Joe Gruters Archives

Upon reading President Trump's TruthSocial post on August 5, 2026, celebrating the Michigan primary victory of Abdul el-Sayed -- communist, hater of America and Israel, and lover of Islamist terrorists -- I began to worry about the Republicans' prospects in the November 2026 midterms. Why? Trump is being presumptuous. He believes that Abdul is so radical, like his DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) comrades, that defeating him, and them, in three months is a foregone conclusion. Is it? In 500 BCE, Greek philosopher Heraclitus sagaciously asserted, Presumption must be quenched even more than a fire. Bingo. Presumption is hubristic and dangerous; it leads to indifference and inaction. The DSA is gaining ground around our country. Its star, NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani, is destroying the Big Apple in record time and catalyzing a wave of antisemitism. Mamdani, a 34-year-old rich boy from Uganda who's never held a real job, has inspired and emboldened other DSA loonies to run for public office around America -- like Francesca Hong, candidate to become Wisconsin's next governor. Like stones in blue-city ponds, DSA communists keep winning elections and convincing passive Americans that communism isn't so bad. Most people are passive, reactive copycats; they simply believe and do what their friends do. Why else do so many GenZ girls have tattoos and nose rings? Why else do one-third of Democrats now call themselves socialists? The DSA wants to abolish the Senate, the presidency, the Supreme Court, the Department of War, borders, and illegal-alien status. Because elite universities teach the same Marxist nonsense, revolution fever resonates widely. I wrote about why it's spreading in my latest book, The Need for Control: Insecurity Run Amok, in which I explain why some people need to control (martinets) and why others need to be controlled (marionettes). In 1999, a year after I moved to Silicon Valley, Andy Grove, then CEO of Intel, penned the bestseller Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company. His book urged fellow CEOs never to presume the endurance of current success and conditions, never to rest, and always to be prepared and on high alert -- the opposite of Trump's El-Sayed posture above. In addition to Trump's presumptiveness, I have another reason for concern: Republicans have a bad habit of apathetically not voting. I made this point in 2012, in my article "How Republicans Can Rebrand," and on Brian Sussman's radio show in San Francisco, on KSFO. I reemphasized this point in my 2014 column "Will Republicans Rebrand?" and during one of my many 2023 appearances on Newsmax TV, during which I quoted Republican pollster Matt Towery, who said that the typical Republican voter doesn't know very much and doesn't vote. Yet, Democrat voters are dumber than a box of rocks, but they vote! Trump did win in 2024, in large part because the RNC replaced do-nothing chairwoman Ronna McDaniel with Lara Trump and Michael Whatley, who kicked ass. Now, the RNC chairman is Joe Gruters. Ever hear of him? I didn't. Where is he? What is he doing to fight this horrifying communist surge? Beats the hell out of me. The Cook Political Report's latest ratings favor Republicans in 212 House seats and Democrats in 205, with 18 toss-ups, meaning the GOP would reach the 218 seats needed for a majority by winning six of those contests. On August 6, 2026, Gruters responded to Newsmax thusly: ''We need six. We're going to get those six. And we're going to get more than six because we have the resources in place.'' That's it? Just like that? What an impotent, naive, unimpressive response. Color me dubious. Merely shouting, "these guys are communists," from the rooftops, the Oval Office, stages at rallies, or TV appearances will not motivate most Republicans to get off their couches to vote in November. What will? Strong, bold, compelling, memorable messaging and images depicting what citizens will lose -- especially their freedoms and bank accounts -- if they refuse to take massive action. Remember this line from the 2024 campaign: Kamala is for they/them; President Trump is for you. It worked, because it resonated: common-sense voters hate DEI. If the GOP doesn't quickly quench its presumption, and replace it with paranoia and massive proactivity, the irreversible consequence will be a burning, sinking US.

GOP Presumption Will Sink the US