As long as Republicans allow unreciprocated decency to stand in the way of victory, they will be losers forever. And, right now, the leader of the losers is Attorney General William Barr.

In the weeks before Election Day, Barr reportedly instructed prosecutors and senior colleagues to prevent the Department of Justice's (DoJ) investigation into Hunter Biden’s brand of corruption and crony capitalism from leaking to the public. His goal was to “keep the Justice Department out of campaign politics,” although Biden’s transgressions are directly relevant to a presidential election featuring his father. Ultimately, Barr sat silent as the left-leaning mainstream media disregarded the Hunter story and labeled Trump supporters as kooks, while social media’s “woke” elites censored it.

Even as President-elect Joe Biden lied to defend his son, Barr refused to speak up. His silence signaled that Biden was olly olly oxen free.

Magically, along with a COVID-19 vaccination cure, the end of the 2020 election means that Americans are only now learning about the DoJ investigation and Hunter’s shady “tax affairs.” Not only that, but the Hunter investigation began in 2018. That’s right: Two years ago.

We true believers in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness once again find ourselves at a crossroads. Do we defend Attorney General Barr and his commitment to “America First” principles or simply dismiss him? If you take the creature out of the swamp, can you take the swamp out of the creature?

If Democrats were in power, would they have revealed a DoJ investigation into President Trump’s tax affairs? To gain an advantage on Election Day?

Of course. Even Democrats cannot deny that. This is the same party that impeached President Trump over unfounded allegations of “Russian collusion.” Disclosing a DoJ inquiry would have certainly been fair game. To quote White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, “All [Barr] had to do is say an investigation is going on.”

Alas, Barr’s failure is a perfect illustration of why Republicans have lost in academia, sports, Hollywood, corporate America, and the rest of it. It shows why we will continue to lose presidential elections and legislative battles.

Going to extreme lengths, Democrats fight dirty to win. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), understood this when he repeatedly lied about President Trump’s relationship with the Kremlin. Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) understood this when he lied about then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s tax returns in 2012. When grilled about his false claims in 2017, Reid simply responded, “Romney didn’t win, did he?”

Democrats win because they understand this fundamental concept: “There is such a gap between how one lives and how one should live that he who neglects what is being done for what should be done will learn his destruction rather than his preservation.”

How many Republican poll watchers are willing to cover up windows, so Democrats can’t see ballots counted? How many Republican ballot counters are willing to put Democratic votes in the trunk of a car?

How many right-leaning magazine editors are willing to hold back and not critique the Republican president a year out from the election? How many right-leaning cable networks are willing to systematically kick off liberal voices leading up to Election Day? How many establishment Republicans elected locally are willing to cleanse their bureaucracies of left-wing hacks?

Although President Trump was a masterful executive whose “America First” policies rejuvenated the Republican Party, his gains will be short-lived if other Republicans refuse to battle Democrats in the trenches. I would trade in President Trump’s entire term if Republicans could learn just one lesson from their president -- how to fight dirty.

The likelihood of Hunter being prosecuted under a Biden administration is one percent. The likelihood of a conviction is even lower. The likelihood of a presidential pardon for Hunter, however, is close to 100 percent. Once the Biden administration gains control of the DoJ, investigations into the Trump orbit are likely to follow, and Americans will certainly hear of them. Therein lies the difference between success and failure or a Democrat and a Republican.

Facebook, Google, and Twitter (read: the Democratic Party) have no reason to start playing nice, when their lies are rewarded with victory after victory. If Republicans do not quickly learn how to boycott, “peacefully” protest, and destroy the character of their Democratic opponents -- even if it means lying to the liberal media -- they will continue to be losers forever. It’s time for a fiercer, more furious Republican Party.

Autry Pruitt serves as CEO of New Journey PAC, which is dedicated to improving the lives of African-Americans and exposing the lies of the Democratic Party.

Image: Vikram Gupchup