Adams’s note: This is part two of a two-part essay entitled “A Few Good Congressmen,” about the need to turn one Trump into many America First Republicans. To read part one in full, click here.
Previously…
There needs to be an army of Trumps, or at least Trump acolytes, doing what Trump does and saying what Trump says, in every corner of American politics if we want to preserve the nation-state for future generations.
Fortunately, we’re finally starting to see the first wave of allies on the rise. Case in point: Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance.
Back in February, Vance went on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast and took on the issue of the Russian invasion of Ukraine by not taking on the issue of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “I gotta be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another,” Vance said flatly. “I do care about the fact that in my community right now the leading cause of death among 18-45 year olds is Mexican fentanyl that’s coming across the southern border.”
His comments invited a flurry of ravenous vitriol from regime-approved opinion havers on Twitter. A retired American Army general called Barry McCaffrey even slid into his mentions to bash Vance for not having an Approved Opinion. But Vance stood his ground. He fired back at McCaffrey’s insults, and stood up to neocons assailing him in the pages of the Washington Post. He even fired back at several of his primary opponents for jumping on the establishment’s pro-Ukraine bandwagon.
And he continued to stand his ground. When his primary opponents pushed for “European-led” No-Fly Zones in Ukraine, Vance reminded voters that a European-led No-Fly Zone is inevitably an American-led No-Fly Zone, and then a direct confrontation with Russia. He continued to hold the line in other debates and media appearances, reiterating time and time again that the Ukraine invasion is simply not in our vital national interests, and that we should focus on more immediate domestic issues like the inflation crisis, the energy crisis, the border crisis, the debt crisis, and any other crisis that is occurring or will occur in the near future.
Vance’s perspective on the issue is, at its core, exactly what Trump has been saying for years, and especially recently. Trump had made vague overtures about how the situation in Ukraine was bad, but continued to stress the importance of putting America First. “Our country is being poisoned from within,” Trump said in his 2022 CPAC speech. But, “the Biden administration cares more about helping citizens of a distant foreign nation than it does about our own citizens,” he added. When he finally did issue a public statement, he lamented the death and destruction that had taken place, but also explicitly pushed for Russia and Ukraine to negotiate a peaceful end to the conflict.
So to reiterate, Trump and Vance are on the same page. And I genuinely believe that it’s going to pay dividends come November.
Not just because Trump endorsed Vance, which likely locks up the general election in any case. Recent polls have shown that American voters (when informed) don’t support a No-Fly Zone in Ukraine, by substantial margins. The calls for direct, or even indirect intervention in Ukraine, are simply the media and political class preaching to the choir. Americans don’t want another war, especially after the failures of the wars in the Middle East. And as expert pollster Richard Baris has pointed out on more than one occasion, Ohio voters are especially anti-war. They’re likely much more concerned with domestic issues, a lot like the rest of the country.
Another example of this new wave of allies is Washington Congressional candidate Joe Kent. Kent, an Army veteran who lost his wife in Syria, has been clear-eyed in his analysis and adamant in rejecting the foreign policy blob’s continued push to escalate the invasion of Ukraine into a shooting war between the U.S. and Russia. Not only do Vance and Kent share policy principles, they both have a critical communication line in Tucker Carlson and his absolute juggernaut of a primetime cable news show. And both have indicated that they would use their platforms in office to spread the America First message and movement. There are more up-and-coming America First Republicans than just Vance and Kent, to be sure, but I’m highlighting them here because they have the largest presence in the conservative movement as a whole, because of their appearances on Tucker, and their popularity in dissident conservative circles.
The tide that’s coming is critical because it makes “America First'' bigger than just Trump himself. It turns a slogan spouted by talking heads into a real, tangible thing, a movement with a presence and champions in the halls of power. There’s something so much more potent about Congressman Kent or Senator Vance saying “America First,” than just Trump at a rally or some commentator on talk radio or cable TV. It makes regular people more likely to speak up, knowing that someone has their back. It allows Trump to refocus on his better instincts, because instead of deceitful flatterers, he now has genuine backers in the Legislative Branch. It also makes it more likely that another, even larger crop of America First candidates will rise up for the 2024 elections and beyond.
And while I remain fully aware that even Trump, along with a veritable army of America First politicians, won’t solve all our problems, the fact that such politicians are stepping into the fray is more than enough reason to hope that brighter days are ahead.
To build an America First future, all we’re looking for is a few good (Congress)men. Thankfully, we’re starting to find them.