Conservatism is a Thing and it Needs to be Conserved- No Exceptions!

The revelation that Elon Musk fathered another child with a much younger conservative influencer, should remind us that conservatism is more than talking points. It's lived out and is worth conserving

Ashley St. Clair, a top-tier conservative influencer and former “brand ambassador” for Turning Point USA, recently revealed on Valentine’s Day that about five months ago, she gave birth to a child. While on the bright side she is not a surrogate, lesbian, or trans-man giving birth, but in other real ways she is also not a model of conservative behavior. She is not married to the father, none other than Elon Musk, who is now the proud father of thirteen children with many women, none of whom he is married to.

Conservatives, ever the champions of life, congratulated Ms. St. Clair upon her sharing the news, which was a kind of rush job as she was attempting to get ahead of a tabloid bent on breaking this news story. Moral and social conservatives, including Jack and Tonya Posobiec, Peachy Keenan, and Lila Rose all congratulated Ms. St. Clair on partaking in what is currently one of the worst cultural stains in America; voluntary single motherhood.

Now, I can understand if X is not the place to shame and scold Ms. St. Clair for out-of-wedlock sex and single parenthood. But aside from thanking her for choosing life, should we say nothing at all? After all, we routinely blame many of our social ills on the fact that children are raised in a home where the father is not around.

Children born into homes without fathers tend to commit more crimes, are more likely to end up jail, and complete less education. This is a core argument that Charlie Kirk makes when confronted by campus leftists who want the government to solve the problems of poor education, poverty, and high arrest rates in the black community.

Charlie Kirk rightly points out that the government can’t be expected to solve a problem that must be solved in the home. Young adults should desire to bring children into the world as a man and woman, and as husband and wife. This means that they should wait until marriage to have sex. It is God’s plan, and it works.

But when a conservative influencer and perhaps one of our greatest heroes of the conservative movement together produce a child out of wedlock, we ignore that? No shame for him or her? No ostracizsation? Not even a “tsk tsk?”

I know it is a double standard, but the unfair truth is that Elon will likely be forgiven. He can surely afford the alimony, and the women seem happy for their children to have his genes and a potential piece of his fortune as part of the equation. But aside from Lil X, Musk doesn’t seem particularly invested in the day-to-day lives of his children, and in the culture of The Godfather, that makes him less of a “man.”

If we are to be consistent, he must be considered responsible for his actions and at least partially responsible for the fruits of his parenting. For example, most are aware that one of his sons has become enamored with the transgender craze and is currently “transitioning.” We all benefit from that brokenness red-pilling Elon in real time. But it is a tragic circumstance that was probably avoidable if Elon had been more of a traditional father and paid more attention to his kids.

But I get it. He’s not a traditional guy. He’s the “Edison of our day.” Fine. So we continue to view him as a “time-deprived” genius who simultaneously builds EVs, puts men on Mars, and works to downsize the Federal bureaucracy.

But what about her? Did she intend to get pregnant knowing all of that? Did she care? Just as in the case of abortion, it’s not the child’s fault, so I am happy he is in the world and I’m sure the child will have all he ever needs. Unlike many of the children who are born out of wedlock, this baby will never miss a meal.

But our argument against single parenthood isn’t merely about resources. It’s that children should be conceived and reared in a safe and loving home with both a mother and a father. That is the conservative/Biblical ideal. Men and women are different and complementary, and children are entitled to receive the best from both. To knowingly deny that expectation is certainly not in keeping with conservative values.

It is the bedrock of conservative social philosophy and an important Christian truth that the family is the building block for all of society, that God ordained it and blessed it, and that our life’s great work is building and nurturing the family. While it is true that Ms. St. Clair and Mr. Musk have never been moral/social conservative champions, those congratulating Ms. St. Clair on her new single parenthood are (I‘m looking at you, Lila Rose…).

What should conservatives have to say about this whole sordid mess? Given the messiness of politics and the good that various influencers and certainly Mr. Musk are accomplishing, I can understand those who wish to avoid making a huge deal about this arrangement. But I cannot understand why social and/or political conservatives are openly congratulating her for doing the very thing we criticize others for. While she can probably afford to raise the child on her own; there is no doubt that the child deserves better, and to be raised in a family with both a mother and a father. Ms. St. Clair, as well as the rest of us, should know better. And more specifically, so should the rest of Conservative X.

Photo Credit: TMZ