The REAL Reason Republicans Lost The Midterms

Going on everybody, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Tommy's house. I'm going to do a special reaction segment today, little quick segment unpacking the results of the election, the midterms. A total bloodbath, a bloodbath, and uh I'm going to accept the results. The president is accepting the results. >> [snorts] >> But yes, the blue tsunami is here. Perhaps we're heading into woke 2.0. And I wanted to share my initial feelings about it because there's this really fascinating, interesting moment that's happening in the culture and in the politics because first of all there's always this pattern, like 2 years into every presidential victory the opposing side wins, I feel like we're acting so surprised and so shocked, and obviously there are certain conditions that are different now, but it's often the case, right? I mean, if you follow the political patterns, right? I recall, you know, Democratic President Obama wins, 2 years later Republicans take back the house. It's a referendum, a repudiation, a dissatisfaction of the expectations, the campaign promises that were never delivered, etc., etc. You know the pendulum swings back and forth, back and forth. So, I'm not shocked shocked as to what occurred. But on top of that the interesting thing that's been going on here is the conversation about who's to blame for this blue tsunami. Because it seems like the two cohorts in this uh conversation on the right the traditional, you could say, pro-Israel, pro-Western right, pro-Trump right coalition, and then the dissident right. The anti-Israel or anti-interventionist anti-Iran war. I mean, if you split them up in those ways even the elements on the woke right. I mean, that whole conversation that's been happening are these two sides are gaslighting each other. It's a really interesting thing. It's like what Scott Adams used to talk about. We're both looking at reality and we're watching two different movies. So, let's just take their argument, sort of the Dave Smith argument. The non-interventionist argument. The woke right argument. I know he doesn't like to be characterized that way. But for argument's sake, for conversation's sake, just so you understand who I'm referring to and which cohort I'm referring to. They've all been saying that you know this is going to happen because of Israel. That's who they predictably are going to blame. Some are Some are more outright about just blaming the Jews or Israel or the Iran war. They're kind of all bundling it up into one one sort of category, one sort of argument. And that's what they will claim has caused all this. Meanwhile on the other side of it you know I've been saying the same thing in that the obsession with Israel, the obsession with the Jews, with AIPAC, with control of our government and characterizing all of Trump's decisions on foreign policy that you may or may not respectfully disagree with. That's all fair game. But if you mischaracterize it as Trump being controlled, as making all these decisions strictly on behalf of a foreign nation that's the source of the division, too. Now, I can take the argument as a fair argument to say that if you're if you make certain foreign policy decisions and you don't have good messaging or good strategy in implementing such things and appear to be detached from the needs of everyday Americans and working people who care about gas prices and care about groceries and all these things, sure, that's on you. And that's your election to lose as a result. But if you frame all these decisions additionally as the president or the country being controlled or manipulated or losing its agency, that's also on you. That's what I've been saying. That's what we've been saying on our side. You claim on on your side that you're going to hand the left the victories on a silver platter because of Israel. I'm saying the obsession with blaming everything on Israel, sowing those seeds of division and demoralization on the right and breaking up the coalition hands the left victories on a silver platter. We arrive at the same bad results and conclu- and end and results here. We've gotten to this place that in a way we've both predicted, but for different reasons and different causes. So, let me get back to this point in just a minute because everyone is also saying, you know, this is uh Trump's failure. His decisions that has squandered his victory, but I think it's important to rewind the clock a little bit. And the way I look at Trump, Trump's victory in 2024 was the final act as far as I'm concerned. That was the final victory. In a way, Trump accomplished what he needed to accomplish, >> [snorts] >> winning back the culture from woke leftist insanity. The greatest political comeback in history. 