If there were any doubt as to the direction of the American Right, this may have sealed it. Gen Z GOP, a fledgling group of young activists, has been attempting to reclaim the conservative movement. The neo-con think-tank seeks to shift the GOP away from the national-populist direction that it has been headed in. Their verified Twitter account sits at just over 6,500 followers.
Many conservatives don’t seem interested in what GenZGOP is selling, however. A Twitter account mocking the group, GenZGOP Posting Their Ls, has recently overtaken GenZGOP in followers. A large percentage of GenZGOP’s tweets get heavily ratioed.
Talk about the ultimate L.
Gen Z GOP brands itself as a “conservative movement sustainable for the future”. Their website focuses on what they call “the four E’s”: environment, education, entrepreneurship, and equality. If you’re looking for conservative solutions to hot button issues like big tech and immigration, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Also, there isn’t much about resisting the woke takeover of our institutions, save for a small blurb about the state of the current education system.
Gen Z GOP fits the stereotype of beltway Republicans who engage with the left on the left’s terms. Instead of taking the lead and setting the terms, they react. The positions that Gen Z GOP take aren’t terrible (in contrast to the left), but this type of approval-seeking conservatism ensures that the left ultimately gets their way. As author and commentator Michael Malice says, “conservatism is progressivism driving the speed limit.” Gen Z GOP conservatism might actually get you pulled over. The term “controlled opposition” is overused, but it fits Gen Z GOP like a glove.
Much has been made about the future of the Republican Party and American conservatism in general. Twitter followers might seem like a trivial thing, but it signifies where the energy truly exists on the right. Those wishing Trump and MAGA were a passing fad will be disappointed.
By contrast, American Populist Union, a grassroots organization of young conservatives who embrace America First populism, has nearly 9,000 followers and has only been on Twitter since March. There are also many other small, grassroots populist groups popping up such as The Bull Moose Project and the Jackson Project.
Gen Z GOP is apparently so committed to saving conservatism from a Trumpist takeover, that they’ll vote for Democrats. I present to you, the Lincoln Project’s JV squad.
At best, GenZGOP are slightly right-leaning moderates who want their friends on the left to see them as the nice ones. At worst, they’re grifters exploiting an opening. The GOP establishment would love GenZGOP to be the heir apparent, which won’t happen.
RELATED: Trump Gets Warm Reception at UFC 264