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Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee) responds to Bill Kristol. “Gown men, serious men oppose government censorship, rather than betray all of their supposed conservative convictions because Trump Derangement Syndrome and personal grievances blind them,” Sen. Hagerty tweets.

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Hagerty’s tweet reposts a tweet by Bill Kristol. “Grown men, wealthy men, once upon a time serious men, U.S. senators, reduced to pathetic suck-ups. Welcome to Trump and Musk’s Republican Party. Welcome to Trump and Musk’s America,” Kristol tweets.

Government overreach, be it government censorship or another form, is traditionally a phenomenon that those who hold to a more conservative ideology oppose, staunchly oppose. The idea of a lawfully limited government that does what it says and governs within its legally empowered means is a description of the ideological framework for which the term “conservative” stands. Part of what gives depth to conservatism is its focus on principles and underlying issues, regardless of and, at times, despite personalities. A conservative approach, generally, is a blind approach that seeks truth and constitutional order, rather than playing favorites. It is a stretch to suggest that personality or charisma is never a factor. Former President Ronald Reagan had some of that in bucket loads and was twice elected president and twice elected governor of California. Former President Gerald Ford had less of it and was not once elected president, despite serving as such. Personality or charisma can factor into electoral outcomes and can be helpful for certain leaders to use in getting attention for certain initiatives, but commitment to freedom is what forwards conservatism.

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It is time for conservatives to recommit to a conservative approach, blind truth rather than blind hatred. It is time for the name-calling to stop. It is time for the adjective spewing to no longer be used as an attempted substitute for serious opposition. It is time for leaders to be held accountable for their actions and for what they say, Republicans and Democrats.