The above title is one of the “rules” from Saul Alinsky’s infamous book “Rules for Radicals”. My good friend Buck Johnson and I did an overview of it on my show linked here. As stated in the episode, there is much to be learned from your enemy; things that, even though you disagree with their goal, you can use to advance your desired outcomes. I want to note that I refer to these people as the enemy because they are winning. I wouldn’t refer to an insignificant, ineffective party as such, which is why you need to understand why language is so important.
Back to the “rules.” Who is the target? The target is the State. You can call it what you will: government, Leviathan or the enemy, just know who your target enemy is. Now, what is the State? It is the Left. I’ve even taken to using “State” and “Left” interchangeably. Some may protest that belief and remind me that from 2017-2021 the “Right” was in charge. But were they? I’m not going to argue that Donald Trump intended to make significant change, but if he had actually begun to do so, would he have been able to succeed? One thing is for sure, those that controlled the State were not going to allow him the ability to change anything other than minor policies which could be reversed later by Executive Order. No, Trump had no opportunity to even try to implement significant changes as he was immediately under assault by State actors using their apparatchiks in the media. He was neutered from day one. It didn’t matter that the “Right” (why they aren’t the Right is a topic for another day) had the executive, legislative and judicial branches locked down in the first two years of his administration, yet they were powerless to achieve any real change. That is your proof that the Left, and the traitors on the “Right” that side with the regime (most of them) are in charge, and are the enemy.
I’ve written much about the cultural Left and which I believe many people fail to consider is a part of the State as well. How much more proof do you need?
The State has been seized by radical Leftists. Therefore, if you are against the State, you are by default against the Left and their three-pronged attacks on the populace.
The Left has control over the population mentally. From pre-school to post-graduate work they control the information being disseminated to the majority of the public. Yes, even the bulwark that is private and religious schools have been penetrated.
Through this control of the institutions of learning (indoctrination) they also have control of the population physically. Whether it be the removal of physical education in schools, control of nutrition and diet through the “food pyramids,” or their soldiers telling your son or daughter they may identify as the opposite sex and should seek counseling that can result in severe body modification, the Left controls the majority and it can clearly be seen in the decline of health in America.
Let’s not forget what is important to most: spirituality. In tandem with controlling the reins of education as mentioned above, their propagandists begin to preach materialism/humanism to the overwhelming majority of children at a very young age. What is even more disturbing is that the Left has even managed to gain control of many Protestant megachurches, as well as many Roman Catholic institutions. What many see as a refuge from the world, their houses of worship, has been influenced greatly by the Left.
If the Left controls the majority of the population through mental, physical and spiritual means, then anyone opposing them must recognize that a war has been waged on their “total lives.” It is important at this point to remind ourselves that if we are at war, there are only two sides. And you must choose which side you are on. Then, you must look for allies. Remembering that the Left and the State are synonymous, there are many who while not anti-State are most definitely against the radical Left. If we ally with them and the radical Left is destroyed, a significant portion of State power and influence will be dismantled alongside this destruction. This potential to dismantle the State should generate hope.
Now that it is clear who the enemy is, the strategy of “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it” should be motivation in the battles to come.
I've found the Trump presidency useful when conversing with normie conservative friends in showing that we are ruled by faceless, nameless bureaucrats. It's an opening, whatever one may think of Trump.
What isn’t in that book is rule 13: “Pick a philosophically consistent boutique ideology and become a martyr for it.”