Albert Einstein is believed to have said, “Nothing happens until something moves.” President Trump understands this better than our major political parties, even though the lesson must be repeatedly learned. Recent events confirm Republicans’ regrettable blind spot when it comes to Trump’s political authority and authenticity.

In the Great Senate Surrender of 2025, eight Democrats joined Republicans in advancing legislation to end the federal government shutdown. As Vice President Vance noted on November 13th, the majority of Senate Democrats wreaked havoc with their shutdown demands “[a]ll for literally nothing.”

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Vance went on to say that the radical Left would “burn down the entire country” if necessary to advance their political agenda. Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer seemed to have misinterpreted the simple truth that President Trump would not cower here, unlike previous Republican administrations. Instead, he moved forward with determination, pointing out inherent problems with the Affordable Care Act.

Despite this vivid precedent, even some Republicans seem to doubt the usefulness of advancing their own agenda. On November 14th, Republicans in the Indiana legislature announced that there were not enough votes there to conduct a mid-decade redistricting. President Trump will likely soon meet with Indiana Republicans.

While Trump moves to persuade, Indiana Republicans would be wise to consider if their inaction hinders a future GOP House majority, given California’s Proposition 50 and a Utah judge’s recent decision favoring another Democrat seat. This is not theoretical. Republicans must remember that when Democrats weaponize norms, it also means the left turns conservatives’ own principled beliefs against themselves, twisting passive honor into a political hacksaw. Conservatives should not be nervous patsies but noble protagonists.

This interplay also exists in the debate about ending the U.S. Senate filibuster. Strong arguments that support preserving the filibuster are grounded in sturdy principles and meaningful tradition. But it is worth pondering whether those Republican senators favoring the status quo are also tiring of President Trump’s locomotion and would rather see him politically weakened.

It is easier for a content Republican senator to sit still with current Senate rules than to tussle with Trump. Persuasion requires action compared to haughty lounging in a Senate cloakroom. This observation lends credence to the president’s lament that he must sometimes lead by pulling the Republican Party along with him.

It appears that in elements of the Right, a more purist view of policy and politics has long disfavored President Trump. A consequence of this position is that it greatly downplays the importance of shrewdness in public office.

That is not the same as being moderate or a RINO. It means properly understanding political tactics, risk, and situational awareness in trying to implement policy and law. Conservatives routinely criticize the left for not grasping the private sector or having run a business. But elements on the Right are doing the same in critiquing their own colleagues as if we live at a think tank retreat, observing more and acting less. Practical citizens do not have that luxury. President Trump understands that and has the scars to prove it.

The good news is we know what a unified Republican party can accomplish. Just look to the 2010 midterm Tea Party wave, the 2014 Senate flip from Harry Reid to the GOP, the 2018 Brett Kavanaugh confirmation, the 2024 presidential election, and the recent Democrat capitulation in the Senate.

There will be other scenarios that require political maneuvering and will. That does not mean the country is turning left, nor is the Republican Party. It just means conservatives must put up a political fight with guts and guile, advancing in motion an agenda that is still plainly opposite to liberal aims.

Einstein also said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” Conservatives should heed this maxim. President Trump has shown that a dynamic forward momentum, still mindful of values but not paralyzed by inaction, is the way for Republicans to engage the opposition. Sometimes the only way forward is through.

Alan Loncar is an attorney in Macomb County, Michigan.