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Alinsky Works Two Ways

(AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

There are few people in the history of the world that caused more problems on it than Saul Alinsky. Simultaneously, he’s one of the few men who is equally as reviled as he is celebrated. If you’re a leftist activist, then he’s something of a saint. If you’re anyone else, he’s the man who helped the modern left unleash itself upon the country.

Indeed, much of the politicization and division you see can be partly blamed on him. It was Alinsky and his “Rules for Radicals” that gave the left the playbook that it currently operates from, and to be sure, it largely worked for decades.

While he goes into much greater detail, the rules that Alinsky laid down for leftists are as follows:

  1. “Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.”
  2. “Never go outside the expertise of your people.”
  3. “Whenever possible go outside the expertise of the enemy.”
  4. “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.”
  5. “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. There is no defense. It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule. Also, it infuriates the opposition, who then react to your advantage.”
  6. “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.”
  7. “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.”
  8. “Keep the pressure on.”
  9. “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself. “
  10. “The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition.”
  11. “If you push a negative hard and deep enough it will break through into its counterside; this is based on the principle that every positive has its negative.”
  12. “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.”
  13. “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. “

Conservatives have every right to despise the man but we shouldn’t be foolish enough to not see what he accomplished and how he did it. One thing that cannot be denied is that Alinsky was effective, and he was effective because he understood human psychology.

As much as we despise him, taking some pages out of Alinsky’s book wouldn’t kill us, and if you notice, it’s already happening in a big way.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have taken up practicing rule four, “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.” Of all the rules currently, this is one that Republicans can get the most use out of when it comes to the left.

The left absolutely loves to virtue signal. Activists, politicians, celebrities, and talking heads love to rattle on about how evil their political opponents are and lament that they should act like decent, caring, giving, and accepting people like leftists.

Of course, it’s easy for many of them to speak as if they’re something close to saints since they typically don’t have to deal with the nonsense the average American does. The funny part is, is that when they do have to interact with the troubles of average people, they react far worse. The recent trip of illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard is a perfect example of this.

As RedState has been reporting, the reaction of Martha’s Vineyard residents to the sudden arrival of only 50 illegal immigrants to their island has been as hilarious as it’s been enlightening.

(READ: Latest Response from Martha’s Vineyard Lays Bare Liberal Hypocrisy)

The usage of rule four now allows us to naturally follow it up with rule five. Ridicule and mockery is a highly important tool and is most effective against those who think as highly of themselves as leftist elites do. As C.S. Lewis once said, “above all else, the devil cannot stand to be mocked.”

More than that, you want people to see these people being mocked in the open for their hypocrisy. People should understand who these people actually are and why they should not have the sway over our civilization that they do.

The left should be well aware that we’re more than willing to use their own playbook against them and that after decades of virtue signals, we have a lot to make them live up to. The frauds and the charlatans should have their virtues tested as loudly as they’re willing to signal them, and rest assured they’ll find themselves severely lacking.

The goal is that so will everyone else.

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