Passive conservatism was so thoroughly terrorized away from social issues over the past generation that it became reluctant to engage even when leftists are clearly the aggressors and their attacks are utterly dishonest.

— John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 22, 2019

The debate on the passive Right was never about pushing back or fighting, especially not by top-tier Republican officials looking to preserve their "electability." The only serious topic of discussion was how much ground to yield, how many of the Left's premises to agree with.

— John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 22, 2019

As we would learn, ceding cultural battles to the Left without a fight, or actively HELPING them to score a little Strange New Respect and maybe some roundtable seats, made the "pocketbook issues" largely irrelevant. The Left frames EVERYTHING in moral terms now.

— John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 22, 2019

"Moderates" are not a homogenous voting bloc, and not many of them were soothed by Republicans putting on their green eyeshades and waving stacks of financial reports while refusing to engage fiercely in cultural battles. Instead, middle Americans felt bereft of representation.

— John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 22, 2019

The Left gained an almost unchallenged ability to designate cultural villains and target them for destruction, an ability they were boldly exercising against the Covington kids until citizen-journalists brought them up short with amateur video.

— John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 22, 2019

Meanwhile, the Right was completely stripped of righteousness. It cannot present anything as a moral crusade, not even when it speaks up for unborn children or victims of violent crime - not even when it champions those the Left allegedly cares about, like the "working class."

— John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 22, 2019

The passive Right lost the ability to project righteousness even when defending core American principles, and indeed the pillars of Western civilization, like the presumption of innocence. The Left openly demands we sacrifice those things for THEIR crusades.

— John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 22, 2019

The Left defines what your symbols mean, evaluates the true content of your heart, and parses every word you speak. What an insidious assault on free speech - your every word and even facial expressions mangled by hostile translators, your ability to impart MEANING stolen.

— John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 22, 2019

They don't want to accuse the media of being thoroughly corrupt, because they want to become "respectable" parts of it. They don't want to upset the delicate surrender negotiations they've been conducting with the Left. They dislike the "deplorables" almost as much as Lefty does.

— John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 22, 2019

Above all they are animated by the dream of a "socially liberal but fiscally conservative" moderate majority quietly turning to them and delivering electoral victory. They tell themselves such a silent majority lurks in every demographic, awaiting the right activation signals.

— John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 22, 2019

The Left attacks relentlessly because it pays no price for failed assaults... because it has no active conservative enemy to make it pay. There's nobody else on the field. Passive conservatives merely quibble about how many yards the Left should get on every play.

— John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 22, 2019

So yes, Trump inevitably wades in for the Covington kids, as most prominent Democrats would do for their treasured constituencies... but as few other Republican leaders of recent vintage would do for theirs. Sure, Trump fumbles some balls, but he's in the game. /end

— John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 22, 2019