Presidential election results tampered, huge amounts of so-called stimulus going to all of the wrong places and an annual defense bill which is more friendly to the rest of the world than us. This is what is happening federally just as I type this piece.
Does Congress represent the American people anymore?
Congress is out-of-control, the executive branch goes on a fiat binge (no matter who the president,) the previous president has their fiats reversed, the federal government bureaucracy is indeed a corrupt deep state and federal courts fail to do their job.
To save our constitutional republic, we must do what was intended for our country. To make a difference, citizens must pay attention and support what is right in front of them, not the shiny objects trying to head to Washington. This isn’t a new problem but a more pronounced item that should now be clear as day after 2020.
In March, when Coronafascism began, it was governors and mayors who took the lead. Originally, these local executives signaled that “stay at home” orders for a couple of weeks should be sufficient to combat COVID-19. Fast forward nine months later and many states have either kept severe restrictions in place, reinstated them or implemented even stronger lockdowns. Mask mandates have also become the norm, even in “Republican” areas.
The Coronavirus is destroying small businesses across America
With few exceptions, these so-called leaders haven’t reached a point where they reflect and say to themselves, “these draconian measures haven’t done anything to stop the increase of COVID-19.” No matter where it is, mandates have done nothing but disrupt the timing of cases and deaths (deaths per capita have actually decreased over time because it is a weakening virus.) Currently, the states that have the longest, most damaging restrictions are now facing the most out-of-control amount of cases there have been to this point.
Trying to avoid getting in the weeds of how the virus works, your state is who took away your freedom and destroyed businesses – causing a huge loss of revenue which the federal government is now funding even though the feds ran out of that kind of money a long time ago. State and local governments also let Black Lives Matter and Antifa run rampant causing further damage that is being bailed out by the feds.
The police that became the enemy of the left is now arresting and citing business owners who dared to operate to keep afloat instead of jailing violent criminals. It is the first line who is in charge of elections – the legislature and a state’s executive officers – who have failed.
As a conservative, I can’t address how to fix states who have moved so far left they have fallen off a cliff. One lead to follow that is taking shape is in California. “Recall Gavin Newsom” is poised to gain enough signatures to put the leftist tyrant on the statewide ballot for a recall this year. Unfortunately, newsflash, Californians have shown zero inclination to replace Newsom with a decent governor even if he were to be recalled.
Frustrated business owners are starting to challenge state “mandates” with “No masks allowed” signs.
What we can control is states where conservatives have a chance and better. This is where the legacy of President Trump can take hold—a take no prisoners, no nonsense government that is closer to the people.
There are many governors and local officials who should be removed. Number one on that list would be Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio. DeWine, has followed full on his previous stint as a US Senator as a very liberal Republican and was the first governor nationwide to shut down his state. He has doubled-down on his failed policies and worships at the altar of the failed mask mandates. This is currently a legislative impeachment attempt against the governor led by Republicans but is likely to fail.
If a recall/impeachment doesn’t happen, voters have to come to the realization that across the nation, partisan primaries are how your government is chosen. The overwhelming majority of districts are very heavily partisan in one way or the other. Choosing a constitutional conservative that will do their job in primaries should be your top priority.
When there are supermajorities (or close to that) in legislatures and statewide constitutional officers who win by comfortable margins in general elections yet there is still a poor and iron-fisted government, then pick the right people. This is well beyond Republican vs. Democrat.
Democrats vs Republicans is another way to divide the people into separate groups, in turn tearing the nation apart. Those neighbors who once discussed issues that confronted their community now battle each other for majority party domination. No unity means No community.
There are many Republicans across the country who are bad or “less-bad” than the Democrat and that isn’t acceptable.
Here at home in South Carolina, GOP Gov. Henry McMaster’s confusing and heavy-handed response to Coronavirus (and other things) deserves a tough challenge and he is likely to get that from several Republican contenders. Legislators who don’t hold their governor accountable should face a stiff test as well. GOP Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas is another notable exception. Once a strong conservative, Abbott has had an up-and-down and strong-armed approach to the virus in what was considered the freest state in the country.
States like Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin can very easily elect strong conservatives and replace Democrat tyrants in their states.
Besides making the change and recruiting people who are willing to serve and help the cause, we must praise and do what we can to help those who have performed well. Standouts include Republican Governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and South Dakota’s Kristi Noem. We need to get back to the way we have done in the past when looking at elected officials who could be president. It used to be a normality to choose governors over senators when electing presidents.
Where I live, the Lexington County, SC County Council deserves credit. While being one of the most dense, populated counties in the state, the council did not follow the groupthink and refused to implement a mask mandate.
The federal government was never meant to have as much influence on your everyday life as it does. It’s time for the states to take control. That starts when we pay attention to what is going on right in front of us. Demand your local officials do what is right and if they don’t, be on the front lines to replace them.
Political and Policy analyst Preston Baines can be reached on Twitter/Parler @prestonbaines and prestonbaines@gmail.com.
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