A poltical/intellectual battle is underway for the future of the conservative movement. Tucker Carlson and his friends stand on one side of the divide. On the other stands, well, my exemplar of the day — Babylon Bee chief executive Seth Dillon.
I’ve been saying Carlson has forced the issue with his recent promotion of neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes, but this is only his most recent effort to inject anti-Semitic poison into the mainstream of the right and that it is therefore a time for choosing. Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts has chosen poorly and damaged the standing and reputation of a venerable conservative institution.
Vice President Vance seems to think he can straddle the two sides. His refusal to choose so far — his accommodation of the sick right so far — is a choice too. It is a poor choice both practically and morally.
Dillon calls the battle “a fight for the soul of the right.” He explained what it’s all about in remarks to another venerable conservative institution, the Young America’s Foundation. He spoke last week at YAF’s Freedom Conference. Appropriately enough, the setting of the conference was the Reagan Ranch (preserved and maintained by YAF). In the course of his remarks Dillon cites his Free Press column “The foolishness of ‘no enemies’ to the right.”
At the YAF conference, Dillon spoke from his own personal experience contending with those on the other side of the “fight for the soul of the right” (video below). He commented: “This is a crucial matter from a moral perspective…When you have friends of yours who are going down a dark path, isn’t the right thing to do to try to correct them and try to turn them back onto the right path…? Especially if they have a very powerful and influential voice and a massive audience….? I think we should be willing to lose friendships for the sake of what’s good and true.”
In the course of his remarks Dillon cites his Free Press column “The foolishness of ‘no enemies’ to the right.” It would be pompous and self-important to say I choose to stand with Seth Dillon. I will only say that I am grateful he has made his choice and taken his stand. Clips of Dillon’s speech can easily be found on X. The whole thing is worth your time and the full video of his speech is below.
