Saying One Obviously True Thing Doesn’t Make You A Conservative Hero

 

Last weekend, California gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner argued that it is unfair for biological males who identify as female to compete in girls’ sports.

“This is a question of fairness,” Jenner told TMZ. “That’s why I oppose biological boys who are trans competing in girls’ sports in school.”“It just isn’t fair and we have to protect girls’ sports in our schools,” Jenner continued.

Jenner then posted a link to the TMZ article on Twitter, adding, “I didn’t expect to get asked this on my Saturday morning coffee run, but I’m clear about where I stand. It’s an issue of fairness and we need to protect girls’ sports in our schools.”

Some conservatives immediately started to rally behind Jenner, buoyed by their comments on transgenderism in schools regarding sports.

Part of this may simply be because Jenner is looking to unseat Gavin Newsom, under whom California has continued its accelerating descent into dystopia.

However, there is another motivating factor which conservatives should be aware of: that our standards have dropped so low that many of us rush to support people based on individual positions, or individual “viral” moments.

During this brief, impromptu TMZ interview, Jenner said something that is obviously true. The question of males competing against females in physical competition — when men, on average, have a significant biological advantage — is indeed a matter of fairness. And yes, as arguably the most notable transgender figure in the United States, Jenner’s opinion on the subject is relevant.

But there is a vast difference between saying something obviously true on a subject for which the speaker holds some authority, and representing the entire conservative movement in the nation’s most populous state.

On Jenner’s campaign website, the former Olympian is presented as a “disrupter,” welcoming “fresh ideas” and eliminating “unnecessary regulations,” lowering taxes and tackling homelessness.

How? Who cares?

For some, the choice between Jenner and Newsom seems obvious. But the broader conservative movement cannot always think of itself as a participant in an entirely binary system, where the ultimate goal is solely to be the lesser of two evils, especially when we can’t even determine the “lesser” yet.

We have to push for more, push to be better than just being objectively true on obvious issues of biological differences. We have to expect more from our representatives than one viral moment to demonstrate their platform.

As another example, take Kimberly Klacik, a former Republican candidate for Congress who instantly rose to conservative fame after her viral video on the streets of Baltimore garnered millions of views. She was pushed by many as a thought leader, even speaking at the 2020 Republican National Convention.

Then, in December 2020, Klacik went on a bizarre Twitter spree, tweeting arguably bigoted nuggets such as “Mitch McConnell’s wife is Chinese. I just post facts,” and “Mark Zuckerberg’s wife is Chinese. I just post facts.”

Both women are U.S. citizens, Mitch McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, is from Taiwan, and Mark Zuckerberg’s wife, Priscilla Chan, was born in Massachusetts. “Facts.”

Let alone the fact that conservatives — supposedly — don’t care about identity politics.

So, let’s try and learn our lesson, and choose our heroes carefully and wisely.

And, if we can’t be careful and wise, let’s at least expect more than the exclamation of one true statement before we throw our support behind our latest “savior.”

Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at @ighaworth.