What Happens Now?

The American Right in the Aftermath of a Trump Victory

Good afternoon, fellow travelers.  As a way to introduce our new Substack, The Capitol Caller, to the world, my colleague The Realizer and I will be putting our thoughts to paper on what the next steps should be for the Right in the wake of last Tuesday’s historic election result.

As I sit here writing this, it is a week after Donald Trump was reelected as the 47^th President of the United States in an electoral landslide and with the votes and trust of over 74 million Americans.  His election is a welcome development for the Right and a hopeful signal that the hour was not as late as some of us feared.  I am sure many of you imagined the scene from Return of the King, of Barad-dûr collapsing and the triumphant musical score that plays as Sauron is vanquished when the election was called for President Trump.  I know I did, and I have seen that image all over social media.  It does feel like we have vanquished a Dark Lord, whose victory would have been nightmarish.

It has been heartening to see the Right rally on X (formerly Twitter) and the rhetoric clearly shows that many of us have learned from 2017 and know what to look out for.  It is evident from President Trump’s rhetoric and suspected cabinet picks that he has learned a lot of the right lessons as well.  As two D.C. insiders bringing you the Doom from within the Dome, allow us to spell out what to expect from Congress going forward and what we as sane men in an insane world can do to effect change and claw back political power.

To start, expect disappointments from Congress.  There is nothing certain in this world but death, taxes, and the GOP’s ability to screw up a win.  It’s almost guaranteed at this point.  Honestly, does it ever shock any of you when the GOP sells out the farm for nothing in return?  My recent article on the Old Glory Club spells out the details of a recent, and embarrassing, House GOP effort at doing politics.  In short, the House Republican Caucus are what can only be described as sheep leading sheep—except the sheep think they’re lions.  

The next development in politics will happen this week, as the House and Senate GOP convene to elect their leadership apparatus for the 119^th Congress.  As of this writing, it is unclear whether or not the GOP will keep its slim majority in the House, due to a combination of Democrat gerrymandering and cheating.  Yes, Democrats cheat in elections when they think they can get away with it.  Yes, the GOP is finally waking up to this.  Yes, it took this long to do so.  

Anyways, as I said, the Republican Party will be electing its leaders in the House and Senate.  In the House, expect Mike Johnson to retain his position at the helm of the House Republican Conference.  He is very good friends with Trump, and the two like each other.  For what it’s worth, Mike is a very nice and friendly guy IRL and before he was elected Speaker, he was far more right-wing than his record as Speaker would lead one to believe.  It’s also just bad politics to reward the party leadership who helped us retain a majority against all odds this year by kicking them to the curb.  Johnson will have a chance to help enact Trump’s policy agenda and has earned the right to try.

In the Senate, things are a bit… dicey. The Senate GOP has long been the source of much disappointment.  Daniel Horowitz often says that “Democrats have an 85–15 majority in the Senate,” and if you look at the kinds of bills Republican Senators introduce and support, it’s easy to see.  Currently, three Senators are vying to replace Mitch McConnell as Caucus Leader: Senator John Thune of South Dakota, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, and Senator Rick Scott of Florida.  Thune and Coryn are just awful.  It’s an indictment of the primary voters in those states and the state parties that these two men are still in the United States Senate.  Rick Scott, while not perfect, is much better and far more aligned with the Trump wing of the Party than either of the “Two Johns” as they’re called in D.C.

Expect to be disappointed by the outcome of the Senate leadership election.  Thune and Cornyn are both McConnell’s animals.  Much of their horrific actions as Senators in the last few years (such as Cornyn spearheading a gun control push in 2022 after the Uvalde shooting in Texas) can be explained by them vying with each other to see who can please McConnell most and carry out his desired legislative agenda in the most subservient way possible.  McConnell runs the Senate GOP on something like a “working towards the Fuhrer” principle where he has his underlings in the Party leadership compete with each other to please him the most, introduce bills that he wants to see pushed forward (especially when the bill is unpopular so the blowback doesn’t fall on him) and vote on legislation according to his instructions, all in hopes of getting his financial support during campaigning season and his political support in climbing the ranks of the Senate GOP.  

McConnell’s fundraising and political network is extensive and well developed.  He’s been building and expanding it for decades and it truly is an effective and fearsome machine.  Though many of us have our disagreements with McConnell on policy and politics, it is undeniable that he is and remains a lesson in what it means to wield power in the Senate. 

