My purpose here is to establish that we are in a war, and explain how we must fight. Because fighting effectively depends heavily on President Trump, my remarks also constitute the case for Trump, a case that has nothing to do with his policies but everything to do with his character and personality. These fit the crisis we face.
In May of 1940, conquering German armies were only separated from Britain by the English Channel. Britain had 350,000 men trapped in Dunkirk. The Luftwaffe controlled the air. America, despite Churchill’s urgent pleas, would not provide desperately needed military assistance. This was Britain’s darkest hour.
Fortunately, the British dug deep into their national grit and almost overnight conjured up a largely civilian armada, which rescued their men at Dunkirk. Britain would have fallen without the resolve of its people. America may not have been far behind. Today, a deadly enemy besieges America. But unlike 1940 Britain, America has not yet grasped the magnitude of its danger. Our home is under attack.
‘Home’ was the theme of the recent Republican convention. This theme was nicely encapsulated by the 98 year-old marine and D-Day veteran who said, “America is our home.” But largely missing at the convention was mention of the mortal danger that today threatens our home. Our American home is what our enemy wants to destroy. Our home is what we must fight for.
Unfortunately, our enemy does not yet even have a name. We need one. For the moment let’s call the enemy “Kamalism.” Trump is a great namer — maybe he will come up with a better one. You can’t defeat an enemy if you can’t name it.
The 2020 riots showed Kamalism in action. The regime’s paramilitary operation, BLM and Antifa among others, sparked the fire that lit the riots; the regime’s intellectuals justified them; corporations and foundations funded them; the media covered them over; politicians fanned the flames; and the regime’s justice apparatus, including Kamala herself, freed law breakers. Even the military got into the act, denying Trump needed resources.
According to Kamalism, it’s fine for boys to compete against girls in school sports. A child can have an abortion or sex change without parental consent. And it is somehow impossible to know what a woman is. This is all obviously insane. But it gets worse — much worse.
Under Kamalism we usher in millions of illegal immigrants with cultures different from our own and then insist on not assimilating them. The regime’s military is increasingly focused on racial and gender quotas at the expense of military readiness. Kamalism also wants to put an end to the traditional mother/father family. Kamalism plays Americans for foolish children in need of close supervision, which can only be provided by their “betters”: the destructive Left.
All the while, our best colleges and universities educate Chinese nationals who then return to China and develop plans to kill us. At the same time, Kamalism teaches our own children to disdain their country.
General Mark Milley committed treason when he told his Chinese counterpart that he would be warned of an American attack. Before any voter fraud, the Trump administration was overthrown by bogus investigations, impeachments, never ending character assassination, and lies like those concocted by the infamous 51intelligence officers — who most probably changed the outcome of the election by their authoritative lie that Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian “disinformation.” This was a coup, and Republicans should say so. All these things are part of a concerted effort to destroy the American way of life.
The destructive Left is annihilating America in order to replace it — with what? According to what they say (and I think we should take them at their word) they want to replace our society, one based on individual merit, with a society based on equal group outcomes or group quotas.
The thing to understand is that a society based on group quotas is utterly irreconcilable with a society based on merit. You cannot admit students to Harvard (or to medical school, a job, or anything else) based on both. It’s one or the other. There is no room to compromise or reach across the aisle. To attempt it is a sucker’s game.
In order to bring about the group quota regime, the destructive Left must convince us we are racist — not that there is some racism in America, but that America is racist to the core, or “systemically racist,” as they like to say. They teach us that all America’s values, from excellence to patriotism; all institutions, from religion to capitalism; and all policies, from borders to oil production, are racist. They teach us that we were founded on racism and are committed to its perpetuation.
It is this systemic racism, say the destructive Left, that stands in the way of group quotas. But for racism, they say that all group outcomes would be equal. It is this assertion — America is racist — that justifies the overthrow of the American way of life. These three words — “America is racist” — are their most powerful weapon.
How should we respond to the charge that America is racist to the core? Easy. We should dismiss it with contempt. We should say it is nonsense, or better still, “horse manure.” We should say that, in truth, America is the only remedy for racism. And we should do so every chance we get. All we need are straightforward assertions — no equivocation, no apologies, no doubt. We don’t have to explain or give evidence because most Americans know their country is not racist, in the same way they know the mainstream media is “fake.”
