Pleasing your enemies does not turn them into friends.

Retribution is just. Wrongdoing should be punished. But there’s also the practical matter that we must show the people who support us that they’re not going to get pushed around, that we’re going to take their side, that we’re going to make anybody who screws with them pay. The Fredocons of the 2000s, whose rule sputtered out when Jeb! begged stone-faced Republicans to “Please clap,” never understood this. If you want to lead, you’ve got to convince the led that you’re going to protect them. Demanding that your followers submit to gentlemanly defeat at the hands of screaming blue-haired barbarians ain’t gonna cut it if you presume to lead real men and women instead of Beltway neuters.

Now, I would be willing to return to the Old Rules. The Old Rules make society more stable and place the emphasis on policy above personality. But we can’t unilaterally return to them. It takes two to tango, and game theory requires us to match our opponents’ moves. Both sides must agree, but both sides are not equally responsible for the present situation. There must be accountability. They changed the rules, so they’re going to pay a price if they want the Old Rules back now that they realize that the New Rules are a jagged little suppository.

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