THE RISE OF THE COMPROMISED REPUBLICAN

THE RISE OF THE COMPROMISED REPUBLICAN

It seems more complicated each day for a Republican who upholds Conservatism to navigate the landmines of our society. Morals and conservative values have shifted dramatically away in a progressive world camouflaged under the euphemistic idea of Social Justice. Unfortunately, this progressive undercurrent has dragged many Republican organizations away from truly conserving the original intent of the Republican Platform we have treasured. Almost every day, another story in the inner circles of the Conservative movement demonstrates this ongoing clash between the cultural and social views and Conservative values.

In the mind of a few, progressive political strategy has crippled conservative common sense by employing compromise. A “compromise” is an agreement requiring each side to make “concessions.”  In a nutshell, the art of compromise requires a give and take on the issues. A compromise could happen with many political issues to reach a common ground agreement, as may be the process that may address comprehensive immigration reform, for example. So what is the problem? Simply put, our failure lies in “conformity.”  Conformity happens when we start compromising essential issues we have conserved for millennia to appeal to and appease the surrounding progressive culture in the name of a mistaken compromise.

The strength of the conservative thought is to unite Republicans across our nation and protect them from political and cultural progressive thinking while bringing them close to the central Republican Platform. But it’s often the case that strength comes with a corresponding weakness. Today, many Republican strategists and those running for office, either by ignorance or conformity, do not regard the essential conservative values engrained in our Republican Platform. Nevertheless, upholding these conservative values will always be the honorable trait that distinguishes a Conservative from the progressive left movement – as wisely stated, “Just a little yeast leavens the whole batch,” so even the slightest detour from the Conservative truth will take you to the wrong destination.

Why are those who claimed Conservative values compromising?

A Fear of being “labeled” – many are compromising because they are worried about what their immediate community and perhaps their liberal county, district, or state may think of them. They don’t want to be considered a “bigot” by the left or the liberals within. Thus refusing to be different, as otherwise, they may stand out in the crowd. The quickest solution is a “compromise,” which gives birth to political syncretism—a betrayal of our Republican values.  

A Misguided attempt to be relevant – many who used to be conservative seek ways to connect with the culture by compromising Conservative values. There is a fear of isolation by speaking the truth of the Conservative values and rejecting the essentials of Conservatism as the right to life and the sanctity of marriage. Their misguided approach normalizes the far-left agenda in hopes of gaining popularity and acceptance while claiming to be Conservatives or Republicans. However, the Conservative message is always relevant. Thinking that compromise may lead to greater popularity or political power is a false narrative disproven by strong conservatives like Mayra Flores of Texas, who, with her conservative message of God, Family, and Country, conquered the hearts of a Democrat district for 150 years.

How do we counter?

Countering culture means engaging the left’s liberal social arguments with conviction. We stand firmly on the truth of God, Family, and Country to extend the love of our American Citizens. Our desire isn’t just to win votes but to conquer others by what we represent as a different ticket, not a rehashed lie already fed by the left. What we do, how we do it, and why we do it matters!

The heart of every Conservative should burn with the desire to convince other Hispanics that the essential values we grew up being taught matter. But unfortunately, a destructive force of compromise is infecting our ranks, ultimately destroying our children, communities, and nation. We can no longer sit back and remain silent while God isn’t glorified; we compromise our family and lead others in our Country to the left’s self-destruction. We must earnestly stand for our Conservative values in the midst of our present culture. “The truth hurts, but silence kills,” Mark Twain.

New York, in a State of Life Support

New York, in a State of Life Support

“Together We Can Save New York” was the motto for the Town Hall Meeting for Candidate
Lee Zeldin running for Governor of New York State. It took place this past Thursday on 145th
Street and Broadway Avenue, in the crossroads between Harlem – Hamilton Heights and
Washington Heights is another boot to the theory that Republicans are out of reach with
minority communities. As you first walked into the room, you could not pass noticing a powerful
and distinguished guest dressed in a fine cowboy hat, the notorious Conservative Democrat
Ruben Diaz Sr., that alone should spark concerns in the Kathy Hochul Campaign since he is a
former City Councilman and Senator of N.Y. The cheers were loud, and you could feel the
affirmations for Congressman and Army Veteran Lee Zeldin.

The topic that made headlines was Crime and Safety, Education, and Covid Mandates. “As a
Governor of New York, I totally oppose all covid vaccination mandates on anyone for any
the reason, or for employment, nobody should be fired,” stated Candidate Lee Zeldin, it was
received with shouts and a standing ovation.

On another hot issue was former NYPD Deputy Inspector Alison Esposito, the first openly gay
candidate of the Republican Party, aiming to become a win for Lee Zeldin as Lieutenant
Governor. If that were not a challenge, we could all remember Reverend Diaz, making
headlines for his stance on traditional marriage, however; he bravely supports the Zeldin /
Esposito ticket. The event was quite eye-opening; nonetheless, the shouts of enthusiasm and
hope for solutions and change in a city that is in deep despair showed unity in the list of
attendees.