Even still, we need confirmation by our leaders. This is a necessary part of leadership, giving everyday citizens permission to speak the truth. Trump is not only a great namer; he is the king of manly assertion, and in a war assertions are much more important than explanations.
We all know well that assertions against Kamalism are very dangerous. If calling you “racist” does not shut you up, they will censor you, intimidate you, humiliate you, deprive you of critical services, beat you down by lawfare, even imprison you. This is why, in Kamalism, there can be no free speech or free press, no freedom of association or worship. There cannot even be freedom of thought. Kamalism is a “whole of society” operation. Totalitarianism is hardwired into it. Like totalitarians everywhere, the destructive Left takes perverted pleasure in the persecution of a scapegoat — in this case, white males.
Many Republicans say we should concede that we were very racist in the past, and that some vestiges of racism remain. True as this may be, it does no good; it merely drags you into a no-win debate about how racist we are. At this point, you are debating on their terms. A war consists of black and white. Lucky for us, Trump is a man of black-and-white. He keeps it simple — a great virtue in a time of war. And, as the great marketer he is, he also knows that a message, regardless of its simplicity, must be repeated over and over.
In wartime, as Churchill famously observed, “truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.” We are told, by Republicans almost as frequently as by Democrats, that Trump lost the recent debate. But even if this were true, to say so merely gives aid and comfort to the enemy. Like Trump, we must stand up and proclaim victory. Assert it: He won. These are wartime rules. The other side already plays by such rules. We do not.
Likewise, we fight Kamalism with facts and arguments, but today these are no more effective than using a straw to penetrate the shell of tortoise, as Lincoln put it. For example, our best historians, liberals and conservatives, thoroughly debunked the 1619 project, the official history of Kamalism. But to what avail? War is not a battle of facts.
Instead of categorically saying that America is not racist, we cower. Yes, every once in a while a politician does defend himself and his country against the charge of systemic racism, but such protestations, weak and rare, are lost in the wind. I would be willing to bet that most every politician who reads this will insist that he or she does protest the charge. Not really. How do I know? Because I don’t hear them, and I listen closely. I do hear politicians talk about, say, immigration, inflation, or healthcare, but almost never about racism. Defeating the claim that America is racist should be at the top of their priorities. Policies follow from that.
Compare this to Trump. His unabashed, full-throated patriotism is an unequivocal rejection of the assertion that America is racist. Trump should say so more directly and more often. And he should endlessly repeat: America is the only remedy for racism. And that all the deeply dangerous racism in America is officially sponsored by the Democratic Party and its “antiracist” racist group quotas. The anti-white racism of the Kamalists is the great threat to America. Everybody knows this — those afflicted by it and those doing the afflicting. But the regime and its media propagandists repeat the party line endlessly and authoritatively: America is racist. Horse manure.
Why are we silent or feckless in the face of accusations that we are racist? Because we think we really are, and we are guilty about that. We — I am referring to the elite here — have white guilt. White guilt is the psychological problem of our time. It is white guilt that stands in the way of an effective response to their charge of racism. Some may not have white guilt; but they are no less cowed by the potential career-ending prospect of being called a “racist.” This is understandable, but when they submit, they are conceding that America is evil and so must be overthrown. Worse still, they do not know they are surrendering.
Of all national politicians, Trump is the one with the least white guilt; indeed, he seems to have no white guilt. This may well be his greatest asset, one very much underappreciated.
Some say we need certain changes in the law or the constitution in order to eliminate quotas. This is a dodge. Recently, we have had two Supreme Court decisions that supposedly ban affirmative action. But they won’t help much, if at all. This year’s incoming class at Harvard, the first one since the Supreme Court decisions, is 14% black — down from last year’s 17%, but still above the black share of the overall population (13%). The percentage will go back up once admissions officers figure out how to fully game the system. We have seen this many times in the states that have banned affirmative action.
What is needed is not a change in the law or the Constitution, but a change in public sentiment. “Public sentiment,” said Lincoln, “is everything. Whoever molds public sentiment, goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or judicial decisions. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed.”
