Here we are again, in the heat of another presidential primary battle. We’ve been here before. PJ Media (originally known as Pajamas Media) launched in 2003 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. George W. Bush was president at the time. Since then, we’ve covered five presidential primary elections and the general elections that followed. Some of them, like Bush’s reelection bid, were rather noncontroversial (at the time, at least). Others, like the 2016 primary, were absolutely wild.
Looking back on that turbulent year, our readers and writers were all over the place. In the beginning, very few thought Trump would make it out of the primary. Some favored Trump, others Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio. Still others wanted John Kasich to win the primary. (Ok, that was only like three people, but we see you!) Many of our writers went through several candidates before voting in the primaries.
We had robust internal debates about who the GOP candidate should be. Our Slack channel was LIT UP some days, with fingers burning up keyboards as people defended their favorites. Even though the discussions were heated, we remained civil and remained friends through it all.
Eventually, nearly everyone on our team consolidated behind Trump. The same thing happened in our comments section. If you were here then, you know the debates were often fierce — and sometimes not very polite. PJ Media has always had an active comments section, and that still holds today.
We believe honest debate is what separates us from the Left, which forces conformity and doesn’t tolerate the slightest deviation from The Narrative.
Which brings us to the current GOP primary. At this point in the contest, readers and writers vary widely in their feelings about the candidates who have thrown their hats into the presidential ring. And that’s ok. We don’t shy away from debates because we know they make us stronger.
So let’s have those conversations. Let’s fight it out on the pages of PJ Media and in the comments section. Unlike other sites, I don’t dictate what our contributors must write and don’t tell them what to think. Most of our readers appreciate that. I recognize that some would prefer a unified message right now, a year out from the primary, and that’s ok. But that’s not who we are. That’s not who we’ve ever been.
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I can promise you this: If you’re a VIP member contributing to our comments section, we won’t censor you — unless you’re trafficking in racism, anti-semitism, calls for violence, etc. Let’s keep it classy, ok?
I also promise that, as editor of PJ Media, I will not put my thumb on the scales. I have my own personal views but respect those who don’t share them. I hope you can find it in your heart to do the same! Again, we’re stronger when we have debates and disagreements. There will be plenty of time to consolidate behind the eventual nominee, but for now, let’s have it out — and let’s enjoy the freedom we have to speak out without fear.
If you’d like to be part of the conversation and join in the fierce debates that have already begun in the comments section, we’d love for you to join our community by becoming a VIP member. You’ll get lots of cool benefits, like live chats with our contributors and exclusive articles and podcasts. But in my mind, the best part of VIP is the opportunity to discuss the issues that matter to you with readers who (mostly!) share your conservative views.
What should the GOP look like in 2023? What does the conservative movement value right now? Those are questions that need to be asked and debated. Unlike other sites, I encourage our writers to participate in the commenting community. We get to talk at you all the time, but we want it to be a two-way conversation.
At the end of the day, we MUST beat the Democrats in 2024. We can’t afford to get distracted if we want to leave a sane, prosperous country to our kids and grandkids.
If you’d like to sign up for PJ Media, use the promo code SAVEAMERICA for a 50% discount on your membership. I’m looking forward to seeing you in the comments section! Sign up here.
I’m excited for 2024. Let’s do this!
