Because most of us are rationally-thinking, functioning human beings, we have realizations, dare I say epiphanies, sometimes at unusual times and places. Sometimes those realizations come from unlikely people. But when they happen, if you are onto something, you know it. You get that feeling in your gut. As conservatives, we look at ourselves as one big family. And like most big families, we don't always agree, and we tend to squabble here and there. It's from those squabbles that those realizations can emerge. It recently happened to me. It has made me look at myself and my larger conservative family in a whole new way.
I find this conservative infighting to be very non-productive to our movement.
— Kenneth Lenger (@blueicetrike) December 20, 2025
It's no secret that conservatives recently had a pretty nasty squabble. One group called out another, and shots went back and forth. Opinions differ, but it might not have been our best moment. One of those involved made this comment. My focus is not on the entire comment, but for full context, I include it in its entirety.
"The conservative movement is also in danger from charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle, but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty. Those of us with a microphone have a moral obligation to call that out by name."
My focus is not on the first part or the reason given. Those are topics for another day. What got my attention was "Those of us with a microphone." In full disclosure, I have never been a fan of the person who said this. In fairness, maybe I'm too sensitive; it happens. But "those of us with a microphone?" Because I am opinionated (shock), my first thought was, "Newsflash, Scooter: we ALL have a microphone." I thought it came off as terribly elitist. But it got me thinking.
I have written about politics for roughly 15 years. There have been many changes, most of them good. They help get the message out. Now, there is Substack, a place where anyone can write what they think. It is a glorious smorgasbord of the First Amendment. Included in that smorgasbord is the podcast universe. Don't have a flashy producer or a flashy studio? No worries, if you have a computer and "a microphone," you have a podcast. You can literally read or listen to opinions, be they good or bad, 24/7. That is a spectacular thing. More opinions do nothing but further the movement, and no matter who says what, that is a good thing.
Anyone on the Conservative side trashing grassroots organizations isn’t a Patriot.
— Conservative Pen (@ConservativePen) December 14, 2025
If all you do is create discord inside the movement, you’re doing more damage than a liberal ever could.
Creating infighting helps the Left, and tears our hard work apart. Pure ignorance.
I have been advocating this for years, but all of this just made me feel more right about it. Maybe we should think about giving a listen to those whom we might deem "rebels" to the movement. Conservatives come in many different forms. They may have different lifestyles or faiths that we disagree with, but if they have ideas that will help the spread of conservatism, maybe we should consider that good conservative ideas can also come from unlikely sources.
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But maybe the biggest epiphanies for me about this comment were, number one, the fact that, as a writer and podcaster myself, maybe I have been going about it all wrong. It doesn't matter if you have 200 or 2,000 readers or listeners; you have to believe you have two million and create content accordingly. I realized that I was just one person. There are so many more out there like me. Maybe...we are the ones with the power.
Which leads me to number two, and it may be the most important of all. I'm not just speaking for myself. There are a whole lot of talented conservative writers and podcasters writing and podcasting from a room in their house. They are the "grassroots" that we see the pundits and talking heads on television talking about all the time. We may really just have those 200 or 2,000 readers or listeners, but collectively, the number of people who read and hear what we have to say is staggering. It might just be something that the participants in the recent conservative silliness might do well to remember. Of course, ultimately, we should all remember that we are on the same team and should have the same goals. But frankly, if you are going to be arrogant enough to use a phrase like "those of us with a microphone," maybe you should wonder if you need us more than we need you.
I’d love to get back to the conservatism of the first Trump term and away from the pageantry, high school-like cliques, and infighting of the current conservative influence sphere.
— Don Keith (@RealDonKeith) December 21, 2025
