I’ve seen several posts from the Right on social media over the past few months, though increasingly recently, of people now eschewing the Conservative label. This does not surprise me because I pretty much dropped it years ago – after all, what has Conservatism conserved? But the latest raft of them seems to be people who want to take a more Libertarian label, with a very firm rejection of the Populist label. Populism: that is the real bad thing. I mean, seriously: Left and Right people are saying endlessly that we must crush Populism.

Some seem to be impelled by a desire to put a huge distance between those Right voices who have gone overtly anti-Semitic since 10/7 (a not insignificant number; vastly less than Left voices going overtly anti-Semitic, but it is there) while others just don’t like the idea of having, for lack of a better phrase, supernatural moral codes – you know, codes that are based upon a belief in God and revealed Truth.

The one I saw today – until today I never knew the person existed but her account has many tens of thousands of followers – took both tacks: she didn’t want to be associated with any Right anti-Semitism and she didn’t want to be associated with Christians who take it seriously (she did assert her Christian faith). And then it sort of struck me: outside the far Left kooks, she’s probably where the vast majority is…socially Left, economically right, rejecting the latest Leftist fad of transgenderism and claiming she just wants to move on and have a good life. Yeah. Sure. Seen this movie before.

She was basically being a rock-ribbed Conservative from any time 1950 to 2020.

Sure, to her - and many like her – this was like a new discovery but the primary reason Conservatism hasn’t conserved anything is because of people on the Right dispensing with this or that aspect of what was to be conserved…until, decades on, there’s nothing left to conserve. And what really flashed in my brain is that the basic person on the Right hasn’t the foggiest notion of what they believe. In fact, it mostly seems now to just be a distaste for the latest bit of Leftist drivel. And so the lady’s assertion that she rejects transgenderism but has nothing but praise for LGB. You see where its going, right? Ten years from now people like her will be seeking to conserve “gender-affirming care” for minors.

And I understand it. Heck, I can even sympathize with it. It is all for the quiet life. After all, here in 2024 to point out the obvious – that two men cannot, in fact, get married no matter what the law says – would outrage most on the Right. Easier to just accept that Progressive innovation…and stand tall against 11 year olds getting sex changes. Until 2034. Then the story will be how, hey, I’m totes cool with all the wonderful LGBT but I just can’t go with those who are marrying their cats.

For now.

Give it a little while.

Here’s our real problem: the Left, when it doesn’t have the power to have you shot for Wrongthink, has this particular cachet which is irresistible to Fallen humanity: the getting of one off the hook. If you really want to boil it down, the appeal here is the endless reasons for getting out of going to Church on Sunday. I know that sounds trite, but think about it: it is the Left which said it was ok to break your promise (get a divorce!). Left said it was ok to get a girl pregnant and not “do the right thing”. Left said it was ok to be on welfare. Left said it was ok to lie. On and on and on like that – and what a relief! Don’t have to go to Church. Don’t have to actually care for the poor. Don’t have to stick with the guy/gal once they’ve become a little boring. Off the hook! And even better for those of the Right/Libertarian views…because they don’t immediately approve of the latest, worst thing the Left is doing, they can pretend they have morals. What fun: being a completely amoral piece of garbage and thinking you’re smart and good!

If you really do the full Libertarian-Right thing then not only all that, but you can pile up money by any means necessary, grind the faces of the poor and still feel good about yourself.

But here is something I’ve noticed among those dropping Conservatism (and condemning Populism) as they take up some sort of Libertarian label…they’re all well off but don’t do any particularly useful work. In other words, among these Libertarian-ish Populism-rejecters what you won’t see are plumbers. Farmers. Stay at home moms. Truckers. You know: the people who actually make things work and who are raising up the next generation of people who make things work.

Donald Trump’s constituency.

Because that is another thing about these people condemning Populism: they don’t like Trump. And it has puzzled me but I think I can see that the reason they hate Trump isn’t anything Trump has done (in fact, these people desperately crave being just like Trump) but the people who support Trump. That’s who they hate. That is who they want to keep down and keep out of power. Why? Because such people want there to be rules – basic rules of human decency which have been rejected by the Left and the Right. They aren’t against Populism – in fact, they probably don’t even know what it is. But they are against the Populists. Likely from a deep understanding that the Populists, triumphant, would hold them in as much – or perhaps even more – contempt as they hold the Left.

The good news is that this species of people is shrinking. No surprise, really; who the heck wants people like that? Don’t let the door hit ya, as far as that goes. The bad news is that they are going to do everything they can to help the Democrats. This is because, at bottom, they’re really rather stupid, silly people. I saw one such account the other day going on about how everyone should vote for “moderate Democrats” until the GOP and the Far Left are destroyed…as if there is such a thing as a moderate Democrat! I mean, other than Fetterman and he’s already being attacked for going off the ranch about Hamas…while the other moderate Democrat, Sinema, isn’t polling 20% in her re-election bid. I mean, just stupid to think you can help Fetterman take over a Democrat party which considers AOC to be a worthy member. Give it up – Fetterman is a Left Socialist Revolutionary trying to make nice with the Bolsheviks. Ain’t gonna happen.

But that is how very stupid these people are – and wow have they dragged us down over the past few decades. Good riddance to bad rubbish. If we can somehow get a Populist win in 2024, that will spell the end of them. Before the next Presidential cycle they will announce their conversion to the Left and that will be that.