Political Ironies. This one has always fascinated me. For example, everyone know of Trumps racist MAGA base. Individual organizations like Proud Boys, Unite the Right, Patriot Front and an oldy but goody the KKK. Then their are the individuals like Elon Musk, Robert and Rebekah Mercer and Kanye West. Kanye West is black am I not correct? WTF? Israel is Trumps closest current ally, am I missing something here? I am an environmentalist and I have to say, maybe Trump might be too. He literally just shut the oil taps off! I know, I know, he is just an idiot, but so far no one has done a better job at it right now!

There is both an irony and personal conflict within this sketch work by Art Young. It looks like me and sounds like me. But, no it is not me.

The majority of conservative Christians overwhelmingly voted for Trump, an oligarch that openly only caters to the rich. Many of these same conservatives declares Trump as their god. Looks like a serious case of conflict of principles.

1. The Right: Anti-Establishment Billionaires & Free Speech Paradoxes

• Populism Led by the Ultra-Wealthy: The modern conservative movement champions “working-class populism” and opposes the “global elites.” Yet, its primary figures are often billionaires, corporate moguls, and career politicians who passed tax cuts benefiting the wealthiest class.
• Pro-Business vs. Corporate Boycotts: Conservatives historically favor free-market capitalism and deregulation. However, when private corporations exercise that freedom by adopting ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) policies or “woke” marketing, right-wing politicians frequently push for government intervention, retaliatory legislation, or state-led boycotts.
• States’ Rights vs. Federal Ban Mandates: A foundational conservative principle is federalism (letting individual states decide laws). Yet, many of the same voices advocate for federal bans on abortion or nationwide restrictions on state-level voting procedures, directly overruling state autonomy.

2. The Left: Class Disconnects & Corporate Alliances

• The Working-Class Realignment: The Democratic Party traditionally positioned itself as the home of the blue-collar union worker. In recent years, however, the party’s core demographic has shifted heavily toward college-educated, affluent suburbanites, while non-college-educated working-class voters have migrated toward the Republican party.
• Anti-Corporate Rhetoric vs. Big Tech Reliance: Progressive platforms routinely rail against corporate monopolies and Wall Street. Yet, progressive political campaigns rely heavily on Silicon Valley Tech Giants, corporate PAC contributions, and private social media moderation to amplify their messaging and combat misinformation.
• Government Trust vs. Anti-Authority Roots: Historically rooted in 1960s anti-establishment and anti-war movements that distrusted federal surveillance (like the FBI or CIA), modern liberals are now often the primary defenders of federal agencies and law enforcement institutions against right-wing attacks.

3. Cross-Party & Foreign Policy Ironies

• Government Spending vs. Fiscal Responsibility: Both major parties campaign on reducing federal debt when they are out of power. However, national debt historically surges under both Democratic and Republican administrations—Democrats through expanded social spending and Republicans through sweeping tax cuts combined with defense spending.

One of the most significant political ironies is the republican party and its direct attacks on the Constitution. Republicans claim to be much in favor of the United States and it’s constitution. Yet, two of conservatives largest lobbying groups are the federalist society and Heritage Foundation, both have significantly attacked many of the chore foundations of the constitution and its amendments.

Here are the key ways these organizations push agendas that conflict with or weaken the U.S. Constitution:

1. Dismantling Separation of Powers: “The Unitary Executive Theory”

A core tenet of the Constitution is the separation of powers into three co-equal branches (Articles I, II, and III) to prevent tyranny.

• The Ironies: The Federalist Society has been the main intellectual engine behind the Unitary Executive Theory. This legal philosophy argues that the President holds absolute, unchecked control over the entire executive branch.
• The Constitutional Attack: We have all seen first hand how independent agencies (like the Federal Reserve, FTC, or DOJ have been manipulated by Trump. The appointment of targeted allies in key positions ensure these agencies kneel to Trump. Giving the President supreme power over federal law enforcement undermines Article I, which grants Congress the authority to establish and regulate executive agencies, and degrades the checks and balances the Framers specifically designed.

2. Project 2025 & Overriding Article I (Congressional Purse Power)

Project 2025 is the Heritage foundations playbook and lays out a strategy for a future conservative administration that legal scholars argue directly conflicts with Article I of the Constitution.

• Undermining the Power of the Purse: Article I, Section 9 explicitly gives Congress sole control over federal spending. Project 2025 advocates for the extensive use of “impoundment”—allowing the President to refuse to spend money legally appropriated by Congress if the President disagrees with the program.
• Politicizing the Civil Service (Schedule F): Project 2025 calls for reclassifying tens of thousands of career civil servants into political appointees who can be fired at will if deemed “disloyal” to the executive. This effectively turns neutral civil servants into political operatives, eroding the non-partisan governance intended by federal law and weakening congressional oversight.

3. Subverting the 14th Amendment & Equal Protection

The 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause is a cornerstone of civil rights, guaranteeing equal treatment under the law.

• Targeting Birthright Citizenship: Section 1 of the 14th Amendment clearly states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States… are citizens of the United States.” Despite this unambiguous text, conservative legal groups—including factions within Heritage and the Federalist Society—advocate ending birthright citizenship via executive order. Legal experts note that attempting to alter a constitutional amendment via executive action is a direct attack on Article V (the amendment process) and the text of the 14th Amendment itself.
• Selective Application of “Originalism”: Federalist Society-backed judges often champion “original public meaning” when striking down laws they oppose (e.g., gun control or environmental regulations). However, critics argue they abandon originalism when interpreting the 14th Amendment, frequently using it to invalidate affirmative action or voting rights protections that were originally designed to protect marginalized groups.

4. The 10th Amendment & the “States’ Rights” Selective Standard

The 10th Amendment reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states.

• The Conflict: Conservative think tanks regularly invoke the 10th Amendment when arguing against federal environmental regulations, healthcare laws, or labor rules. However, both the Federalist Society’s legal network and Heritage have repeatedly pushed for federal mandates when state laws conflict with conservative social goals (such as federal bans on abortion or federal restrictions on state-level voting access).

There are dozens if not hundreds of other political ironies. For example one of the ones I discussed in my blog Autocratic Megaphones. Trump constantly attacks the press as the “enemy and fake news” yet they are the ones most representing his voice!\

One of the things that give us joy in this particularly toxic time is night time television. Here are a few episodes about political ironies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd7P78w8cdA

Hopefully you watched this. But the truth is it is the frightfully extreme reality we live in today!