{"id":167153,"date":"2026-01-26T18:09:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T02:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=167153"},"modified":"2026-01-26T18:09:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T02:09:38","slug":"nyt-shootings-pose-a-hard-question-for-the-right-whos-a-conservative-really","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=167153","title":{"rendered":"NYT: Shootings Pose a Hard Question for the Right: Who\u2019s a Conservative, Really?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Times publishes a lot of dumb articles but this one<\/a> is especially dumb: “Republicans wrestle with Trump administration positions that seem to contradict their beliefs on gun rights, states\u2019 rights and limited use of federal power.”<\/p>\n

ChatGPT says: Alliance Theory<\/a> explains this episode by saying the debate is not really about conservatism as a philosophy. It is about which alliance defines the word \u201cconservative\u201d right now.<\/p>\n

A few core points.<\/p>\n

First. Conservatism has split from principles to coalitions.
\nHistorically, conservatism was a bundle of ideas. Limited federal power. States\u2019 rights. Gun rights. Civil liberties.
\nAlliance Theory says that once politics becomes existential, ideas stop anchoring identity. Coalitions do. The question shifts from \u201cIs this consistent?\u201d to \u201cDoes this advance our side?\u201d<\/p>\n

Second. Trumpism redefined the primary loyalty test.
\nIn the current right-wing alliance, the highest-order goal is border control and national sovereignty. Everything else is subordinated. Gun rights, federalism, and limits on force become conditional tools, not sacred rules. Alliance Theory predicts this hierarchy shift in high-threat environments.<\/p>\n

Third. Federal power is no longer viewed abstractly.
\nAlliance Theory says actors stop evaluating power in the abstract and start evaluating who controls it.
\nFederal power used by Biden was tyranny.
\nFederal power used by Trump is protection.
\nThis is not hypocrisy. It is coalition logic.<\/p>\n

Fourth. The Pretti killing becomes an alliance signal, not a rights question.
\nOnce the situation is framed as \u201cfederal agents vs insurgents aiding invaders,\u201d Alliance Theory predicts that coalition members will reinterpret facts to preserve alliance cohesion.
\nCalling Pretti an \u201carmed insurrectionist\u201d is not evidence-based. It is narrative alignment.<\/p>\n

Fifth. Why internal dissent exists but is cautious.
\nFigures like Pence, Cruz, Erickson, and Moran are not rejecting the alliance goal. They are policing excesses to preserve long-term legitimacy. Alliance Theory says this is classic intra-alliance boundary maintenance, not rebellion.<\/p>\n

Sixth. Libertarian fracture is predictable.
\nLibertarians are principle-first actors in a coalition that has gone threat-first. Alliance Theory predicts they will either rationalize exceptions or marginalize themselves. Both are happening.<\/p>\n

Seventh. The New York Times framing itself is alliance-coded.
\nThe article treats conservatism as a belief system and highlights contradiction. Alliance Theory says this misunderstands modern politics. Conservatives are not confused. They are re-prioritizing.<\/p>\n

Eighth. \u201cWho\u2019s a conservative, really?\u201d is the wrong question.
\nAlliance Theory says the real question is:
\nWho is loyal to the dominant right-wing coalition under perceived civilizational threat?<\/p>\n

Answer: those who support maximal enforcement now, and will argue about principles later.<\/p>\n

Bottom line.
\nAlliance Theory says this is not conservatism unraveling.
\nIt is conservatism being reorganized around power, threat, and coalition survival, with principles retained selectively as instruments rather than constraints.<\/p>\n

That feels ugly because it is. But it is also how alliances behave when they believe they are fighting for permanence rather than preference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The New York Times publishes a lot of dumb articles but this one is especially dumb: “Republicans wrestle with Trump administration positions that seem to contradict their beliefs on gun rights, states\u2019 rights and limited use of federal power.” ChatGPT … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[201,572],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-167153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conservatives","category-guns"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t