*ed. note: this piece by my good friend, as per usual, is spot on. I've watched w/ major concern of how the power elite/AIPAC/MIC/MAGA Inc. crew has gone all-in to try to remove a man - Thomas Massie - whom I believe to be the single best member out of the entire Gang of 535. Josh makes some very good points here. Truly a Must Read!
| | | | | | |
If the Party I've voted for since I was 18 is successful in unseating the Congressman responsible for forcing the release of the Epstein files, for forcing a roll call vote on Covid relief funding (lead to predictable inflation), for pushing for a vote on war powers, for attempting to put a check on spying on American citizens, and for voting against budgets that increase spending (more inflation), then I'm out. If you were a fan of the idea of making a stand for things like this in 2024, and you aren't concerned about what's going on in Kentucky right now, then you need to ask yourself "Why?".
Congress is supposed to be a check on power, a voice of the average citizen sent to question decisions being made by our Federal Government, and not to serve as a rubber stamp for a President or what party mega-donors are pushing.
You want to know why GOP voter turnout is so low? A growing number of voters can't tell a difference between the D or R anymore. You still have the over 65 white crowd locked in, just like the Dems have the black and female vote locked in. Who else does the GOP still have locked in?
Independents, libertarians, Lean-R's don't want the far left option, and they have lost enthusiasm for the the GOP that ran on popular ideas less than a year ago. Even hard-R voters like me are thinking about checking out. The scare tactics of "But we'll give control to the other side" isn't effective when voters can't trust they will get what they are being sold on during campaign season. No one that's capable of being honest with themselves is buying that crap any more.
The GAGOP and the RNC aren't giving us anything to get excited about. That's not our fault. I work in sales. When you lose market share, it's irresponsible and disconnected from reality to think that it's someone else's fault that you lost. The recipe to win a deal or an election is simple.
Understand what your customers need.
Deliver a quality product or service consistently that meets the needs of the market.
Operate with integrity and accountability.
Stay humble. Don't assume you are the expert on everything because of a title.
Empower your team to speak up and challenge your decisions.
Work hard. Be relentless in your pursuit of success.
Remember what got you there once successful.
The same coalition that showed up in droves less than a year ago is falling apart. Voters are pissed at the 180 we've seen from the GOP since November '24.
We should be keeping note of every influencer, politician, etc that have chimed in with an opinion against Massie and understand these folks are not the "conservatives" and "fighters" they claim to be. They are a part of the machine.
We don't want cowards that choose future political aspirations over the people they represent. Why keep voting for more of these cherry picked puppets that are just going to do what they are told? We will all have to look our kids and grandkids in the eye one day. I don't want to be the one telling them "I'm sorry I kept falling for it."
The President and AIPAC aren't targeting a congressional seat in a Republican primary in the suburbs of Louisville because a congressman isn't conservative enough. He has some of the highest conservative scores in Congress. Massie has become a target because he's publicly challenged them, and he's been a part of exposing how the system really works. The machine can't keep operating the way it has if members start becoming effective at challenging leadership and are allowed to get away with it, especially, God forbid, if they find common ground from across the aisle. That will only encourage others on the fence to take a stand. This is about snuffing out dissent and nothing else.
I think the outcome of that congressional primary in Kentucky is going to have a bigger impact on future elections than the President's advisors think. You can't have another November '24 without the coalition that got you there. I'm sure the Dems are delighted at what's happening, I think the GOP gets waxed in November, and they will have no one else to blame but themselves.
- Josh McKelvey