Whoever inherits McConnell’s machine will be a major power player in the Republican Party.  It is for this reason that Thune and Coryn are threatening President Trump by “recommending” that he keep out of the race.  These men are petty, small-minded cretins who have risen far above their station due to their ability at political fellatio.  President Trump has responded to this fiasco as best as I think he can; he has not outright endorsed anyone (and there are good reasons for him not to do so) but he has made it clear what he expects to see from a Senate Majority Leader.  This has already gotten some good results, as Thune’s X account pledged to allow Trump to make recess appointments a few hours ago at the time of this writing, which will dramatically speed up the rate at which he can get his picks into cabinet positions.  It will be politically costly for Thune to back out of that now.  

That said, don’t start celebrating yet, look at the big picture. The Senate GOP, in direct defiance of the American people, is already trying to circumvent Trump’s mandate by shoehorning in a replacement for Mitch McConnell who hates Trump and everything he stands for. Thune and Cornyn are relics from a bygone age, their attempts to resurrect a GOP that is dead and defunct remind me of the Eastern European communist politicians who fantasize about the return of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. They long for something that will never return because it was awful, and their attempts at reviving the unrevivable benefit no one.  Republican voters clearly want change and likely aren’t happy that they’ve had to make this known to the higher echelons of the Party leadership TWICE now.  It remains to be seen if Scott can pull off his Trumpian electoral upset but expect to be disappointed. The massive surge of support for Scott on social media is heartening to see.  It shows that we know who to go after now, and it’s to our benefit that people like Elon Musk are amplifying this leadership election.  In the dark days, this sort of leadership turnover would have occurred silently and without the awareness of most Americans. 

The Catamite Right (thank you, Charles Haywood, for you do not know how excellent a descriptor that is) does its best to operate in darkness.  If nothing else, take heart from this Senate election in that we have been able to mobilize on social media on a scale that has hitherto been difficult.  I assure you, the worst people in our Party see this development and they feel a sense of foreboding that the days of screwing their voters quietly are over.  

Despite the seemingly lackluster response of Congressional leadership to Trump’s victory, there is much opportunity for our guys going forward.  It should be noted that many in Congress (both staff and members alike) are quietly excited about what can be done these next few years. We have bought ourselves four years to organize and prepare for the years and decades to come.  Mystery Grove released a fantastic piece on this, which I encourage all to check out.  His insights are, as always, spot on, and his recommendations are certainly worth consideration.  With Trump and MAGA seemingly ascendant, there is also fertile ground for our guys to get involved in staffing and political work at the federal level.

It is obvious that the Right must get its people into federal jobs and Congressional staffing.  Such jobs carry immense responsibility and allow us to exert influence over national policy and politics.  Our first article for the Old Glory Club explains the importance of Congressional staffing and why it must be a priority for the Right going forward.  I exhort you all to consider moving to D.C. and working in the Swamp if you are at a point in your life where that’s possible.  For those of you still in college, for example, consider a summer internship with a Senator or Congressman.  Those look great on a resume, even if you do not pursue politics as a career. Several friends of mine interned for Congress during their college summers and went on to great success in the private sector using the experience and connections gained during their internships.  Internships are paid and it’s an experience you’ll never forget.  

Internships are also the first, and necessary, step to getting a full-time job on Capitol Hill and even with the Executive Agencies.  The culture of D.C. is strange and rigid.  Everyone started out as an intern, and Congressional offices often try to hire entry-level staff from the pool of interns available.  Even if you believe an internship after graduating college is beneath you, this is a step you will likely not be able to skip.  Many college grads take internships as a way to get their foot in the door, so there is no shame in having to do so. With a new Congress coming in, there will be a surplus of staff positions opening, and many new members who will need competent, hardworking, and ideological young men to help shape their policy agendas. If you can, or if you want to take a risk and make the move to D.C. (as I did), now is as good a time as any.   

For those of you who are at a stage in your life where uprooting does not make sense for you.  (say you have a family or are well-established in your career), fear not.  In addition to creating opportunities to get our people into federal jobs and congressional staffing, Trump’s victory has--most crucially--given us breathing space.  ‘Basket weaving’ and other right-wing forms of organizing will have the Eye of Sauron taken off them, at least for the next four years. With a Trump DOJ, it will no longer be functionally illegal to be a right-wing group in America. 

Expect no tolerance from Trump’s DOJ leadership for FBI investigations and memos that target law enforcement resources and attention at heritage Americans for the simple crime of having opinions other than those approved by the Regime.  We have space to grow, and I personally am excited to see us take advantage, but we cannot rest on our laurels here either, no matter your representative we must put pressure on Trump and the legislative branch to release, pardon, and protect the January 6th electoral justice protestors (thank you again Charles Haywood), pro-life activists, and other right-wing actors who have fallen into the gaze of the eye of Sauron that is the DOJ. Things like pushing for hearings, releases of prisoners, and repealing the FACE Act which has been used to jail enemies of the regime. 