2016, no one could say a word about support for Trump. You couldn't talk about it in polite company in most circles. Then he becomes persona non grata, 2020 disgraced, fallen, done. Radioactive, couldn't go near him. Only to come back in 2024, and people are wearing MAGA hats all over Washington D.C. and the protest movement against him, the Trump deranged are a small bunch of purple-haired losers protesting in D.C. and everyone else is on board. I mean, unbelievable. And in that victory, then there's an opportunity. It's sort of like mission accomplished on his part. Did he He won. Trump Trump, independent of the Republican Party, has won. He thought it was over in 2020. That was just the Empire Strikes Back, and now it was Return of the Jedi, Return of the Trump. He demonstrated a certain I guess resilience of the country and a rejection of woke leftist insanity. And then, as Douglas Murray put it, what do you do with your victory? The flares go up, and then you see who's around. You talk about the divided right, and you talk about attributing it to Iran and these decisions on behalf of Israel. The seeds of division were being planted just as much, if not more, not by these foreign policy decisions by Trump. But what about the figures in the culture and in politics who were very influential, like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, all of these figures who I mean, forget Fuentes, who told everyone to vote Democrat well before any of this. Agents of destruction, agents of confusion, agents of demoralization. And those who characterize these decisions by Trump on foreign policy as just doing the bidding of another country, what about your messaging? Your mischaracterizations, distortions, and only seeing it through that frame. I I get it. I'm not trying to say you can't criticize or disagree with the president's decisions on Iran, but if you mischaracterize them as the president just simply doing things on behalf of another country with no American interest or strategic interests involved, you're creating division. You're being Israel first. You're putting Israel at the center of our politics when while while claiming, you know, we're the ones doing it. It's really unbelievable what what's happening. And so, you know, you got to take the losses on the chin. You got to uh got to own up to it. And I can fairly critique how the Iran war was executed, whether there may be fundamental disagreements between those of us in the coalition or on roughly this side of the aisle, you know, on whether the Iran war is justified. But let's say I accept it's justified and you don't. And then beyond that, I can also think it's justified, but then is it expedient? Is it practical? Or the way it's been executed, there's a different set of critiques there. As to the way it's been implemented and done. Okay. But have you really engaged in good faith arguments and uh dialogue about this? Or have you just used it as cover and an opportunity to sow division and demoralization in the Republican base? You have to ask yourself a question. Are you being honest in all of your characterizations of these policies? It's like who's been more obsessed with Israel? The traditional Zionists or the anti-Zionists? Who's running ads blaming Israel for everything? And there's an optics perception issue here. I get it. You can perceive that the president is distracted in foreign wars. But is it really the case, an honest case, that because of what's going on in Iran and because of what's going on with Israel, like that's the source of every single problem domestically? Or that it makes Republicans the lesser of two evils or not the choice and we're going to now go to the Democratic side to go back to woke 2.0? I don't know. Uh the the elements of division, demoralization in the coalition, in that Trump coalition, the reason it's been squandered is what I've been saying as well. If not more of the uh contributing factor, that if you try to unite with divisive people who are sinister with nefarious, bad intentions, you hand the left victories on a silver platter. The left is very focused politically while we're all distracted with the infighting. And the Israel haters' obsession with Israel and making that the the focus of everything. Not and I'm not trying to put down the idea that we should have a spirited debate about foreign policy and about these questions, but there's been a little ton of mischaracterizations and distortions to frame all every single decision Trump's made as on behalf of a foreign nation, of a foreign power, a fifth column. And man, just what's been tolerated ideologically and what's been mainstreamed on the right is for the left to simply just walk away now with victories pointing at the right saying, "Look, yeah, we were Trump deranged and woke point one. We made up the fact that there were Nazis everywhere." And they did. But now what? You point to the last season of Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, or all these people who are mainstreaming some of the worst, darkest ideas and tropes that have destroyed civilizations. They're bringing it back. And those of us putting up a fight are called culture cancel culture vultures. We're called the ones who are criticizing these dark ideas, these anti-Western ideas packaged as conservative. Just because Tucker's wearing a flannel shirt in the woods, that doesn't make him a conservative. He's a leftist. And he's been pushing this anti-American, anti-Western campaign. >> [snorts] >> Who's presented the president, who's presented Trump as a distracted oaf, mindless, with no agency, no ability to make decisions, completely manipulated by Bibi