Why Making a Difference Matters More than Making a Point

Let’s get something straight right out of the gate: Principles matter. Standing up for what you believe in matters. Without principles, you’re a windsock in a political hurricane. But let’s also acknowledge a truth that isn’t always popular with keyboard warriors: There’s a fine, delicate line between being principled and condemning anyone who doesn’t live up to your idea of perfection.

And no one, absolutely no one, gets crucified over that line more than Donald J. Trump.

See, the left calls him a dictator when he’s decisive. The right calls him weak when he isn’t decisive enough. If he acts too quickly, he’s reckless. If he pauses to read the room, he’s a sellout. It’s a no-win game for a man trying to play the long game and win the war, not just every social media battle.

Remember when he met with Kim Jong Un? Critics from the right screamed, “How could you sit down with a tyrant?” But what did Trump do? He reduced the North Korean threat and brought them to the negotiating table — not with missiles, but with muscle diplomacy. The left hated him for talking to a dictator. The right hated him for not bombing one. And yet, for a season, the nuclear missiles stopped flying.

That’s wisdom. That’s restraint. That’s what leadership looks like when you’re more interested in securing a victory than scoring a soundbite.

And take Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a man of deep faith, constitutional grounding and unshakable conviction. But you’d think from listening to some conservatives, right here in his home district, that he betrayed the entire MAGA movement simply because he understood the math of governing (with the slimmest Republican majority in history).

He took arrows from his own side, not because he abandoned his principles, but because he moved forward with bipartisan spending compromises to avoid a government shutdown. And when he did, the purity police pounced. “He sold out!” they cried. “He caved to the swamp!”

Really? Or did he keep the House together, avoid political suicide and live to fight another day?

Here’s the question I pose to those conservatives who feel Trump or Johnson aren’t conservative enough at times: Do you want to make a point, or do you want to make a difference?

Because those aren’t always the same thing.

And, unfortunately, the crowd chanting, “Be more principled!” often doesn’t realize that effective leadership sometimes looks like compromise, sometimes like restraint. Not because you’ve given in, but because you’ve wised up.

And when Speaker Johnson fought to claw back billions in foreign aid and secure wins for the America First agenda, those same critics suddenly got quiet. Because guess what? He delivered.

Now look, I get it. We all want leaders who stand tall. We all want to believe there’s someone who won’t flinch. But we forget: Standing tall isn’t about never bending. It’s about not breaking. It’s about choosing when to flex, and when to hold the line until the enemy has exhausted themselves.

And isn’t that exactly how it works in your own life?

You parents out there, you know what I’m talking about. There are times when your kid needs discipline, structure and clarity. But then there are times when you let them make a choice — even a mistake — because the lesson learned is more valuable than the rule enforced. That doesn’t mean you’ve compromised your values. It means you understand the difference between making a point and making a parent.

In marriage, how many arguments end in silence because both people just wanted to be right, instead of being reconciled? You stood your ground, all right — but did it fix the problem or just fracture the relationship?

Many of you supported Trump in the first place, not because he’s a poster boy for political purity, but because he’s results-driven. He gets things done. He may not take the path you prefer, but you can bet your last dollar he’s heading in the direction of victory for America.

And if you want to know the difference between a principled leader and one looking for attention, ask yourself: Did they move the ball down the field? Did they leave the situation better than they found it?

You see, being principled doesn’t mean you burn every bridge. It means you build the right ones. Because if you’re so pure that no one can walk with you, you’ll be leading a movement of one.

In the end, it’s the finish that matters. So, the next time you’re tempted to criticize someone like Trump or Speaker Johnson because they didn’t go full scorched-earth on their enemies, ask yourself: Did they advance the cause? Did they make life better for the American people?

If the answer is yes, then maybe that’s the only principle we really need to stand on.

Louis R. Avallone is a Shreveport businessman, attorney and author of “Bright Spots, Big Country, What Makes America Great.” He is also a former aide to U.S. Representative Jim McCrery and editor of The Caddo Republican. His columns have appeared regularly in 318 Forum since 2007. Follow him on Facebook, on Twitter @louisravallone or by e-mail at louisavallone@mac.com, and on American Ground Radio at 101.7FM and 710 AM, weeknights from 6 - 7 p.m., and streaming live on keelnews.com.