Thirteen months ago in this space, I speculated that with Donald Trump out of the White House, a number of left-leaning media outlets and progressive organizations would be desperate to replace the clickbait, fundraising gold that the Trump presidency presented with the next best thing or things.
At the time, I surmised that the left would nominate Tucker Carlson from Fox News and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida to fill the “conservatives are evil; let’s monetize the anger of our base” void left by Trump’s departure from the Oval Office. More than a year later, if anything, I underestimated how much the Democrats, their allies in the media and left-leaning organizations would both attack and raise money from this.
But, as they do that, here are two questions for them: First, what if one or both of those men raise an issue or warn of an impending crisis that would negatively impact the base of the Democratic Party? And, second, what if one of them — Tucker Carlson, in this case — takes the Republican Party to the woodshed for being derelict in its duty to the nation?
Earlier this week, Carlson did just that by calling out Republicans in Congress for allowing the U.S. military to be politicized and dangerously weakened. Of course, he did so in the context that Republicans basically were twiddling their thumbs while the Democrats dumbed-down our military and allowed its leadership to impose woke policies — but he still did it.
Over several decades, the narrative coming from Washington has been that Republicans care about the military and Democrats care about the disenfranchised. In reality, we might say that both parties care only about themselves, but that’s a debate for another time. In this case, any American who happens to side with the Democrats might want to hear Carlson out.
Why? Because, as we have seen with Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ever-escalating tensions between China and Taiwan, nuclear tripwires are being exposed. Miscalculations can be made, and war remains a tragic byproduct of humanity. And yet, in the face of those very real threats, the identity politics that a growing number of generals and admirals are pushing, likely on the marching orders of the Biden White House, seem to be taking hold in our military.
As Carlson pointed out, “[President] Biden has, since the day he took office, politicized and weakened the United States military systematically to the point we are not going to win a war against China. … Gen. Mark Milley out there telling Congress that soldiers need to learn about white rage because otherwise they’ll be unprepared for combat. Attacking people on the basis of their skin color, right? Firing Navy SEALs because they won’t get the vaccine. The healthiest people in the world, and they’re fired because they won’t get the vaccine. And then just to make totally clear what the point is — and the point, of course, is humiliation and degradation, the destruction of centuries-old military traditions. … No one should be surprised that people don’t really want to join a military like that, a woke military.”
With regard to the recruitment crisis in our military, Carlson is also, alarmingly, quite correct. The pool of young men and women from whom the military can pull members is shrinking rapidly because of disqualifiers such as obesity, drug use and criminal records.
Worse than that, as Carlson and others have noted, a growing number of young people who are qualified to serve have been turned off the military for any number of reasons, including by far-left teachers and professors who denounce our armed forces (and our nation).
Like him or hate him, Carlson is right when he says that our military is becoming politicized and is toxic to much of America’s youth. Now, if you are left of center, you may be cheering these identity politics changes.
But step back for a second and put that politicized shoe on the other foot. Imagine if Trump were still president and forced right-wing, Christian dogma upon the military, making anyone who did not comply with his edicts leave the service. Many from the left would have long since taken to the streets in protest were that the case.
Politicized militaries always have been a dangerous idea that can lead to tragic consequences for millions of people. Liberal, conservative, Republican or Democrat — if you are a U.S. citizen, it would be wise to accept that there are tyrants and rogue states meaning to do harm to our nation. Some of them literally want to wipe us off the face of the Earth.
So, common sense cries out for a pragmatic national policy and a strong, in-shape, nonpoliticized, preeminent military to protect all Americans, regardless of their political persuasion, their skin color, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Hating on Carlson may have evolved into a cottage industry for some on the left, but he could not be more correct with his warning that our military is becoming politicized. It would behoove every demographic in America to focus on that failing, immediately.
Douglas MacKinnon, a political and communications consultant, was a writer in the White House for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and former special assistant for policy and communications at the Pentagon during the last three years of the Bush administration.