Netanyahu. Because he took out his chair for Bibi somehow. Wow. The president is captured. >> [snorts] >> So, is it really the president's decisions that have divided the movement or weakened the Republicans? Or has it been the framing of such decisions in a dishonest, disloyal way? I mean, ask that question. So, the folks who are the non-interventionists, I can understand the arguments, but have been framing this as the squandering of Trump's victory. I'd say exact same thing. The focus on the obsession with Israel being the source of all the world's problems, all of America's problems, with the Jews being a problem. I mean, they're They hate Islam because it bans usury. >> [laughter] >> And the inability to call that out, and when calling that out, we're called out for calling it out. I mean, who have been the agents of demoralization, confusion, that have weakened a coalition? Mhm? Because we're not going to worry about The conversation isn't about uh J.D. Vance and who's going to be the heir to the Trump legacy. It's going to be the far left. Makes you think the right's going to walk away with victories. They're not. You're handing the left victories on a silver platter when you don't stand on principle and values on the conservative side. If you're fighting just for a team to be anti-left, what are you actually trying to conserve if not just being against the left and anti the libtards? >> [sighs] >> But uh standing on principle and values. Standing on principle and values. I mean, respectful disagreements, yes, but dishonest, bad faith actors. I don't know, pushing Holocaust revisionism or saying that we're captured. Has Tucker Carlson been a force for unity and strength in a Republican coalition or a pure source of division? And it's not just purely about foreign policy disagreements. He's done far more damage than that. Or Candace or these distractions, these permission structures for baseless conspiracy, irrationality, nonsense, while the left just allows it to happen. And they can focus on policy and bringing a woke progressive Marxist agenda, an Islamist agenda, all under the guise of just wanting to help people. This is happening right in under our nose. We're calling it out. And you claim to be calling it out. Now, I can acknowledge the fair critiques of foreign policy and disagreements, but that's just not what's been happening. We haven't been having a fair, reasonable, healthy debate on foreign policy on the right. No, that's not what the conversation has been. It's been those of us calling out true evil, nefarious, sinister forces that are seeking to divide, that are anti-Western, not just anti-Israel, anti-American, anti-conservative, posing as conservatives. Charlatans and fraudsters. That's who we're calling out. The reason we can't have the honest discussions you may want to have about foreign policy or about Israel, about the US-Israel relationship, the reason we can't have those conversations, who makes that more difficult? The Zionists, the reactionary kvetchy Jews who get upset or reactionary on Twitter, or the divisive [snorts] evil forces that push division, that are dishonest, that are in bad faith. The Tucker Carlsons, the Candaces, you name it. The people on the quote dissident right who have acted in bad faith and pushed old dark tropes, who've pushed irrationality, who've pushed baseless conspiracy. Take the red pill, don't take the whole bottle. A lot of people are taking the whole bottle. And that isn't just dis- concerning. I mean, it's more than that. These people say we need to unite the right to be strong against the left. But if you try to unite with people who are divisive intentionally, who don't have good intentions, who act in bad faith, that's not unity. That's self-destruction. And you hand the left victories on a silver platter. Case in point, what happened last night. So, yeah, it's gutting. To me, it's kind of expected, but it's weird that both sides on our side sort of blame each other. I find that interesting. I find it fascinating. It's a discussion worth having. But before you just factor in that they've been proven right, consider what I'm saying to you. Because I think I've been proven right, too. Can both cases be true? I don't know. Remains to be seen. But we haven't just been having an honest spirited debate about foreign policy on the right. No, no, no. We've been uh engaged in the opposite. Those of us calling out people who are in bad faith, who are manipulating, who are disingenuous, who are blaming Israel for everything, who are blaming the Jews for everything. And those who are willing to tolerate that anti-Western anti-Semitic, anti-Israel sentiment, those willing to tolerate that or embrace it, enable it, celebrate it, mainstream it, there's no uh better way to ensure victories for the far left that makes them actually seem reasonable than when the right can't get its house in order. This is what will happen. And I would argue it's not because of Trump's decisions on foreign policy or not simply alone those decisions that have caused this. It's the false framing of those decisions and the characterizations of those decisions as not his own. As being controlled, being manipulated. And seeing what's happened