Never Underestimate
the Optimism of the Moderates and the Determination of the Radicals
By John Horvat II
As the nation erupts in
violence, many are concerned. Most have not seen this kind of unrest in their
lifetimes. The triple whammy of virus, riots and recession is testing the
nerves of even the most seasoned optimist.
However,
nothing seems to shake some people who take a moderate position in the face of
everything. They dismiss Portland’s nightly street battles as the work of a few
extremists. For them, the Black Lives Matters revolution represents a rowdy
bunch that kick-starts a much-needed national conversation about race and
equality. The economic recession is an occasion for the government to spend
untold trillions to help the poor and disadvantaged.
The Constructive Role of the
Radicals
David Brooks, in his New
York Times article, “This Is Where I Stand,” welcomes the actions of
the radicals. Although he does not count himself among them, he assigns to
radicals a constructive role for the country’s future: “Radicals are good at
opening our eyes to social problems and expanding the realm of what’s sayable,”
he posits.
Indeed,
Mr. Brooks argues, radicals shake people from their complacency and get things
moving. They rock the boat by their exaggerated statements and actions. Of
course, there are always a few road bumps to frighten those caught in the
middle. There might even be regrettable violence, which is the price of change.
Mr.
Brooks reasons that the impractical and cranky radicals are intransigent
people. They inevitably get into squabbles among themselves. That is when the
adults—the more reasonable and moderate wings of their coalitions—take over the
show. These pragmatic spirits know how to take the radical goals that scare and
keep everyone awake at night and “work within the democratic framework to
achieve them.”
Thus, America’s present
troubles would be, in Mr. Brooks’ view, a sign of hope and opportunity.
The Wrong Conclusions
Mr.
Brooks is correct in affirming that the radicals represent the rage of those who
desire seemingly unattainable goals for society. In history, more often than
not, they fail. Others, who are not firebrands, sometimes complete their work.
However,
especially when applied to the left, his conclusion calls for a sober dose of
nuance. Radical leftist rage does not inevitably lead to the triumph of
moderates and commonsense. On the contrary, it frequently yanks society farther
left. Often, either the moderates embrace the leftists’ radical goals, or they
are swallowed by them.
Never
underestimate the left’s double-tier action: Radical and moderate forms. Bad
cop, good cop. Quicker and slower speeds.
In both tiers of action, the
left’s goal is always the same—the destruction of the Christian framework of
society, the crushing of private property and the suppression of the family.
The
reaction from the right must be clear-sighted, energetic and uncompromising.
Mainstreaming Radical Ideas
The
left’s present double-tier activism could lead to two possible scenarios.
The
first scenario is an explosion of leftist radicalism in America that fails to
take power. However, its radical ideas percolate down and eventually transform
society.
The Brazilian Catholic thinker,
Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, explains the role that the radical left often
plays in history. In his book, Revolution and Counter-revolution, he notes that radical
revolutions often fail, but they are far from useless. He writes: “The
explosions of these extremisms raise a standard and create a fixed target whose
very radicalism fascinates the moderates, who slowly advance toward it.”
Thus,
the left establishes shiny goals that act like magnets planted amidst society.
For example, liberal moderates may shun socialist ideas. However, they are
often mesmerized by the socialists’ false claims to help the poor. Because both
are part of the same process leftward, liberals silently admire and gradually
move toward socialist fantasies.
The radicals’ failure is only
apparent. Their actions powerfully advance the march of the country leftward by
“gradually attracting the countless multitude of the ‘prudent,’ the
‘moderates,’ and the mediocre toward the realization of their culpable and
exacerbated chimeras.”
Preparing the Next Violent Step
Forward
Today’s
radicals rocking American society are mainstreaming their socialist, LGBTQ and
ecological fantasies to the general public. Whether they physically grab power
at this point is immaterial. Their ideas are being firmly planted in minds, and
society is stewing them, and preparing for a new shift leftward.
Just
as the sexual revolution of the sixties mainstreamed the self-destructive
ideals of promiscuity, free love and vulgarity, so too will the new BLM/Antifa
radicals transform society in their image today. If not denounced, shamed and
stopped, they will succeed. Moreover, the radicals will achieve this more quickly
than sixty years ago since the process of decadence in society is much more
advanced today, and they encounter much less resistance.
Thus,
both the radicals’ seeming failure and the moderates’ optimistic triumph
constitute a real danger for America. Both actions must be resisted since they
only represent different speeds toward the same goal.
The Triumph of the Radicals
The
second danger radicals present for America consists of a scenario in which they
wrest control of the levers of power, torching any hope of the moderates for a
gradualist march. Mr. Brooks’ vision of cranky radicals shaking up the nation
could go awry. An uncontrolled spiral of events could swallow the “prudent”
moderates. America could experience the Jacobin rule of rage that growled
threateningly from Seattle’s macabre CHAZ/CHOP enclave and today erupts on
Portland’s streets.
The
possibility is far from remote. These characters of fury are everywhere,
shouting out and calling for the destruction of what America once represented.
They are found in the liberal establishment and media decrying America’s past
and promoting a socialist future. They are even found in the marbled
halls of Congress. Even now, the radicals would suppress American freedoms to
impose their vision upon citizens. Leading figures say they will use the state
of COVID emergency to fast forward processes to bring about change in America
and the world.
Moderates refuse to consider
this hypothesis. They are in denial. As proof, they hold up their dogma that
things cannot possibly degenerate to this point. They like to cite historical
cases, like America’s War of Independence, when reason and commonsense
prevailed over the radical French philosophies of the time. They pontificate a
similar outcome today for America.
The Lessons of History
However,
history has not always been so kind as to guarantee happy endings. The tragic
collapse of countries to communist or Nazi regimes usually begins with the
optimism of the moderates and “prudent” ones. It happened during the French
Revolution.
Like
Mr. Brooks, this optimism of moderates refuses to admit that radical leftists
will naturally seek the extreme consequences of their bizarre ideologies.
They realize only too late that radicals do not play by the rules. Those stuck
in the middle are usually the first surprised victims of the savagery of
Jacobin, Bolshevik or Islamist mobs.
The
lessons of history show that the only effective way to fight against the rage
of the radicals is the firm, resolute and uncompromising action by lawful
authority to defend the rule of law and order. In tandem, the institutions of
family, community, and faith must be boldly affirmed and strengthened. They
stand in the breach for civilization against the onset of chaos. Both measures
require the nation and its leadership to return to God and His law. Americans
must take a stand against the left’s absurd ideologies that will lead the
country to ruin, either gradually or directly.
The
disastrous optimism of moderates like Mr. Brooks must be avoided. On the
contrary, clarity of vision and firm resolve in defense of order, and the rule
of law, must be embraced and pursued. Quickly.
