Lemmings Knowing They are Lemmings

As MAGA walks off a cliff, electeds must decide: leave the crowd, or hope the dead lemmings cushion the blow.

They know it. Almost every elected Republican knows they are marching off a cliff... Maybe they'll win in November, maybe they won't, but a reckoning is coming. The current insanity is unsustainable; the party is shrinking itself, racism is exploding, and conspiracies are breeding like rabbits. Every sign and historical lesson portends a bleak future for MAGA and the GOP, although the timing is uncertain.

Marching to the edge of the cliff, each member of the parade hopes that before they reach it, one brave lemming steers the cascade away. Yet, each time one steps out, the crowd surges on, leaving the brave ones alone. Yes, their lives are spared, but they are left…alone…a sentence worse than death. The rest of the lemmings look back in curiosity, wondering how they could step aside, knowing they would simply be…alone. Face forward, march on. What is that in the distance? It appears the leaders are disappearing.

Every Republican elected official and community leader knows this stampede is wrong, but they feel powerless to stop it. They certainly don’t want to lose access to the tribe, the lucrative jobs available after office that require access to former colleagues, and acceptance to party activities and conventions. They feel like their voice alone is powerless to stop the stampede. After all, they see those who have spoken up, see the results, and notice the crowd still marching to oblivion.

While this election is unique, the fundamentals will remain. The winners need to attract the middle; people feel there are no good options and are once again left to vote for the “lesser of two evils”. The economy can make or break a candidate, and voters still respect courage. Building a political win on hate, anger, and dopamine hits can work for a time, but like every drug, it loses its potency until you need bigger hits or must face detox and pain from your prior decisions.

And this leads us to MAGA. Conspiracies, hate, anger, division, complaining, whining, and victimhood have built a movement of angry baby boomers, isolated youth, and confused Americans. Harvesting enough of these people for a victory is possible, but regardless, you are left with a base intent on destruction because, after all, you told them it was necessary. When elected officials cannot deliver the promised vengeance, the anger will (and has) turned inside. We already see story after story of internal fighting within the GOP and MAGA. Anyone with an independent thought is labeled a RINO (Republican in name only, worse than a liberal) and pushed out. Those pushed out either change their ways or become politically homeless.

The reality is, this is unsustainable in the long run. This is not a movement based on an ideological center, an embrace of human rights, or any values for that matter. It's based on the “enemy of my enemy,” but within that coalition exists people of the worst kind: neo-Nazis, Putin sympathizers, and every weirdo engaged in politics. The crowd, united by hate and hypnotized by personality, marches on toward oblivion.

Many of these lemmings know this, but since the cliff is still a journey away, it's easier to march and stave off the inevitable isolation that comes with an exit. The financial hit to post-congress prospects seems unthinkable. After all, someone ELSE will surely come on the white horse and steer the lemmings to true north. This will not happen, and everyone waiting for the white-horsed man should be the ones on the white horse. There is no one left.

Courage is rare; cowardice is easy. It's easier to attack Marjorie Taylor Greene for her Russian love than it is to adopt her tactics and torch the floor of the house unless Johnson puts the Ukraine bill up for a vote. If everyone holds a hand grenade, we all have power. If someone is willing to pull the pin, they are the most powerful, unless someone else does too.

In the long term, rest assured, MAGA cannot survive. In the short term, it's up to all of us to stop them from doing any more damage. All we can do is BE—be good, be honorable, be someone your kids and history will be proud of, be strong, and stop this cancer.