in the past 3 years post-October 7th, and not being able to properly identify who the good guys are, who the bad guys are, who are pro-Western civilization, civilization in general, who's pro-barbarism. Confusing terrorism with the response to it. Looking at jihadism and the forces trying to fight it and confusing the two as to who's more evil, simply based on the fact that Israel is powerful or America's powerful, that necessarily makes them more villainous. These moral confusions, this moral relativism, subjectivism, I think that's the source of division. That's what weakens the base. That's what hands the left victories on a silver platter. So, if you can't get your own house in order, then you kind of deserve to lose. And so, I'm trying to reset the conversation, de-escalate here, and uh you know, you think this might prove you guys right. I think it proves me right. Guess it remains to be seen. Anyway, that's my take on uh midterms going forward. I'm really not surprised cuz I've been saying that this is going to happen while the right is in shambles squabbling over a lot of nonsense. And I'm not talking about the fair disagreements about going to war, that's a serious decision. I'm talking about actual nonsense. I'm talking about uh whether or not we should revisit World War and see should we have won? >> [laughter] >> Figures like that in the culture, cuz politics is downstream from culture, and if Tucker Carlson's going to be out there, and the Heritage Foundation is going to stand by him, and all these commentators in the commentary that are going to stand by him, cuz they they're too spineless not to, or they have uh they've been compromised, they're too entangled. Um well, that's going to cost. That's going to cost you. And to to claim and characterize the crit- critiques of such behavior and conduct, to say that when we call out these people who have uh shattered Charlie Kirk's legacy, destroyed it, mocked his widow, that we're the ones who are subjecting people to purity tests because we have standards of decency and conduct, that has nothing to do with foreign policy decisions. To say that we're the ones who are demanding purity tests, to claim you can't criticize Israel, you're not allowed to, when that's all you do. And when we criticize you back, we're the ones all of a sudden being censorious and canceling. So, it goes only one way. It's weird. It's disingenuous. It's manipulative. It's dishonest. And it hands the left victories on a silver platter. I don't want to do that. But I want to make sure also that if you're going to win against the left, you win based on ideas and values that you stand for, not just as some blind tribal team that doesn't stand for anything. I want to I want to win against the forces that are against the West and against civilization with a side that's pro the West, pro-civilization. Not another version of the left. That's no victory at all. So, we'll see what happens. But I'm cautiously optimistic. I do a good Abdul El-Sayed impression, so there's plenty of material for me. I'll try to have fun with it. Try to make the best of it. But the conversation hopefully will continue, and it'll hopefully continue in a much more honest, authentic way. That's what I hope, that we can shift from these disrespectful disagreements, from these bad faith actors to start having some real discussions. Because, man, so much irrationality, falsehoods, distortions have seeped into the culture, into the conversation from people who claim to be on the side of truth against propaganda, who've only pushed it further. So, you could double down in that direction and think that because you're the new media now in Pod Catistan, not realizing you've become the legacy media, all pushing the same narratives and the same talking points, not based on any evidence, data, or statistics, but based on popular narratives, slogans, "Genocide in 4K. Just repeating it. Truth matters. The truth matters. Accuracy matters. That's how you win. You tell the truth and you stay the course. Tell the truth. It's Jordan Peterson. You know, you may take your hits along the way, but you tell the truth. And I think a counterpunch is coming. I think in the long run the moral arc what? Bends towards justice? Justice towards truth? And even taking positions that are unpopular. Could say Israel's gone down in support in the United States at an all-time low. That doesn't make it wrong. Popular opinion doesn't determine virtue. Doesn't determine truth. So, I'll stick to it despite what popular opinion is. Meanwhile, the same people who claim like back in the day to be going against the grain, against mainstream media, against popular opinion are now claiming popular opinion determines virtue and truth. How ironic. Victims of your own success, I guess. Maybe Israel in a way is, too. So, you should kind of understand that. But anyway, I don't want to hand the left victories on a silver platter, but that's what's inevitably going to happen if you don't stand on principle, if you don't stand on values. You lose. So, the moral is the practical, the practical is the moral. And we'll see what happens. That's my take. Thanks for watching, everybody. We're going to be okay. >> [music] [music]