Quotas will not go away because elite public sentiment — Republicans included — supports them, denials notwithstanding. If admission to Harvard were based strictly on merit, black students would constitute less than 1% of Harvard’s student body. The elite will not tolerate this outcome, nor will it tolerate the consequences of a strictly merit based approach anywhere. We will not effectively refute the America-is-racist charge the until this sentiment is changed.
The white elite supports admitting unqualified black students, even though it knows it is doing them a grave disservice. It does this from the selfish desire to salve its white guilt. What could be crueler to our fellow black citizens?
Although this speech is not about policies (because policies are downstream from public sentiment) I do have two policy suggestions. First, eliminate the tax-exempt status of private colleges, because they no longer promote the public good. Promoting the public good, after all, is the justification for giving them tax-exempt status in the first place. Second, rid us of the silly, racist holiday Juneteenth and give back to Lincoln and Washington their respective holidays. This should be a plank in the Republican platform.
Fortunately, the average American does not care how many blacks (or Asians or any other group) get into Harvard, or to any other colleges and universities. But they care very much that there are quotas in the military, flight-training school, medicine, and so forth. Average Americans do not have white guilt, and they are justifiably angry when they are told that they are “privileged.” Telling white citizens that they are not privileged, and that America is the remedy for racism, is a winning issue for most Americans. They know it, but, as I said earlier, they need their leaders to say it, so as to give them permission to say it themselves.
In order to build the public sentiment necessary to mount a spirited strategic offensive, politicians must educate themselves about Kamalism, its goals and methods. If we keep their goals clearly in mind, we might be able to head them off at the pass.
For example, we were caught flat-footed and bewildered by calls to defund the police and to stop prosecuting crimes such as shoplifting. But if we had been more focused on group quotas — in this case, the goal of bringing the black prison population more in line with the black percentage of the overall population — we might have anticipated such things. Since these tactical measures, however, will not succeed in producing the required quota of black prisoners, we must ask ourselves: “What next?” Different punishments for blacks and whites may well be next. Trendsetting California has already proposed such a law. We must always be asking, “What next?”
After politicians educate themselves, they must educate the American public. This should not be difficult, since much of the public is already primed to accept this message and take the necessary action. Of course, education requires rhetoric, the art of persuasion — the importance of which Republicans fail to appreciate. Again, Trump is largely an exception.
The Republicans’ overarching message, our narrative, must be: We are in a war against an enemy, Kamalism, that wants to destroy us. There is no alternative narrative. Kamalism gives us our border crisis; Kamalism gives us the Jew-hating riots in the Ivy League; Kamalism gives us the rampant looting in our cities; Kamalism gives us tampons in boys’ bathrooms. And so on. You can’t win a war if you don’t know you are in one.
We might frame the debate as a choice between group quotas and merit, a framing that works to our advantage because (except for the destructive Left) Americans don’t like quotas.
At the same time, we need to make it clear that it is the destructive Left that is our enemy — not the average Democrats, most of whom are no less decent and patriotic than Republicans. These Democrats may have somewhat different policy positions than we do, but, like us, they believe America is good, and they want to improve it, not destroy it. Many of them are silently horrified at what the destructive Left is doing to our country.
If I may have a word with these Democrats. You may well think I am being alarmist, if not kooky. But that may be because the mainstream media keeps you in the dark, as it tried to do with Biden’s senility. The things it hides sometimes get revealed, but apologies are almost never forthcoming. The Hunter Biden laptop was not the Russian disinformation that 51 high-level intelligence people claimed it was. Hydroxychloroquine was not the snake oil everyone said it was; indeed, it was shown to be effective in early-stage onset of Covid. Did you know the Biden administration set up a Disinformation Governance Board, as they brazenly call it, within the Department of Homeland Security?
The destructive Left tell us that white supremacists are the number one terrorist threat in America; yet the ultra-liberal Southern Poverty Law Center cannot even find 10,000 card-carrying white supremacists. Did you know the destructive Left wants to get rid of the concept of “excellence” (because, they say, it is racist)? I doubt you are aware of these things.
You sensible Democrats are aware of some of the inane policies of the destructive Left, but you are inclined to dismiss them as the work of extremists who are not representative of your party. But they are representative. In fact, each one of the policies I listed earlier, along with many others, is endorsed by Kamala and, whether you like it or not, she is the leader of the party, even if only its figurehead. Both Republicans and Democrats need to be reminded that revolutions are led by a few radicals. The rest go along.
