We hope this finds everyone in a warm place while this winter weather passes many of us over. It’s February and it is Principles First Summit month. When we gather in Washington on the 26th and 27th, we’ll do so with principled, grassroots patriots from across the country and a slate of impressive guests. The lineup includes congressional veterans like Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Denver Riggleman (R-VA), and Barbara Comstock (R-VA) plus writers and activists like Tom Nichols, Sarah Longwell, Charlie Sykes, Sarah Quinlan, and many more including some to be announced in the next few weeks leading up to the summit — Keep your eyes peeled 👀.
Here is what’s going on in Principles First news now:
Election Coup (continued). Evidence mounts former President Trump was more intimately involved than previously known in an direct attempt to overturn the 2020 election by seizing voting machines among other measures. Meanwhile, the 45th president continues to hold rallies and issue statements to inflame his false counter-narrative to the fact he lost the election. Relatedly, Congress failed to pass a comprehensive protection of voting rights in response to a wave of new state-level voting restrictions, but still might pass a new bill clarifying the Electoral Count act of 1887, which left the door open to a constitutional crisis in the wake of former President Trumps failure to willingly uphold the traditional peaceful transfer of power .
a. Trump fealty fest. Republicans of all stripes are being forced to pick a side in Trump’s quest to overturn reality. Despite the damning evidence of his disdain for the American republican form of government, many Republicans in primary contests this Spring are having to seek Trump’s favor or at least dodge the question. In the heat of their primary battles in a party under Trump’s thumb, from Greg Abbott in Texas to Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania — both formerly critical of the 45th president — candidates are seeking Trump’s favor. Even Susan Collins (R-ME) will not rule out supporting Trump in 2024, though it is worth noting that Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) ruled out his support.
Tactical wins for the principled. There’s good news for those that chose principle, like candidates in Republican primaries who voted to impeach the 45th president for inciting insurrection who outraised their Trump-backed opponents by an overwhelming margin. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who sits on the January 6th commission, outraised her Trump-backed opponent 4:1 and beat her own fundraising record in a $2mm raise. While Cheney, Sen. Murkowski (R-AK), and others haul in donations well above their Trumpian opponents, Trump himself continues to rake in support to his own coffers.
Book bans are the latest weapon in the culture war. Without rehashing each frantic flare-up of school boards banning or removing books from curriculum in an effort to supposedly shield students from dangerous ideas, suffice to say it’s happening. On the far right they’re banning books depicting the holocaust under the guise of profanity and on the left they are banning books with dated racially insensitive scenes, even from characters like Atticus Finch who fought for equal protection and civil rights. The culture armies, as your faithful editor characterized them in an OpEd recently, are becoming increasingly authoritarian in tactics — seeking to ban, cancel or otherwise destroy diversity of opinion. The Joe Rogan vs. Neil Young vs. Spotify is yet another example. Organizations like Principles First are holding the line to create space for competing ideas to thrive despite the barrage of book bans and cultural infighting.
A SCOTUS fight for show. With Justice Stephen Breyer stepping down, the Biden administration will have a chance to make good on a campaign promise to fill the seat with the first Black woman on the court. Culture warriors on both sides will have a chance to characterize the virtue or lack thereof of broadcasting demographic requirements for a Supreme Court nomination, but the nominee will likely be confirmed in fairly short order and it won’t change the ideological leanings of the court. Most of the posturing here, as with so many things, will be done to distract us from things we ought to be paying attention to (like #1 above).
See you at the summit later this month!
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