Sam Francis saw it first, according to the Z-Man
A long time ago, Sam Francis pointed out that Conservatism was likely to fail as a political movement, because it was engaging in formal politics. In order to engage in formal politics, it had to accept the rules of politics and the process of creating those rules. Inevitably, conservatism would be assimilated into the system they set out to oppose. Go back and read the early conservatives. Listen to a Reagan speech from the 60’s. They are unrecognizable relative to the modern conservative.
The fact that Francis was correct has always stuck with me. Everyone that takes on the system directly is destroyed and made into a useful example by the system. Everyone that tried to work the system is assimilated and turned against its original mission. There have been no exceptions.
The logical first step toward an alternative approach is accepting the reality of the past. It means “doing something” outside the system. The first step in building a genuine alternative is to turn your back on the system and stop reacting to it.
The irony, of course, is that most post-conservatives, including the Z-Man, attack everyone who actually attempts to build any alternatives to the mainstream system as a “grifter”. Apparently you’re supposed to build your own platforms, but somehow do it without any resources and provide the end product to everyone for free.
Granted, it’s a different strategy for losing, but it’s still a strategy for losing.