Commentary: Big Tent Ideas

BOB EHRLICH: It’s Not All Doom And Gloom. Here Are Some Signs Of Progress Against The Woke Onslaught

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So much has gone wrong over the past three years that it is easy to simply ignore good news, including signs of progress against the woke onslaught.

And so, a brief, happy reminder that inflection points still exist – that there are increasing numbers of people ready, willing and able to contest the Obama/Biden led “transformation” of America. A sampling:

• A recent Wall Street Journal story (“Sustainable Investing Craze Fades”) informs that the market’s enthusiasm for sustainable funds and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) mandates is on the wane. Indeed, some funds are literally dropping “sustainable” from their titles. Here, enough investors are demanding a return to fiduciary duty that even woke investment types are getting the message.
• The U.S. military has returned to old school patriotism. You know, the “Be all you can be” brand of recruiting pitch with depictions of tanks and field artillery and fighter jets screaming overhead. Seems that while all the woke outreach and PC advertising was plenty good enough for peace time, there is now a realization that potential hot wars in the Middle East and over Taiwan may require actual warriors…rather than the HR police. Jus’ sayin’.
• The American public (per recent polling results) recognizes the ever-spiraling cost of living, despite the very best efforts of the White House and mainstream media to paint a picture of a Bidenomics-induced era of moderating prices and economic growth. The weekly grocery and energy tabs are simply too high for the average American to buy what Mr. Biden is selling.
• A federal judge’s decision in Biden vs. Missouri – and subsequent appeals upholding that decision – has given new hope to First Amendment types that the Biden era’s preoccupation with “disinformation” and infatuation with heavy handed censorship has hit a major roadblock.
• As injuries and lost opportunities for female athletes begin to mount, more women are speaking out about the unfairness of biological men competing in women’s athletics. The really good news: These new critics come from all over the ideological spectrum.
• Around the world, right-wing and pro-legal immigration parties are on the upswing – a tide seen in recent election results in the Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Germany, and of course the recent shocking presidential election result in Argentina.

Note that I continue to live in the real world, that I understand there remain plenty of negative storylines out there as well. (See, e.g., The “mostly peaceful” pro-Palestinian demonstrations in world capitols and the outbreak of virulent antisemitism in America and Europe and never-ending waves of illegal migrants overwhelming the southern border.) But the fact remains that weak-woke-and wobbly is not standing up to increased scrutiny as election time rolls around.

You see – despite all the positive reviews it receives on American campuses and through left-leaning media outlets around the world – secular progressivism / socialism / Marxism never quite work out. The proletariat never quite rebels. Collectivism never quite produces enough consumer goods. Attacks on the nuclear family never quite overcome biology. And identity politics never quite trumps content of character.

A word of warning: Resist the inclination to get comfortable with this recent outbreak of positive news and common sense. There is no guarantee it will maintain itself for a sustained period of time. Something for nothing and class warfare and the war against the family and biological men playing women’s sports and speech codes on campus are simply not going away overnight. But how satisfying it is to see real progress on the front lines.

Bob Ehrlich is a former Governor of Maryland, Member of Congress, and State Legislator. He is the author of five books on American politics and opinion pieces that have appeared in America’s leading newspapers and periodicals. He and his wife, Kendel, can be seen and heard on their weekly podcast, “Bottom Line with Bob & Kendel Ehrlich.”

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.