Andrew Breitbart reminds me that it can be fun not to be liked
Lately, I’ve been exposing the liberty-killing agenda of Donald Trump and his bought-and-paid-for Republican Party, and this has resulted in being the recipient of a barrage of hate-filled attacks by so-called conservatives. And while I would prefer not to be on the receiving end of such vitriol, I’ve been reminded lately of the late-great Andrew Breitbart when he said that it can be fun not to be liked when standing up for what I believe in.
A little over thirteen years ago (March 1, 2012), conservatism lost a giant when Andrew Breitbart suddenly passed away at the age of 43. As the founder of the online news network that bore his name — it was later hijacked and ultimately turned into an arm of Trump Pravda by Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon — Andrew Breitbart was a visionary who predicted much of what we are witnessing play out in American politics today.
Known for his no-nonsense, zero-tolerance approach to fighting for the things he believed in, Andrew Breitbart waged war against both the progressive left and the faux conservative right while making enemies of people from every political persuasion along the way. And while many criticized him for his confrontational demeaner, he considered his propensity for creating enemies something to be proud of.
In a 2011 interview, Andrew Breitbart was asked about how it felt to have so many people hate him; he unashamedly responded, “It’s fun to be liked, but when standing up for what you believe in, it’s also very fun not to be liked.”
In my personal no-nonsense zero-tolerance war against the Democratic Socialism of the far-left, the Nationalism and Fascism of the so-called conservative right, the Fellowship of the Pharisees, Evangelicals leading the march toward Christian Nationalism, the Republicans enshrined in the Gutless On Principles (GOP) Hall of Shame, and the faux conservative media, I’ve been the recipient of a lot of the hatred that Breitbart must have experienced.
Of course, many of the acrimonious attacks I receive on a fairly regular basis come from those on the left, but the overwhelming majority of the attacks I receive in the Age of Trump tend to come from people claiming to be conservative. When you consider how Trump hijacked the Republican Party and has blurred the lines of conservatism beyond recognition, attacks from people who used to be allies come as no surprise, but it’s a clear indication of where the battle lines have been drawn.
Check out these examples of comments I’ve received from Republicans and members of the Trump Cult who have read my work and/or heard me on the radio over the past few years (language warning):
“Your [sic] a typical whinney [sic] never trumper! We (the base) are tired of hearing your shitty radio commercials. Get a new job, loser, Trump and party will win the mid terms you little bitch!”
“You piece of garbage Democrat/never trumper [sic]. All you do is post shitty radio commercials that are pointless. Bush lost get over it bitch! You sound like a whinney [sic] soy boy. Grow a pair and move on with your life, loser!”
“Expecting conservative politicians to be as conservative as you would like would be disastrous to the party … I think you might be a democratic [sic] plant because you sound as negative as they do toward Republicans.”
“You are such a fake. It’s no wonder that no red state in the US will air you on their stations. You criticize everyone who is conservative and trying to make this a better country to live in. You criticize being patriotic and loving our nation. Get a life.”
“Are you on drugs? You, sir, are no conservative! You’re a traitor to the conservative cause. STFU and get in the Trump Train! I bet you’re in love with Romney and Ryan.”
Some of my “conservative” social media followers have gotten into the act by trying to pigeonhole me with accusations that I must be pro-Democrat since I’m so critical of Republicans and Donald Trump, and there have been “Christians” who have accused me of not being pro-life for taking a stand against the COVID tyranny created during Trump’s first term.
Of course, if any of these people made even the slightest effort to actually do any research, they’d know I don’t play the binary politics game owned and operated by the Republican/Democrat duopoly for the benefit of the Republican/Democrat duopoly, and that I am, in fact, an equal opportunity critic of anybody and everybody who fails to uphold Christian constitutional conservative values.
Heck, I even wrote a book about how both parties are involved in the war on liberty titled The New Axis of Evil: Exposing the Bipartisan War on Liberty. *Available now at your favorite online bookstore 😉.
In today’s political climate, particularly since Donald Trump rode down the golden escalator ten years ago, conservatives have been faced with making a choice between living their convictions or surrendering them to compromise. Those who choose compromise may succeed in winning the approval of power brokers, media moguls, and the politically self-interested, but those who choose to live by their convictions will almost always find themselves hated by those who are unwilling to take a stand for what’s right.
It’s fun to be liked, but not at the expense of abandoning my convictions and surrendering to compromise. And even though people continue to hate me for choosing to walk the lonely road of conservatism, I’ve decided to be like Andrew Breitbart by taking a stand for the values I still believe in . . . and having a ton of fun along the way while doing so.
David Leach is the owner of the Strident Conservative and the author of The New Axis of Evil: Exposing the Bipartisan War on Liberty. He holds people of every political stripe accountable for their failure to uphold conservative values, and he promotes those values instead of political parties.
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