It really is a culture war deep down. Its about whether personal responsibility should be valued or not.
By Alexandra DeSanctis
Freshman Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw is perhaps ideally suited to weigh in on the increasingly Democrat-Socialist disposition among young Americans. To the extent that the Republican Party has managed to find a compelling answer to the sudden popularity of the Democrats rising stars who willingly place themselves on the Socialist Far Left its best exemplified by the social-media savvy Crenshaw who first skyrocketed to national attention after Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson mocked him for his eyepatch which Crenshaw wears after having lost his right eye while serving our nation in Afghanistan.
Instead of latching onto his well-earned aggrieved-victim" status and lashing out at Davidson Crenshaw chose to respond with grace. From David Frenchs coverage of what happened next:
Davidson came on the Weekend Update" set and offered his apology and then Crenshaw joined. He took some good-natured shots at Davidson ... but then things took a more serious turn.
Crenshaw briefly spoke of the meaning of the words Never Forget" to a veteran saying that When you say Never Forget to a veteran you are implying that as an American you are in it with them."
Then he addressed his next words to Davidson:
And never forget those we lost on 9/11 heroes like Petes father. So Ill just say Pete never forget."
Davidsons father was a firefighter. He died trying to save others when Davidson was a young boy.
In one moment Crenshaw not only honored a true hero but also softened American hearts towards Davidson casting him in a new light.
Hes a man who carries his own pain.
It turns out that theres a market for grace in American politics. Within minutes clips of the apology and Crenshaws tribute to Davidsons dad rocketed across Twitter. Susddenly the YouTube clip of the moment not even 48 hours old had more than 5 million views.
It was a remarkable moment in our national politics and it exemplifies the type of influence Crenshaw has proven himself able to exercise as a politician.
So far he has used it well.
He doesnt rival Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Twitter followers he has 382000 to her nearly 4 million but his ability to effectively wield his social-media presence to articulate conservative ideas is a promising sign for the right which is consistently (and perhaps accurately) criticized for its inability to appeal to younger Americans.
And creative social media isnt all Crenshaw has to offer.
At the National Review Institute Ideas Summit earlier this week Crenshaw insisted that the lefts socialist momentum stems from a culture that has made Americans feel disempowered.
Thats why identity politics is so powerful" Crenshaw said.
It pits you against someone else. It allows you to feel like youre a victim and weve elevated that status of being a victim."
Instead he said individuals who feel empowered reject victimhood and attempt to rise above the attacks.
When National Reviews Kevin Williamson asked whether he thinks the Left is increasingly serious about actually wanting to institute a slate of socialist policies Crenshaw replied
I do fear that they actually mean what they say. They havent called for total nationalism of many parts of the country but they do talk about a lot of things that look an awful lot like Venezuela... a lot of things that do have really bad results."
At the same time he acknowledged the uneasy alliances on the right that make responding to the left somewhat more difficult.
In the Republican party theres now a somewhat uncomfortable coalition... between an old labor party and the free-market pro-business party" he said noting that the latter part of the coalition fails to speak to working-class Americans.
In the Republican party theres now a somewhat uncomfortable coalition... between an old labor party and the free-market pro-business party" he said noting that the latter part of the coalition fails to speak to working-class Americans.
They came to Donald Trump and to figure out why you almost have to talk to each one of them separately. ... We have to figure out how to include them and their concerns in a free-market governing system and we have to be looking for ways to do that.
We have to be talking about policies that actually work toward that."
On the future of the right Crenshaw remains optimistic but he thinks itll take work:
We have to know more" he said. We have to have in-depth arguments."
He also said that the debate between capitalism and socialism isnt always about substantive arguments.
It is really a culture war deep down. It is about whether personal responsibility should be valued or it should not" he said.
The panel concluded with Crenshaws ideas on how to appeal to young people and his theme was clear:
To young people: Im not going to try to buy you off with promises I cant keep."
If the Republican party wants to make that message appealing they should rely on politicians such as Crenshaw.
Alexandra DeSanctis is a staff writer for National Review.
