Conservative activist Charlie Kirks' rightwing-uniting, political-fireworks machine, Turning Point USA, held another one of its bi-annual rallies this past weekend.

Republicans are far more adept at solidifying a slogan and uniting a base than the Dems, and TPUSA  now plays an important role toward that end, both with on-campus activism and the flashy, US-flag-imbued and Reagan-styled-patriotism-dripping affairs, where passionately anti-Dem speeches by known rightwing stars—from pundits to politicians to the time's cause-serving flavour-of-the-month—take the cadence of a sermon inspired by a Mussolinian interpretation of a Jerry Lewis comedy roast, such efforts aimed at attracting younger viewers whilst warning them of a 'lefty world' and impressing upon them the wondrous and free times that once were and can be, again, but the Dems have to be destroyed before they destroy America.

This iteration was branded "Turning Point Action", and the few speeches I did hear did vibrate with a message meant to inspire action, but one that intensified a fear-induced hatred that sapped out a metaphorical reading of "destroy" to mean "a humiliating defeat," all such figures of speech taking on a more ominous feel albeit one that can be easily denied despite the general hatred steeped in ignorance that's exploited to generate fear through the Culture War they're determined to see as an event that pits True America against Marxist-infiltrated America killers, rather than the gross, asinine exaggeration of an opportunistic GOP versus the vicious 'Woke' overswing made worse by opportunistic Dems.

Every decade for the past 100+ years has been marked by moral debates that see "good and wholesome" struggling to beat back "evil progressive decadence," these battles  always related to changes brought on by increased knowledge about the world and the life-altering technology that this allowed to be introduced into common, daily life. With that comes the mingling and influence of varied cultures, and the reshaping of social mores—marketing and corporations being the biggest culprits as concerns the latter. Thus the dominant culture and the national identity it gives shape to is sure to be challenged by the perceptions and desires of the younger generations who will find themselves in conflict with the imposed ways whose course leads them toward an unnecessarily bleak future, today's problems compounded to an impossible resolve. This usually skips one generation every fourth one.

The Dems exploit this aspect as part of their image, but, having become obsessed with wars, this is reflected domestically, having instigated a deeper divide and delivered a half-ass handling of social issues contributed plenty that provided the firm skeleton on which Republicans, MAGA ones particularly, fleshed out their new Culture War chapter.

Albeit I do agree that there are areas of concern that deserve greater scrutiny, many related topics are sure to strike a public debate, period; fighting that process is ridiculous, but what's opted for. Conversely, on the GOP side, framing these issues in a productive, non-politicized manner is what's needed, but not what's applied; the weaponization witnessed, based on anecdotes and outliers, quickly turn reprehensible their attitude should one remember that fellow Americans fighting for their right to 'be' is what's at the other end of the comic-book Cultural Commie Cult villain they've created in order to win elections.     

Dan Bongino is one whose troubling tribal diatribe rested on a truly laughable interpretation of a foe that conflates a fictionalized understanding of "leftism" with outdated and ignorant stereotypes, mishmashing Progressives and communism and trans issues into reductive notions of Stalinism absorbed through Cold War propaganda, repeating the same incredibly stupid arguments that may work with the base he cultivates, but has me questioning what kind of mental deficiency produces such mindsets. 

Yes, Dan, those who vote Dem want you to give your iPhone to Bob, who's too lazy to work and buy his own. It has nothing to do with shifting power toward workers and putting a halt to the beyond-incredibly abusive and unfair distribution that's blindly celebrated but achieved through highly-exploitative and destructive means of corporatized control, for whom social welfare is always an unquestioned guarantee... how to explain the last? I mean, without turning into a babbling Libertarian idiot sure to say "small" and "big" followed by "government" too many times without actually saying a damn thing.

You wanna call 'em grifters—and I'm sure that many are—but, no matter how absurd and off the wall some of the claims may be, the conviction appears to be genuine. However, public people adhering steadfast to a surface form and seeking only to validate that interpretation whilst promoting false, negative views that generate hate, "grifter" may not be the right word, but there's definitely lots of honesty lacking there.

By the way, Republicans are mostly responsible for the sorry state of schools, not CRT.      

Bongino was let go from Fox News this spring, claiming an inability to successfully negotiate a new contract as the cause, stating that he held no ill-will against his former employer. In combination with Tucker Carlson's forced departure, I'm beginning to wonder whether his termination was related to a clean-up of sorts. 

The last speaker I heard, Steve Bannon, is what tied together all the impressions from the bits I'd seen, Bannon's rage, his speech laden with white nationalist lingo, the clarion call that formalised actual war out of the cultural one. 

Carrying both threat and defiance, Bannon proclaimed Trump the unquestioned Republican nominee; the crowd roared. 

The moment crystalized the change that had occurred, the GOP no longer in charge of their party, the establishment Republicans bullied into stepping aside and remaining quiet, this split made visible through more freely expressed attacks aimed toward other conservatives. Those not fully dedicated to their MAGA leader.

DeSantis, having taken aim at Trump, has fallen out of favour. When asked to vote for a second-place choice, those present voted on the one that Charlie Kirk calls "Big Brown Swamee", Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Nothing racist, "Big Brown" is all in good humour... That's my fear with Ramaswamy: he seems to be trying to be more conservative than traditional white conservatives in order to make up for that "Big Brown" aspect... that's used to identify him, hence, his success within that sphere relies on more hardline politics than those of traditional white conservatives, the racist moniker thus applied, and allowed, as jovial derision denoting a conditional form of acceptance.   

Of interest, in link with the previous entry: All those present 95.8% replied with "No" to the question: Do you think that US should be involved in the Ukraine war?