I've even started calling my YouTube channel "no-cult conservative talk." This blog may have to do the same. It's getting there. My level of frustration, and maybe even confusion, is starting to go beyond me.
But here's the thing. I still value our party's values—or what I think those values are supposed to be. I like to think of conservatives as principled, and we are. You and I, that is. The people we elect to serve us? That's a different story.
I have questions. Plenty of them. And they keep forcing me to ask them out loud.
Like the question I have right now. How in the fuck did we just re-elect John Thune as Senate minority leader?
No, literally. I'm asking how this happened?
Didn't we just see a bunch of Republican senators post, "We heard you. We understand. We want to get the work done for you."?
What exactly did you hear, and who exactly did you hear it from? Because everything I've heard for the past eight months has been, "FIRE JOHN THUNE." I haven't heard from a single person on our side who was happy with his leadership. Not one person said, "Give him a break."
Every single sentiment from every single Republican voter was clear: JOHN THUNE MUST BE FIRED.
If the massive loss of both the House and Senate wasn't confirmation that we really screwed this up—and that John Thune was largely responsible for most of it, all other circumstances aside—I don't know what else is.
Republicans are trying to sell us on the idea that they're listening. This is another huge slap in the face. It makes it clear as day they haven't heard us at all. Set everything else aside. The fact that he couldn't get the SAVE America Act passed alone should have been enough.
NOW the Senate has pretty much just waved their middle finger in our faces.
What they are saying is, we lost a major election. We don't care what you want. We're going to conduct business as usual. Thank you very much and have a good day. We took notes, but we decided to ignore them...
ONCE AGAIN!
I wasn't angry that we lost. I was disappointed. But I knew why. I said why many times, here and elsewhere. I sang as loud as I could from my tiny little pulpit. But even when we lose, I expect the reason to be understood and for the course to actually change.
We're not Democrats. We don't win just because of the letter after someone's name. Like I said, we're principled. You and I. The real Republicans. The real conservatives who keep having to shake our heads and wonder why we have to keep questioning our own side.
Susie Wiles was right to step down after the loss. Replacing Mike Johnson with Jim Jordan was a move I strongly approve of.
But John Thune getting re-elected? I still can't wrap my head around how this happened. I can't wrap my head around how the Senate allowed it to happen.
It takes a lot to piss me off. This did it. And I bet I will be asked many more times, "Who's side are you on, Springboard?" Because going forward I am going to be harder on the Senate minority than I've ever been.
All I can say to the Senate is this: you better justify your choice. And as for John Thune? You have a hell of a lot of convincing to do.
© 2026 Jim Bauer/The Springboard. All rights reserved.
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