SACRAMENTO – Long before Donald Trump’s populist movement revolutionized the Republican Party, I attended a right-leaning conference where one of the speakers provided a seminar on the work of pragmatic leftist social organizer Saul Alinsky, author of the infamous “Rules for Radicals.” On its face, this didn’t seem unusual. In my years in center-right political circles, I had often heard right-leaning activists expose the tactics of their foes.
But this presentation was different and a sign of things to come. The speaker discussed Alinksy not as a warning—but as a model for conservatives. One of Alinsky’s key insights was that his fellow community organizers needed to “heighten local awareness of similarities among residents and their shared differences with outsiders.” It helped to identify bad guys or outsiders to create an emotional bond. Change agents now focus on Us v. Them.
And Alinksy didn’t believe in getting too caught up in principles: “It is a world not of angels but of angles, where men speak of moral principles but act on power principles; a world where we are always moral and our enemies always immoral.” In this radical worldview, it’s all about gaining and exerting power, refusing to cede any ground and constantly fighting against enemies. This sounds familiar because populists have successfully adopted this strategy.
Here’s another insightful quotation: “The wheel of history is inexorably turning: he who cannot keep pace with it shall be crushed.” That wasn’t from Alinksy or a MAGA social-media influencer, although it sounds like it could be. That’s from Pol Pot, who hatched his Cambodian revolution while studying in elite schools in Paris. Calm down. I’m not suggesting America’s current “revolution” will lead to genocide, but there’s a reason traditional conservatives are leery of detonating established political systems.
Here’s another useful quotation: “We cannot make a heaven on Earth, though we may make a hell.” That’s from the great conservative political philosopher Russell Kirk, author of “The Conservative Mind.” Kirk believed modern conservatives should not seek after power, wealth and success, but “the regeneration of the spirit and character—with the perennial problem of the inner order of the soul.” He called for the Right to prioritize the higher values of love and virtue.
I always had my issues with Kirk, as my political journey led me to a more libertarian worldview given my distaste for the incompetence, abuses and wastefulness of governments. Kirk had no time of day for libertarians. He believed they advocated policies that would lead to social collapse. I wish he were around to comment on the current goings-on in America as conservatives are leading efforts to tear down the existing system to rebuild whatever it is they have in mind.
Frankly, libertarians have been all over the map as Trump tramples on established democratic norms, obliterates international alliances, praises brutal dictators and treats immigrants with unnecessary cruelty. For instance, did you see his troll-like posting of himself as a king? This is all very funny until it isn’t. Some libertarians are among his biggest cheerleaders, others are appalled and the rest of us are calling balls and strikes.
The latter is understandable, of course. Some of the Trump policies align with ideas we’ve long championed: slashing government spending and hiring (DOGE), eliminating the Department of Education, jump-starting traditional energy production rather than green nonsense and limiting some of our international meddling. Other policies vastly expand federal power, such as his expansion of an imperial presidency unbound by congressional or judicial restraint.
Mainly, he and his movement are blowing stuff up. Some of the stuff he’s blowing up—e.g., our encrusted bureaucratic state—are overdue for demolition. But the process by which our nation undertakes such work matters. MAGA supporters are giddy right now as the new administration fires federal employees on a willy-nilly basis, agrees to carve up Ukraine at Russia’s behest, infuriates our friendly neighbors to the north, unleashes federal law enforcement on Trump’s enemies and threatens rounds of punishing new taxes (tariffs).
Similar to Alinsky, there’s not much ideological consistency. Almost all of my Republican friends are thrilled, even though many of the policy ideas they now support are diametrically opposed to positions they’ve taken over the years. It’s all about winning, targeting enemies—and with more than a little self-interest and grift thrown in.
I once thought conservatives who value tradition, libertarians who value the Constitutional, and Christians who value character would be the bulwarks against some of the policies and behavior we’re witnessing. Boy, have I been wrong.
I hate to break up the party, but I doubt that any of this will end well. It’s far easier to demolish a city than it is to rebuild it. “If the ends don’t justify the means, what does?” Alinsky asked. I’ll turn to Kirk for the answer: “Men cannot improve a society by setting fire to it.”
Steven Greenhut is Western region director for the R Street Institute and a member of the Southern California News Group editorial board. Write to him at stevengreenhut@gmail.com.
