Townhall Review | Commentaries

Many of you tracked with the fact that both Facebook and Twitter have banned or suspended President Trump.

You're also likely aware that the Parler app has been suspended by both Google and Apple. We’re looking at a major change in the entire landscape of social media, and we’re looking at unprecedented territory.

What does it mean? First, of course, it means that President Trump is likely to have a great deal of difficulty reaching his base.

But, the second issue is not really about President Trump at all. It’s about the power of these social media giants—and the rise of cancel culture.

We should be first to point out that there is never an excuse for inciting violence through social media or any other form of media. We should also understand that something far short of inciting violence could incite these kinds of policies.

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A fast-track impeachment of President Trump would not be justice. It would be pointless revenge, a very anti-American sentiment in action.

The so-called “Roman revolution” began around 60 B.C. and continued for 75 years, by the count of British historian Sir Ronald Syme—whose work remains the go-to source on how republics—including the greatest one until ours, Rome—collapsed. Republics do so when opposing parties within them continually raise the stakes, the rhetoric, then the violence, and finally the arsenal of political weaponry.

President Trump did a deeply reckless thing when he spoke before his supporters as they assembled.

But I do not believe there is conclusive evidence that Trump intended the storming of the Capitol, or any sort of sedition.

An impeachment now would leave no time for the president to present evidence of his contrary intent or any mitigating factors.

What ought to drive discussions at this moment is what’s best for the country—now and hereafter.

Passions are running high—which is why this is exactly the moment to allow them to cool.

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Democrats will be in control of both houses of Congress, and the White House, after Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20th and Georgia’s two new United States Senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, take their seats later this month.

Republicans have suffered a number of electoral setbacks—not only did they lose control of the White House, but they’ll be in the minority in both houses of Congress for the first time in a decade.

Looking ahead, Republicans will need to remain united to defeat efforts to move policy in America further to the progressive left. And they’ll need to present a compelling vision for what they’ll do if given the opportunity to govern again. The conservative movement has traditionally stood for economic opportunity, personal freedom, a strong national defense, and the value of human life. These are values that many of our fellow Americans share and should be the backbone of efforts by conservatives to lead, once again.

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The American experiment is founded upon a presupposition, a prior commitment to an ordered liberty—an established order. That means policies, it means a covenant, in our case, it means a Constitution. As of right now, the U.S. Constitution is the longest surviving written constitution in human history.

It’s a remarkable document.

All of that came to the fore this past week in the violent events that interrupted the joint session of Congress to count the votes of the Electoral College.

At the end of the day on Wednesday, our constitutional order proved itself, once again, resilient. But that doesn’t take away any of the tragedy and the horror of what took place.

It was an enormous stress test on ordered liberty—a stress test brought on by the President of the United States.

It’s an opportunity for the right, the left, conservatives, liberals, all Americans, to repudiate political violence and reaffirm—once again—our commitment to ordered liberty.

It’s the American way.

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“Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.” Many of you will recognize those calming, moderating words from Lincoln’s first inaugural.

Such moderation has been largely missing from our public discourse in recent years.

When Trump supporters gathered in D.C. this week for the “Stop the Steal” protest, it’s hard to imagine that more than a tiny fraction intended violence. But some surely did.

And I don’t believe the president intended the riot. It has done him great damage. He ought to have seen the potential of violence. As it unfolded, he ought to have been quick to condemn it. In condemning it, he should have done so without any mention of his own grievances.

Our leaders ought to calm and not inflame.

Let’s hope and pray that we’ll see—Lincoln’s words again—“the better angels of our nature” as this new year unfolds.

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As we approach a new administration, it is important to uphold an element of American exceptionalism—a peaceful transition of power.

There’s been nothing wrong with investigating and challenging illegal voting practices.

But what is absolutely wrong is any call for violent resistance—in this case, to Joe Biden and his election. We’re seeing calls in social media for violent responses, either in the form of rebellion or in the form of martial law.

Not only is this rhetoric dangerous, it runs against principled conservatism. The Founders only declared independence after a long period of abuses by the King, and then used force in self-defense. The Bible admonishes Christians to “submit to the governing authorities.”

The inflammatory rhetoric does nothing to help the conservative movement. It does not stop Biden. It does not ensure a second Trump administration.

It hurts our cause. It should stop.

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Welcome to the new year: 2021.

But let’s take a moment to look at that number and remember what it means. 2,021 what? 2,021 years from the traditional date of the birth of Christ.

In the ancient world, when an old king died and a new king took over, the calendar started again. Ancient dating frequently started with “The first year of King so and so…”

But what do you do when you get a king who will never die?

The answer is the year of our Lord 2021.

During the French Revolution, they tried to start over with year Zero. But look at the French Calendar now…it’s 2021. No matter how much secular culture tries to deride the historical significance of Christ, they are reminded—on every dateline—how important He was and still is.

May the Year of Our Lord, 2021 be a blessed one for you and yours.

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January 5th, 2021 marks a decisive day in this new year, one that will resonate throughout all of ’21 and indeed 2022.

This is because Georgia votes today in runoffs for two United States Senate seats. It’s an election of enormous consequence for the other 49 states because the results will determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the Senate—and thus greatly impacting every U.S. citizen.

Salem is supporting David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler—and encouraging Georgians to turnout to return these two incumbents to office. Their opponents—John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock—are both very left wing. The Rev. Warnock may, in fact, be the most radical major party candidate of the era.

A GOP majority will ensure a check on President-elect Biden. They’ll refuse to confirm radical judicial appointments while continuing robust spending on the American military.

Georgians, please vote! And if you know anyone in Georgia, please call them and urge them to vote today.

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It’s easy to dismiss the Senate elections in Georgia as just another vote to decide two more seats in Congress—and that, ultimately, it may not be all that consequential. I’m sure some of our fellow Americans—and more than a few Georgians—wonder what the point of voting is at all, especially given the outcome of the recent presidential elections.

But I’d urge those Georgians with doubts or who wonder if their vote matters to recognize that the elections in their state do, indeed, matter. A lot.

An unconstrained left means a move toward socialized medicine, the Green New Deal, and much higher taxes for many Americans. The only way that can be stopped is if Georgia voters cast their ballots in the upcoming runoff elections for the U.S. Senate. Your voices will matter, and your votes will be consequential.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to make a real difference for all Americans.

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Before the year 2020 began, the biggest story by far had already begun, but we didn’t know it. Most Americans thought the big story of 2020 would be the presidential election. What could be bigger? We soon found out.

Democrats impeached Donald Trump but failed to remove him. The same party panicked when Bernie Sanders took the lead for the nomination, but it was Joe Biden who took the prize. John Lewis, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Alex Trebek, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and John le Carre all died, each with a different story.

In November, Joe Biden was declared the winner, but Donald Trump was in no mood to concede. He hasn’t yet.

Of course, COVID-19 became the big story of the year. In December, “Operation Warp Speed” produced a vaccine. It’s still a big fight.

Most of us won’t be sad to see 2020 end, and we look to 2021 with hope. May the New Year bring you and yours renewed promise and blessing.

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