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.
http://voxday.blogspot.com/2020/08/build-your-own-platforms.html