Ashley St. Clair and the Bankruptcy of Conservatism Inc.

American Renaissance readers may remember Ashley St. Clair, whom we first mentioned in June. She was a young woman who appeared out of nowhere to become a “brand ambassador” for Turning Point USA, a major campus conservative organization backed by the president. Her job was to promote the group on social media, essentially through attractive photos of herself. She kept her position even after mocking President Trump, anti-immigration conservatives, and her own organization.

Why does it matter? Young campus conservatives, overwhelmingly white, join groups like TPUSA because that is the main opposition to liberalism. However, instead of effectively fighting anti-white policies on campus, groups like TPUSA teach young whites to repeat tired, ineffective “conservative” slogans.

In TPUSA’s case, it’s particularly obnoxious because the group is fanatically opposed to white identity politics, but regularly hosts “leadership summits” for blacks, Jews, women, and Hispanics. The Beltway Right is the main obstacle preventing white identity politics because it funnels right-wing energy into dead ends. Miss St. Clair’s case proved the point; despite her obvious contempt for the president and the anti-immigration grassroots, TPUSA stood by her.

However, TPUSA recently fired her. Her crime? She appeared in a photo with Nick Fuentes, who has been so wicked as to speak at an American Renaissance conference.

Mr. Fuentes was debating Jacob Wohl, a Jewish political activist who’s occasionally in the news for leveling sensational charges against President Trump’s enemies. Miss St. Claire was one of the people present at the debate and appeared in the selfie below. Astonishingly, although TPUSA claims to define itself as defending “free speech,” this photo was enough for Miss St. Claire to lose her ambassadorship.

RightWingWatch triumphantly displayed Miss St. Clair’s scalp, while Miss St. Clair’s associates blasted TPUSA for capitulating so shamelessly.

Commentator Mike Cernovich mocked conservative cowardice.

Kathy Zhu is the former Miss Michigan who was stripped of her title for tweets that criticized the hijab and blacks’ propensity to blame others for their own problems. Now a conservative activist, she condemned TPUSA, in language I will link to but not repeat. She noted that TPUSA does practice identity politics for everyone except whites and does not support free speech.

Black conservative C.J. Pearson also defended Miss St. Clair. He even took a stab at distinguishing white consciousness from white supremacy.

He has since deleted the tweet and apologized, but later said whites should be allowed both racial and national pride.

Still, other conservatives supported TPUSA’s decision to fire Miss St. Clair. Human Events editor Will Chamberlain was one. In the past, he’s argued strongly that “platform access is a civil right.” However, he recently tweeted:

Are covert “racists” ok?

The Washington Examiner was equally harsh. “If you want to be a conservative personality, don’t associate with white nationalists and anti-Semites,” wrote Madeline Fry. Washington Examiner contributor Tiana Lowe said “white culture” does not exist and that identitarians are “incelites.” Brad Polumbo dedicated two columns (so far) to attacking C.J. Pearson for daring to stand up for white people.

The final irony? Mr. Pearson is now an “ambassador” for TPUSA, essentially replacing Miss St. Claire. Protective coloring?

The whole thing looks like a game of musical chairs mixed with kindergarten-level politics. Joe Sobran famously said conservatives think their movement is a “game, a way of making a living.”

“Movement conservatives” are in a never-ending war of position against each other. “Purges” define the movement. Those within the “movement” keep their platforms, media access, and above all, money. Those outside become non-persons. The goal is to become a “conservative personality,” as Madeline Fry explained in the Washington Examiner.

This requires a balancing act. A “conservative personality” must bait leftists, but if a “conservative personality” is pro-white or questions racial double standards too aggressively, his colleagues use the liberal media against him. Ultimately, the liberal media determine who remains within the conservative movement. Miss St. Clair, whatever her faults, is the latest victim of Conservatism Inc. collaboration with its supposed opponents.

I wrote weeks ago I didn’t want Miss St. Clair fired, despite her attacks on opponents of mass immigration. Yet it’s striking that TPUSA tolerated insults against itself but could not stomach her appearing in a photo with Nick Fuentes.

Movement conservatives are paralyzed by fear. So are most normal white Americans. However, movement conservatives could instantly stop what can be called “cancel culture.” They just have to say “no,” and the liberal media’s power over them would be broken.

They don’t. They won’t.

Will Chamberlain speaks of “wartime conservatism.” Yet Conservatism Inc. disarms its fighters. Intellectually, they are limited to repeating slogans about “free markets” or outright lies about American history if they want to stay in good standing. Non-whites organize on racial terms; white conservatives prevent their own people from doing the same. It’s not surprising the Left owns American campuses.

If the American Right is fighting a “war,” its generals are abandoning their wounded and spiking their own guns. They take orders from their enemies and execute their own soldiers when told to do so. It’s immoral to ask people to “fight” for a cause when their “leaders” don’t want to succeed.

No white advocate is trying to be a “personality.” One silver lining to the repression we face is that no one would choose this because it’s an easy way to make a living. We do this because we know our duty.

Identitarianism is rising because it is true and necessary. Conservative failure leaves no alternatives. The “wartime conservatives” have many generals, but not many soldiers. We get more defectors from their side every day. No one will fight for generals who define victory by surrender.