These actions help our friends, make it more costly and difficult for the regime to engage in similar actions in the future, and signal priorities to our own side that needs to be pressured to actually protect us and our legal interests. Use these four years to their maximum. At the National and state level pressure our representatives and political leaders to move on promises they made that we like, push on punishing our enemies, and reward our friends. At the more local level connect with those of a similar mind and disposition.  Form your own organizations or join already existing ones. Join your local school boards, local organizational advisory boards, Republican Central Committees, Knights of Columbus, Rotary clubs, and other auxiliary organizations. 

Civil society mostly collapsed, before the period of global unpleasantness (COVID) most of rural America’s government advisory boards (water boards, public radio boards, school boards, etc) and local political committees (Republican Central Committees, Republican Women, Voter Leagues, and Boards of Supervisors) were comprised of a mostly retired and disengaged class of people. Post-COVID school boards and advisory committees have seen new blood thanks to Moms for Liberty and other organized groups, but on the whole, COVID accelerated the attrition rate and many counties have hundreds of advisory and appointed positions open. By virtue of being useful, energetic, friendly, reliable, and competent you will be handed opportunities but the sclerotic and tired members of your community are desperate for help and new ideas. 

You will learn from these organizations about where you live and the people that live there. You will learn skills that schools and parents mostly stopped teaching before the 1980’s, not just basic civics but how normal people think, talk, and what they care about. Participation in civil society especially in organizations that wield political power lends your ideas credibility when you express them but also strengthens your ability to test those ideas and develop them into something that can actually be used. Organizing and participating in civil society gives us a purpose, it allows for ideas to be shared, streamlined, and refined, it allows us to put idle time to good use, it allows us to sharpen our minds and make impacts in our communities.

Without being too transactional, it is an exchange; you put time and energy into a group and you will get shared credibility, influence, and connections that can be used. Participation in civil society and governance signals to political and community leaders that you possess competency and consistency, two things that are rarer and rarer, especially in rural America. You can use these connections to build up a local political machine, push yourself or a friend for a local office, find someone to watch your kids or make the jump to State-level or National politics. Many organizations provide resources like scholarships, internships, and training opportunities that can open doors for young men. By being involved, you gain priority access to programs that can support your educational or career ambitions and if this doesn’t apply to you, often you will be given the ability to offer meaningful recommendations to others who may be younger than you or are under your mentorship.

With Musk’s takeover of X, we have a social media platform that we can use to spread our message and connect with both allies and people who are looking for a path forward. Connections begets connections and influence begets influence. Many of us found our way into the sphere of the OGC simply because no one else had any answers to basic questions that any young person would have. The ability to build parallel social infrastructure exists, and we have four years to make important progress on this front.

Being part of a group will allow us to advance our people to positions of power and influence; think of something like the Federalist Society, but bigger, for federal, state, and local government, for hiring at big private firms. On a smaller scale, these organizations could function as a sort of right-wing Angie’s List. It is easy for us to plug into and build off of the work of other organizations like New Founding. For example, what if I need a carpenter for roof repair or a plumber? See if the local OGC chapter or basket-weaving group has someone in mind. It is simple: our money should go to our people as much as possible. Membership in our groups and organizations should confer benefits to members. The Rotary clubs of the early 1900s functioned purely on that principle, (though now this is mostly abandoned and they are losing membership as a result, something our own organizations will benefit from). As Auron MacIntyre says frequently “People follow incentives.” 

With the hollowing out of rural America and its resources a well-run dynamic community organization can quickly become the center of a political or patronage machine by virtue of being the only game in town, especially if Federal resources are cut off or interrupted in the future.You might have to hide your power level from the boomers sometimes, you might not get what you want all of the time, and your local cigar club may not save America, but you will be building skills, a network, and a community, all of which back will feed into generating meaning, friends, influence, and responsibilities for you and your family.

Our side has an incredible, resilient, and well-developed talent pool begging to spring forth into action, to find expression in the wider world, and to find firm ground to be built off of, it is all of our duty to help that process along. Duty and obligations are gifts to young men in these times and should be embraced as much as you can without cutting into your work, health, faith, or family. This nation was built by men organizing to do good and help each other and their communities. The Knights of Columbus was founded to feed and clothe widows left behind by their members, the original Rotary Club was formed so that men could discuss ideas and form friendships while helping each other and build up their professional opportunities, Kiwanis clubs are springboards to political and community leadership that often do incredible work for children. 

Above all, it is important to act with purpose these next four years, build a power base, share information, and share skills and talent. Trust and time are both sacred commodities here and we must waste neither of them. The regime will be licking its wounds and looking to draw blood where it can in the future, we must make hay while the sun shines and prepare for the opportunities that come with it, as well as the reaction from our enemies. To finish this piece with yet another Tolkien reference, Morgoth may be vanquished, but his servants are hiding and licking their wounds.