Some things are so predictable in politics that seasoned political observers just grow tired of telling others “told you so”.
Populist conservatives have been vindicated yet again after Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw criticized the Biden administration’s (correct) decision to pull troops out of Afghanistan.
During a speech at Young America’s Foundation’s National Student Conservative Conference on August 6, 2021, Crenshaw argued that having an indefinite American military presence in Afghanistan is necessary to prevent another 9/11.
Crenshaw made the following remarks:
I think Americans are pretty sick of nation-building, but the general public can’t really distinguish between 200,000 troops nation-building, which does seem like a waste of money to a lot of people and a lot of waste of resources, but they can’t distinguish between that and keeping a security presence that prevents another 9/11.
“People ask all the time: ‘Well, what do we get for 20 years of war?’ No more 9/11’s! That’s what we got! That’s a pretty good deal,” Crenshaw continued.
In contrast to Crenshaw’s statements, populist conservative Ryan Girdusky noted that plenty of terrorist attacks or attempted attacks on America have taken place since the US government launched its war with Afghanistan in 2001 and began trying to remake the country in America’s image.
“20 years of being in Afghanistan prevented another 9/11”
Since then we’ve had over 2 dozen successful/attempted attacks from Islamic terrorists including:
2009 Fort Hood Shooting
2013 Boston Bombings
2015 San Bernardino Shooting
2015 Pulse Nightclub
2017 NYC Halloween attack https://t.co/4NqiIQO8jV— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) August 7, 2021
Girdusky tweeted:
20 years of being in Afghanistan prevented another 9/11”
Since then we’ve had over 2 dozen successful/attempted attacks from Islamic terrorists including:
2009 Fort Hood Shooting
2013 Boston Bombings
2015 San Bernardino Shooting
2015 Pulse Nightclub
2017 NYC Halloween attack
The costs of the Afghanistan intervention have been steep. The US’s war with Afghanistan cost the U.S. $2 trillion and resulted in the deaths of 2,300 troops. Civilian casualties have been steep as well, with estimates pointing to over 71,000 civilians perishing in this conflict.
Dan Crenshaw is the poster child for rebranded neoconservatism. This should not fool anyone at this point.
Crenshaw’s service to this country as a Navy Seal cannot be denied. But as an elected official he should be held accountable for failing to uphold the interests of populist voters within his district.
Crenshaw’s badass, eye-patched exterior makes for some good personal branding, but it is a facade for an outdated and malicious ideology that works against American interests.
Furthermore, Crenshaw has a track record of indicating that he is willing to compromise on issues like “red flag” gun confiscation orders and even voted for the removal of confederate monuments, the latter was a move that an overwhelming number of Democrats supported.
The Texas congressman from Texas’ 2nd congressional district has plenty of resources to tap into and can use his eye patch to enhance his personal image. This image bamboozles many Republicans into thinking Crenshaw is the real deal. Grassroots conservatives will need to have more watchdogs present to expose the misbehavior of people like Crenshaw. It’s not enough to take politicians at their word. Their actions, specifically their voting behavior, must be thoroughly scrutinized.
If populists are serious about transforming the GOP, Crenshaw would be one of the first people that they target in the primaries. Knocking him out of office would send a message to party leadership that neoconservatism is no longer welcome in the GOP.