The outrageous increase in crime and the feeling of anarchy taking over our has been felt as in
the recent tragedy of Emergency Medical Service Lieutenant Alison Russo-Elling, a 24-year-veteran
of the FDNY who was recently stabbed and killed, to the continuous attacks and murders of Police
Officers, sparking a fiery of fires and reactions that have led 34 Law Enforcement Organizations
to endorse Candidate Lee Zeldin. Moreso, the overall crime on the City’s subway system is up
more than 41% compared to last year, and many are criticizing Mayor Eric Adams for his
frequent party events and nocturnal lifestyle saying that he is not investing enough energy in
what matters most. However, some believe Adams being a former police officer, should be
given more time to prove what he campaigned on.

We are all in expectancy of how the drama will end, but we can all agree that we must find the
the solution to keep New York off the ventilator, it can’t continue to be on life support with many
of our leaders who seem to be working their strategies as a game of chess, where the objective in

the game is to checkmate the opponent’s king and be the winner, whereby the king is under
and interim attack, and there is no way for it to escape New Yorkers are certainly in fear, and
that is how New Yorkers perceive the end game to continue unless there is an immediate
the shift in our City. We can see a shift among the recent polls, and Lee Zeldin has gone up 23 points
in the interactive polls. (D) Kathy Hochul is at 46% (2), and (R) Lee Zeldin is at 44%. This far fetch
the notion, as some have claimed, is now a challenging reality, and hope for a win on the November
8, elections.

Republicans Should Not Use Their Race as Reason to Be Elected

Republicans Should Not Use Their Race as Reason to Be Elected

[Helena, MT] Democrats will do and say anything to be elected. They are the kings and queens of bandwagoning any popular leftist issue.

During the Democratic primary debate in 2019, Beto O’Rouke and Cory Booker started responding to questions in Spanish. It made me laugh and cringe all at the same time. Hearing them ultimately fail with their broken Spanish was truly an embarrassment. What’s worse is that it was obviously not sincere. It was just a “hispandering,” a cheap ploy to exploit the Spanish language so they can gain favor in the Latino community.

Thankfully, the Hispanic people are waking up, and a massive LEXITUSA is occurring before our very eyes. Just look at the recent Mayoral race in South Texas where a Republican won in a Democrat stronghold with a Hispanic majority. They lost because Democrats are being exposed for the frauds they are.However, Republicans need to be careful not to follow in the Democrat’s footsteps. You would think that only Democrats are capable of such cringe-worthy methods. Evidently, I was wrong.

Recently, I participated at the Montana GOP convention, where I was left flabbergasted. The main purpose of the GOP convention in any state is to elect officers who will serve for the Republican state party.

It turns out that Lola Sheldon Galloway, a robust and hardworking conservative, drew a challenger for vice-chair. After being nominated, the challenger, Cyndi Baker, the Cascade County Central Committee Chairwoman, rose to give a speech.

At first, I thought “This is going to be interesting. I don’t know who Cyndi is, but I wonder what she is going to say.”

She began by stating, “You are looking at the face of the future of the Republican Party.” I will admit, I was delighted when she claimed to be a staunch conservative—in Montana, establishing yourself as a conservative is the only way to win votes among Republicans. She went on to mention at the time that Sen. Joe Manchin was going to cave to HR-1 and that we needed to be stronger. But then, before I knew it, she started to point out that she is a woman and that she is Latina, which left me puzzled. Why is she even bringing this up?

It’s as if suddenly a leftist possessed the woman and started trying to white-guilt everyone. Now, understand the vast majority of the population is white. There is nothing wrong with that. However, she began to criticize the lack of diversity and ethnic representation in the Republican party.

She went on to say how the Latino population is increasing and how we must elect her because she is Latina and a woman. I couldn’t believe she actually said that and, with the same mouth calling herself a “conservative.”

The cringiest moment was when she pulled her glasses down and started looking into the crowd at the MT GOP convention and judgmentally claims, “As I’m looking around, I see I’m the only minority here.”

As she said that, I stood up and said, “I’m right here; you are NOT the only one.” I guess she wasn’t aware that the Chairman of the Young Republicans is, in fact, Latino and present.

There were several minorities there shaking their heads. People started to chuckle when I objected and exposed in that brief moment how ridiculous her statement was.

You either have to have major “cojones” to say that or must be extraordinarily oblivious. I think it’s the latter. Baker ended her speech with the notion that she must be elected because of her skin color and gender rather than merit.

Speaking of merit, why didn’t she mention any noteworthy accomplishments that she is responsible for in Cascade County? At the moment, I’m not personally involved with Cascade County, but to my understanding, the Central Committee does nothing but hurt conservatives.

If that’s true, then it’s only a matter of time before they are replaced by people who actually want to do things right by conservatives like what happened in Lewis & Clark County.

