Every once in a while, I sit back and watch the political world like it’s some giant stage play. It doesn’t matter which side you’re on — that’s not what this is about. What fascinates me is the pattern that keeps repeating itself everywhere you look. And the pattern is simple: movements don’t collapse because of outside attacks. They collapse because the loudest voices inside start swinging at each other.

And right now, you can see that happening plain as day on the American Right.

You’ve got Tucker Carlson, Clayton and Natali Morris from Redacted, and Megyn Kelly — some of the biggest megaphones out there — hammering away at new leadership before it even has a chance to take a breath. Instead of rowing together, half the crew is grabbing the oars and whacking each other with them. It’s the political version of yelling at the captain before the dock rope is even untied.

But move your eyes to the Left, and the same thing is happening there too.

The progressive “squad-style” wing and the more traditional Democrats are at each other’s throats. You’ve got Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib pulling one way, while people like Joe Manchin, Abigail Spanberger, and even Hakeem Jeffries tug the other direction. One side thinks the other is weak, the other side thinks the first group is extreme. And the entire time, the actual opposition party isn’t lifting a finger. They don’t have to — the Left is arguing with itself loudly enough for the whole country to hear.

And the funny thing is, none of this is new.

Britain after Brexit? Same story. They won a massive national referendum, then immediately turned inward — Boris vs. anti-Boris, hard vs. soft Brexit, purists vs. pragmatists. The internal fighting did more damage than the actual opposition.

Israel between 2019 and 2022? They agreed on almost everything, but the factions still tore each other apart over leadership and loyalty tests. While they were busy arguing about purity, another coalition quietly stepped in and took control.

France in the 1950s, Italy for decades — it’s the same script every time. Coalitions fracture, loyalty becomes a weapon, everyone wants to be the “true believer,” and by the time anyone notices the damage, the movement has already lost its footing.

And now we’re watching that script play out right here at home.

I’m not telling anyone which side to pick — that’s not my job. I’m just telling you what I see when I zoom out far enough: a movement that spends more time shooting inward than outward doesn’t move forward at all. It stalls, fractures, and sinks under its own weight.

Here’s the truth as I see it:

There is never going to be a perfect party, a perfect leader, or a perfect movement. Politics is human — and humans are flawed. But trashing your own side before it even leaves port doesn’t purify it, it just hands the win to the other side.

And at the end of the day, no matter what side you fall on,
pick a side and support it long enough to give it a real chance to make real change. Don’t jump ship before you even leave port.

Because no ship survives a voyage if the crew insists on sinking it themselves.