The following video seems to explain pretty well how woke Democrats took over most institutions. I've paraphrased the video below. But I don't really favor conservatism either, even though that's what the video favors. I'm more like a liberal libertarian. I favor liberal economic policies of government spending for the poor along with libertarian policies of no taxation - also liberal political policies of human rights and libertarian policies of freedom and privacy. I'm not conservative except in wanting to conserve liberal/libertarian policies that our society was founded on.
The Power of Patronage
youtube.com/watch?v=KUNVwRhAlC8 {The following is paraphrased.}
Conservatives rush from issue to issue chasing whatever the media dangles in front of them, using facts, logic and well-constructed arguments to do battle in the marketplace of ideas. Yet, Republicans continue to lose, because they don't understand political loyalty. In a "democracy", people support those who provide them with benefits. The reason Democrats are such strong supporters of woke ideology is that it "delivers the goods".
Patronage is one of the most ancient and powerful bonds of political organization. The patron provides protection, material rewards and access to clients/voters and clients provide patrons political support via votes and campaign donations. Democrats are proud to use this model, while Conservatives reject it as a violation of their principles, thus denying themselves a powerful tool for building their power.
When woke Democrats create another front in the "Civil Rights" Revolution, it's not just to advance their ideology, but to seek profit. Redefining marriage and redefining "woman" are battles that require massive funding. New "infrastructure" is created as universities open academic departments to develop studies for each new front and NGOs are founded to employ activists. Media campaigns, concerts, movies and Foundations profit by "raising awareness" for each new Crusade.
There is a religious fervor in this advancement of ideology, but behind it is a network of activists and academics who are cashing checks. They are "clients" who owe their status and income to the woke machine. That's why they are willing to go to extremes in public to promote the cause. It's a party to them.
The wokes have a vast network of support due to capturing most public institutions, of which the education system is one of the most powerful. Teachers unions realize that the Democratic Party (DP) keeps its leaders in power and its members employed. So they make sure their members stay aligned with their ideology. Few conservatives can get a college degree if they express their views.
Government employees have an obvious incentive to seek the expansion of government power and bureaucracy. With this growth of government comes an increase in government jobs, benefits and status. The DP's commitment to this expansion wins their loyalty from most public sector employees. Naturally, bureaucrats who hire employees will hire those who are politically like-minded. Thus, the State Department, FBI, CIA etc become staffed by members of the Democratic Party and this results in the monolithic control of the "deep state".
Political patronage has also resulted in large corporations coming under DP control by regulating them to have HR or Human Resource departments that help prevent "discrimination" against wokes, as well as ensuring that staff and employees accept woke dogma to keep their jobs.
Most people aren't cynical enough to adopt ideology for a paycheck, but they will naturally invest in the system they depend on for status and income. Woke ideology provides the easiest way to climb the social hierarchy and obtain good income. People will naturally give their loyalty to such patrons without worrying about logical contradictions. Facts lose to feelings and cold hard cash every time.
Conservatives need to have their own patronage networks. They already are good at funding some institutions like think tanks, but they need to go much further. Efforts by some to decouple the education system from the DP patronage network is a good start.
This next video also explains how patronage networks have long existed and how they have achieved power. The title is "Patronage and Power" at youtube.com/watch?v=j9yo7khCleA
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS.
This next video explains why Totalitarianism will always fail. The bad news is that it temporarily does great harm. It's called "Why The Managerial Elite Are Doomed" at youtube.com/watch?v=QZzwdrUuZrc&t=43s. Same author as for the first one above.