Yellowstone, Trump, and the Republican Party

Arguably the hottest in a hostile environment.

This is the first post in my 2022 mid-term election series.

Kevin Costner as John Dutton.

If you haven’t watched Yellowstone, then you’ve at least heard about it. That’s because it’s excellent TV. It harkens back to a time when ratings were used to reflect audience approval, rather than push a political agenda. Thirty years ago Yellowstone would own the Emmys, today, nothing. It’s a hostile environment, to say the least, but they flourish regardless.

President Trump is in a similar situation, the swamp has never been deeper, and many political insiders are already taking an opposing position to his run for a second term. There is no greater hostility than the political environment in which Trump has been immersed for years.

After the 2020 election results, President Trump spent a lot of time speaking about the rigged election that the Democrats stole. And I, until recently, wholeheartedly agreed. It was the only thing that made sense, especially, after 75 million voters tried to reelect him. By the way, that would have been a greater margin of victory (by far) than Barack Obama had.

Also, operating under the assumption that the election was compromised, I wondered why nobody was held accountable and why the courts didn’t take action when the lawsuits were filed. It was not only frustrating, but it was also very curious. With little else to work with, I assumed it was all because of the Swamp and its hostility towards Trump.

Without getting into the specifics of each, I think we all can agree that mail-in ballots, ballot harvesting, ballot curing, and early (unverified) voting, is rife with fraud and should be illegal in every state. But the sad truth is — it’s not. And almost everywhere it’s acceptable; the state is either blue or purple (democrat or swing state).

What does that mean? It means that when the democrats hijacked (stole) the election, rules were not broken — bent, absolutely, but not broken. So the courts, after reviewing the cases literally had nothing to address, and Biden’s election stands today.

It breaks my conservative heart to admit this, but the Bus Driver Simple truth is, Biden’s election wasn’t illegally stolen, it was legally commandeered.

For a unique but accurate perspective, consider the position of American Indians today. The Yellowstone writers and producers have an ongoing subplot that questions the white man’s acquisition of Native American lands. Was it just? Was it criminal? Was it downright reprehensible? Whatever your opinion is, the laws of the time made most of it legal.

You could even argue that the laws were written by white men, not Indians, and therefore shouldn’t apply. But if that were relevant, why aren’t the majority of landlords in today’s America, Native American?

It reminds me of a flashback scene in Yellowstone, where, as a boy, John Dutton and his father come across an Indian tribe camping on their land. There’s a discussion between the senior Dutton and the tribe’s Chief. The Indians were there to bury one of the elders and the Chief asked Dutton, “Is this your land now?”

Dutton nods, “It is.”

“It used to be ours.”

“I didn’t take it from you.”

The Chief looks Dutton in the eye, “It still got took.”

These four words say it all.

The Indians, prior to the founding of America, thought it inconceivable to own land; it was like owning air. Land is just there to be used in the same way air is just there to breathe, and selling it to white men seemed like a good way to get valuables for nothing. That’s because they were playing by the old rules. We now know that land can be owned just like the air above it.

In Yellowstone, the Indian Tribes learned their lesson and started to leverage their position to gain power, money, and yes, more land. By doing so, they were able to reestablish a customary way of life and freely practice their traditions for generations to come.

Republicans need to make the same shift. The rules are what they are and the Democrats are using them to their advantage. Republicans need to get on board, fight fire with fire, win elections (not lose), and that’s when you can change the rules.

In 2020, the white man won the Presidential election. In 2022 the white men and women survived the mid-term election using the same techniques. If Republicans don’t get in the game, 2024 will go the same way.

President Trump, please fight fire with fire: canvas swing districts, legally harvest votes where possible, and vigorously solicit early and mail-in ballots where applicable. And when votes need to be cured, make sure they’re cured the Right-Way.

Win the election, and then change the rules.

Derek Hunter has a must-read article in Front Page Magazine that explains this further. Republicans Better Get Good at What Democrats Do, and Quick | Frontpage Mag

PS – If Bill Gates is of Native American descent, then I stand corrected about the landlord assumption.