used to put it.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:4-9 ESV
In any conflict, we need to remember Lincoln’s words, when he said, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.” Conflict for any other reason than to put the Republican party through the Refiner’s fire and build an educated, informed, engaged voting base, with a bench of candidates who will stand on principles, is a mistake, and hurts our cause. Not every long time Republican is a RINO, and not every new Republican is a conservative.
Trump’s MAGA?
The left often credits Donald Trump with creating MAGA. He did not. To his credit, he did tap into it before any other politician on the national stage saw it coming, but he did not create it. Americans were already angry. I know I was. We were watching our nation implode, and both parties were responsible for it. The Donald tapped into that passion, and rode that wave all the way to the White House. But, MAGA is not Donald Trump. MAGA is you. MAGA is me. MAGA is the movement of ordinary Americans who want our country back. We want our children to be safe when they go to school, so they can be taught basic subjects, like reading, writing, arithmetic, science, economics, civics, all bathed in the patriotism you and I grew up with. We want our taxes to be low, and our potential to be high. We want community libraries that we can allow our children to peruse without the danger of being exposed to inappropriate materials well above their age level. We want representation that actually represents us, and not special interests, that only pass laws that are absolutely necessary. We want the freedom of body, mind, and spirit, and a rule of law that applies to all, equally. Understand, Trump is one man, running for one office, and this is his last term. He will do what he can in his role, but most of what I just described, Donald Trump has little or no ability to change.
WE ARE MAGA, and if we want things to change, it is up to US!
Where Does MAGA Go From Here?
Whether or not the establishment in the Republican party is right in expecting MAGA to go the way of the Tea Party, and just fade away after this election, is entirely up to you and I. There is no silver bullet (or golden combover) that will Make America Great Again. There is only hard work at the grassroots level, where people like you and I lock arms and commit to being in this thing for the long haul. If it were easy, things never would have gotten this bad. To be honest, each of us bears some responsibility for the state of things, because we turned away from politics. I get it. There are a thousand reasons we stayed away from politics, from the corruption, to just allowing ourselves to get so busy we didn’t take our civic duties as free citizens seriously. If we want a different outcome, we need different inputs. Start with some self-examination, and become a student again. Study God’s Word. We need more people of faith involved in the political process. Study history, particularly American history. Avoid leftist, America hating authors. If you don’t know of any, I can point you to some. Review the principles of conservatism. Many people use the word, but not many understand it fully. Study economics. Thomas Sowell has some great titles for people like me, who hate charts.
If we are truly going to Make America Great Again, and resurrect the freedoms our Founding Fathers wanted for us, we have to take the responsibilities of being a free citizen of the United States seriously, and incorporate those responsibilities as habits for the rest of our lives, teaching them to our children, and our children’s children.
Godspeed, and GO MAGA!