Politics: The Playground for Incompetence & Ignorance
“If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive.” — Saul Alinsky Rule for Radicals #10″Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”
— Saul Alinsky Rule for Radicals #12
“Boy, an empty wagon makes a lot of noise.”
— My dad, Herman “Buck” West, Sr.
Good Monday morning! I pray our locally-backed candidates all enjoyed success in Saturday’s municipal elections. As Tip O’Neill once quipped, “all politics are local,” and this is where you find the most important elected position: the school board member.
We are now in the final month of our 87th Texas legislative session, and as the Republican Party of Texas Legislative Priorities Chairman, Jill Glover, articulates in her weekly report, we are coming out of the final curve, heading to the finish line. We still need to keep up maximum pressure on our Republican-controlled Texas State Legislature to pass our eight Legislative Priorities.
However, the topic of this week’s missive has more to do with some very disturbing actions that took place last week.
As a little boy, my dad, “Buck” West, had some of the wisest and most insightful sayings, one of which I have shared above. As a young fella, I did not understand it, until he properly explained it to me. What Dad wanted to explain is that loud people are often trying to hide their lack of understanding or competence. Dad used the metaphor of an empty wagon and the noise it makes when going down the road. Of course, the empty wagon relates to an empty head.
Last week a former colleague of mine, Sen. Tim Scott, delivered the response to an empty-headed speech by Joe Biden to a joint session of Congress. And, immediately, the Party of systemic racism showed their hand. The Lamar County Democrat Party Chairman denigrated Sen. Scott as an “oreo,” implying that Sen. Scott is Black on the outside and white on the inside. Only an empty-headed individual would make such noise, but it doesn’t end there. Progressive socialists on MSNBC and all across the internet chimed in to “defend” the disparagement.
It reminded me of when my congressional opponents in 2012 aired a commercial advertisement depicting me with a gold tooth, punching white women. The then-Executive Director of the NAACP said that I looked nice in the ad.
Politics in America has devolved into the playground of incompetence and ignorance, with very little care and concern about discussing issues. It all comes back to the two rules of avowed socialist, Chicago native, Saul Alinsky.
In the aftermath of the November 2020 election, President Trump must now realize that the issues were never issues to the left. President Trump was the issue and in the playground of incompetence and ignorance, the left cared little about any policy issue — economic, national security, energy independence, foreign policy, border security — all they cared about was proliferating negatives and isolating their target, Donald J. Trump. In hindsight, I think President Trump would agree, make yourself less of the issue and deny the progressive socialist left their tactic . . . and never allow for universal mail-in ballots.
As well, last week, we had a special election for a vacant US Congressional seat, TX-6. To our horror, there was a robocall sent out last Friday that actually said the widow of deceased Congressman Ron Wright, Susan, who was running for TX-6 was being investigated for murdering her husband. Rep. Wright had passed due to complications of cancer. What type of cretin would push out calls to homes with such an evil intent?
When candidates call upon me for advice in running for an office and campaigning, I always share with them a simple nugget: always tell the people what you are for, not what you are against. The toxic atmosphere of politics in America is, indeed, turning people off. Now, understand, I think it is important that we challenge each other on matters of principles and our rule of law. But, sending out robocalls accusing a widow of murdering her husband is beyond despicable.
Such actions as we are witnessing in American politics today are all because there are those who seek political position but lack the intellectual rigor for the debate. When someone starts out negative in a political campaign that should serve as a warning sign. There is an empty wagon coming down the road. And, yes, it does occur on both sides of the aisle but, it has become the primary means for the progressive socialist left. As well, there are some elitist members of the political class who prefer to not allow anyone onto their playground and viciously assail those who offer them challenge.
Talking about incompetence, I will never forget another former congressional colleague, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), with whom I served on the House Armed Services Committee. Rep. Johnson actually asserted during a hearing with the US Navy CINCPAC (Commander, Pacific forces), that if we deployed more Marines to the island of Guam, well — wait for it — the island could actually capsize, tip over. If you don’t believe me, the video is right here. And, then, there was the Texas Democrat State Representative who during a hearing on ending child gender modification informed us that science proves that there are six genders. Yeah, you can read about it here.
Now, we can laugh, but consider the title of this message. We have allowed politics to truly become the playground of incompetence and ignorance. Is there any wonder why our national debt is $30 trillion and our borders are wide open?
Ask yourselves: if you are a Texas resident, did you vote in last week’s municipal elections? Have you followed the voting record of your State Senator and House member, or your US Senator and Representative? See, the playground continues to perpetuate itself because we, the electorate, keep it populated.
I am proud of all of you who have made it possible for Texas to be so close to passing Constitutional Carry . . . because you refused to allow incompetence and ignorance to deny you your constitutional right.
Yes, the kids on the political playground will attack you and demean you all because they are the empty wagon making lots of noise. But, you cannot be discouraged or deterred. Continue to press on as Texas, and America, deserve your dedication.
Let me close with this very appropriate quote from the Greek philosopher Plato, “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”
In truth, you ended up being ruled by the incompetent and ignorant from their political playground.
Steadfast and Loyal,
LTC Allen B. West (Ret.)
Chairman
Republican Party of Texas
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