In the current election cycle, the Republicans’ rhetorical strategy is to contrast the failed policies of the Biden/Harris administration — immigration, crime, and so forth — with the successful ones of the Trump administration. This is necessary but not enough. We must also make it clear that Kamala’s policies are designed to destroy the American way of life. Every patriotic American must know that Republicans and loyal Democrats stand for the defense of America against the vicious assault of Kamalism.
The good news is that it may not be too late to save the country. We have a leader in Trump, who, although no Churchill, sees clearly that Kamalism must be defeated. Trump is unabashedly patriotic, and he never gives up. He is a fighter and an asserter. And a great marketer. He understands the importance of rhetoric. He keeps things simple. And he is authentic, a very rare thing in politics.
Kamalist propagandists endlessly say that he is racist. Horse manure. The truth is that he may be the most colorblind president we have ever had. And he has no white guilt. One cannot appreciate this virtue if one does not understand that white guilt is bearing down on us as the German Wehrmacht was bearing down on Britain in 1940. We need a leader who can forcefully, unequivocally stand up to the charge that America is racist. These, of course, are not policies; they are the all-important “rest of him.”
Republicans are fond of saying they approve of Trump’s policies, but not the rest of him. This has it just backwards; it is the “rest of him” that is in such short supply. Any Republican can espouse Trump policies, and many do, but not a one can even begin to match the rest of him. At any other time in our history, Trump might have been the worst choice for president; today he is the best we could have hoped for. Is it too much to suggest that the appearance of this most unpresidential, unorthodox man is providential?
Trump is the greatest threat to Kamalism, which is why the destructive Left must keep him out of office. The destructive Left appreciates the danger Trump poses to their way of life; too many on our side do not.
Even if one concedes Trump’s virtues, many Republicans will not vote for him because they hate him. I don’t hate Trump. In fact, I like him. But let’s assume for the sake of argument that Trump is as bad as his detractors contend. Keep in mind that bad men can make good presidents. Imagine you were on a desert island dying of thirst and Trump was the only man who would give you water. Would you vet his character before taking water from him? Of course, not. Forget what you think about Trump’s character. In the coming election you are not being asked to decide which candidate has the better character or which one you would rather have over for dinner; you are being asked to decide which candidate is more likely to save America and which more likely to destroy it.
Trump is dangerous, you say. But we must compare this risk with the risk of Kamala, who will purposefully drive us toward the proverbial cliff.
Can we know how close we are to the cliff or which of the candidates will take us over? Nope. We cannot be certain. We can never be certain about such things. All we can do is be guided by our best judgment.
There is more good news. Behind Trump are tens of millions of Americans who salute our flag, honor our military, and ask God to bless America. They are ready to fight — peacefully, of course. These Americans understand the dire straits America faces. What they need are leaders who will validate their concerns and guide and inspire them, who can marshal public sentiment toward the proper end.
Here we come to the bad news. We don’t have such leaders. Our need for leaders is desperate. There is simply no substitute for strong leaders. The Republicans have a talented, deep bench but they do not have, with perhaps one and a half exceptions, inspiring orators. J.D. Vance is the half, but he is constrained by the limits of the Trump campaign. The better orator, not as constrained, is Vivek Ramaswamy, and he understands our predicament better than do other leading Republicans. He is bold and passionate but also personal. J.D. and Vivek are both from the great state of Ohio. Give us a J.D. and a Vivek in each of the 50 states, and we have the beginnings of the officer corps we need to win the war.
Fortunately for Western civilization, the British emerged victorious from their darkest hour. Today, Western civilization again hangs in the balance. Only America can save it. And only Republicans and loyal Democrats can save America. But we must first recognize that we are in a war against an enemy that wants to destroy us. And then we must fight like hell.
To channel Lincoln again, it is time for our leaders, without contemplating consequences, to swear eternal fidelity to the just cause of the land of our liberty, and our love, the land which remains the last best hope of Earth. If after all, we shall fail, be it so. We shall have the proud consolation of saying that in defending America, we never faltered.
Tom Klingenstein is the chairman of the Claremont Institute, a public speaker, a writer, a philanthropist, and a playwright.
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