Tall Poppies and TransCons: The Struggle for True Conservative Leadership

Lately there has been a curious phenomenon that has taken root—one that exemplifies the corrosive nature of populism and affects the integrity of the conservative movement. This ailment requires our careful examination if tjise of us who seek are to restore the vitality of conservative thought and the successes of conservative governance. The populist ailment that plagues the movement comes with a dash of the insidious “Tall Poppy Syndrome”, an affliction wherein those who in the face of groupthink dare to stand taller, rooted in tradition and principle, and are met with the scythe of envy and derision by those who lack the very virtues they claim to espouse.

The conservative landscape today is marred by a schism between two distinct groups: what I’ll call Traditional Conservatives (TradCons) and their disingenuous counterparts, the Transitory, Transitional and often Transactional Conservatives (TransCons). When I refer to TradCons, I don't mean to conflate this with the specific subset of traditionalist conservatism. Instead, I refer to those who understand the roots of conservatism and grasp its core tenets—respect for tradition, respect for institutions, and the belief in a moral order, particularly a transcendent moral order for the religious. These conservatives see themselves as stewards of conservative thought, preserving the ideals of Edmund Burke, Russell Kirk, the Founding Fathers, Socrates, Plato, and others. They are the gardeners, tending to the rich soil of tradition and cultivating ideas rooted in moral order and the permanence of principle.

TransCons, on the other hand, are populists masquerading as conservatives, much like how a transgender woman is a man who wears women's clothing and attempts to "identify" as a woman in social settings—sometimes by force. The TransCon wears the clothing of a conservative while promoting populist and radical views that undermine what conservatism truly is. Just as a "trans woman" lacks the requisite DNA, body structure, and natural inclinations of a woman, the TransCon lacks the requisite understanding of history, philosophy, governance, and institutions. They refuse to learn any of it. Instead, they choose to reject the notion of conservatism entirely and opt to complain about those who seek to preserve it.