Recent headlines are telling.

Toelling a story of the way the “conservative” Republicans in Congress and too many State legislatures are showing signs of serious mental instability. Specifically the idea that they can actually get some of Uncle Joe’s policies and actions reversed. And the idea that somehow, there are sufficient Democrats who have not gone over to the Dark Side of wokeism and radical progressivism to be willing to side with the GOP in either house to make anything they blather on about veto-proof.

They are also demandng more and more concessions from the Dems and their own party members (the “RINOs”) while not having sufficient numbers (and courage) to do anything. And in many states, like South Dakota and Wyoming, the RINOs seem to be the dominating wing of the party. This is based on key votes on various matters that supposedly are “sound doctrine” for Republicans, like reducing taxes. And on new issues, like the attempt to amend the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) to accept only “government-approved” (and controlled) crypto-currency as “real money.” (See the ABA article for more info on that little bit of slugduggery. And this article.)

(We here at TPOL don’t pretend to understand the UCC, but we understand that it would effectively outlaw even the current use in commerce of such things as BitCoin and Etherium. No matter what the proponents and their apparently-blinded (or bought and paid for) supporters say.)

Of course, it is important to remember a couple of things.

First, that your standard “conservative” Republicans want to control your life and mine just as much as the Dems and RINOs do – just in different ways. They both want to curtail our free speech – it is just the subject of that banned speech that they differ on.

Second, these various factions of the political establishment are just as corrupt – again, just in different ways. They each have more in common with each other than with lovers of liberty. All too often, even those few who go to Denver (or any other State Capitol) or DC who are not corrupt to begin with quickly succumb to the temptation of corruption’s wealth and power.

One of the ways in which the GOP is fantasizing about politics is their seemingly growing confidence in their assured victory in 2024 over Uncle Joe and his machine and gang – and that of the DNC. We have to remember that this is the same overconfidence which failed in both 1996 (“of course, Clinton won’t be elected to a second term”) and in 2012 (“of course, Obummer won’t stay in the White House”).

One thing for sure: the GOP doesn’t learn from its past mistakes very easily. Nor do they have a good track record for selecting candidates (and appointees) who live up to their hype. (Admittedly, this may be a feature and not a defect of how they play their political games.)

The point is, lovers of liberty – and anyone else who desires opportunity, independence, peace, prosperity, and real progress – cannot trust ANYone who is a Republican officeholder or office-seeker.