Much like the Democrats, Chairwoman Baker was trying to use her race in a desperate attempt to exploit the Montana GOP to garnish their vote. She was trying to use “white guilt” to force and manipulate people to vote for her.

As a Conservative Latino, I find this to be despicable and embarrassing. Giving into Democrat tactics, whether intentionally or not, is unacceptable. Who do you think you are, Cyndi? Being Latino or a woman doesn’t make you any more special than Lola Galloway or anyone else.

Honestly, I felt ashamed that someone who is Latina would use such a tactic. It demeans all minorities that work hard to be judged based on their merits rather than race. Using the race card as your sole reason for being elected is pathetic.

It’s usually the Democrats who are so out of touch with reality. What’s going on here? With parents nationwide fighting against Critical Race Theory and fighting against it in our workplaces, how can you be so out of touch to do such a thing?

We are not the party that will say and do anything to get elected. Conservatives don’t give a damn about your ethnicity or race; what we care about is the content of your character.

I explained to my Montana Young Republicans members, Baker should have focused more on what she has done and will do. Race, gender, and ethnicity are nothing more than a vain superficiality in a campaign if anything. It should never be the core message or issue in your campaign.

Thankfully, she didn’t win; not because she was Hispanic, but because she tried to use her ethnicity to exploit people. Additionally, the mere 46 people who voted for Cyndi based on her message should be ashamed of themselves as well.

As a former Republican MT legislative candidate, I get it. When I started my campaign, Democrats and Republicans alike approached me. The Democrats didn’t really believe that a Latino would actually run as a Republican unless it were a strategic move as an infiltrator or, i.e., RINO. Well, I quickly squashed their dreams when I spoke on my conservative values.

But what disappointed me and left me confused was when Republicans approached me and told me to use my ethnicity to win the election. It left me shaking my head at their ignorance. In my opinion, I think they meant well, but there is no honor or respect in doing such a thing.

I’m proud of my origins, and I have no shame in mentioning or sharing where I come from. But that isn’t a reason to vote for me.

I have come to find out that there are definitely strategic advantages that I have for being Latino. Call it being privileged for being a person of ethnicity, but it’s there.

For example, while I don’t particularly appreciate using the race card, the Democrats, on the other hand, have no problem doing so even if they’re white.

I remember, during the YWCA forum with the Lewis & Clark candidates, I slammed my opponent during our closing statements.

My opponent, Rep. Robert Farris-Olsen (D), started talking about how he defends illegal immigrants and how our system is discriminatory and is based on systemic racism (you know, the typical leftist talking points).

When it was my turn to speak, I said, “If they (Democrats) really believe there is systemic racism, then Robert Farris-Olsen should drop the race and let me win then as a minority. What you have here is my opponent and his colleagues are just using the excuse of racism to promote it… For me, race doesn’t matter; I think anyone who is elected should be despite their race.” Farris-Olsen could have effectively ensured Latino representation in the Montana Legislature if he resigned. Of course, he didn’t.

If he really believes in white supremacy and systemic racism, then why is he running against a Latino – despite my political affiliation? Under his own definition, does that make him a white supremacist? It’s all a charade. It’s only pretenses to tickle the ears of leftists, so they can vote for him. He has no shame to ironically run against a minority while claiming minorities are oppressed by the system.

If we are going to use the race card, use it to expose the hypocritical nature of leftist extremists who praise social justice but damn and insult conservative minorities.

It’s a sad truth that minorities can say things that white people are unwilling to say. And the white conservative leaders that do speak up and criticize American Indians, BLM, or illegal immigration are persecuted by “fellow” Republicans for their sharp warranted rhetoric. They don’t want to be seen as racist.

These people don’t understand that it doesn’t matter what you say because being white is enough for leftists to condemn you as a racist.

The day you are afraid to speak up because you may be labeled a racist is a day you burned your right to the freedom of speech. Freedom of speech isn’t only for minorities but for all people despite their race. You have become complicit in the Democrat’s censorship campaign if you fear speaking your mind.

In the end, Republicans should never use race or ethnicity as a core message to win an election. It’s a damn right racist thing to do.

First published at the Montana Daily Gazette

Writer: Dennison Rivera

"Dennison Rivera is a small business owner, marketing entrepreneur, Chairman of Montana Young Republicans, LCCRCC Precinct Captain & former Montana Legislature Republican Candidate. Also writes frequent Op-Eds for conservative news media. Born in Houston, TX, and a first-generation American from a Colombian/Honduran family. His wife is also Colombian, and they live in Montana, the Treasure State. Rivera is heavily involved in city politics, where he motivates the community to get more involved and be informed. Rivera is passionate about helping those in need, whether it’s helping businesses with their marketing or making a difference in the community. Rivera is confident, outgoing, and direct. He speaks his mind and bluntly calls things out as he sees them. Rivera is honored to have grown up with the freedoms and opportunities this great nation provides. He recognizes that to preserve these liberties and ensure our American culture; we must speak up and exercise our freedom of speech."