Protecting conservatism from Trump

[Perd Hapley]

How's that workin' out for ya?

In his column in the New York Times last week, NeverTrumper Bret Stephens called Governor Hogan “a serious and meaningful alternative to the corroded conservatism we have in Washington today.” Apparently non-corroded conservatism means being an “institutionalist” who is pro-gun control, anti-fracking, pro-Paris Climate Accord, and pro-abortion because these are all policies that Hogan supports. “Even if Trump didn’t run, he would get more votes than Hogan,” scoffed our publisher, Chris Buskirk, at the idea of a Hogan candidacy.

So, three years after the nation’s leading conservative outlet published a lengthy appeal to purge Donald Trump from its ranks, the president has an 80 percent approval rating among American conservatives. Trump has cut taxes; restrained the regulatory behemoth; appointed a legacy bench of conservatives federal judges; challenged lazy, ungrateful allies; rewritten outdated trade pacts; confronted a chronic border crisis; and reinvigorated the country’s manufacturing base. He’s defended the unborn, the working class, the patriotic, and the faithful while rejecting the stultifying chokehold of identity politics.

Meanwhile, his so-called conservative detractors are scrounging for primary challengers that sound more like Barack Obama than William F. Buckley, Jr. The damage they’ve done to the modern-day conservative movement will long outlast Trump’s presidency.

https://amgreatness.com/2019/01/28/against-trump-three-years-later/

I don't follow NeverTrump commentary enough to know if the author paints an accurate portrait of them, but they certainly don't look any better than Trump.

[MechAg94]

One way to look at Trump is he is the worst President we could have, but he is still better than all the other likely choices.  Most politicians are all about perception and style.  I think with Trump, you have to forget about perception and look at the final results.  He uses perception as a tool to get results. 

[DittoHead]

I can't really speak for the NeverTrumpers, I never considered myself one. However I'm also definitely not one of those nutty anti-NeverTrumpers, which is why I am the (self-declared) leader of the Contra-Anti-NeverTrump movement.  My goal is to take the "circular firing squad" concept to a higher level - haven't decided yet if that should be a "golden spiral of self destruction" or a "sphere of self immolation". 

It seems like the Republican party certainly has some issues to work through. Gonna be messy but the Dems have similar splintering problems, hard to say how it will all play out. I don't think a primary challenger to Trump has a real shot, I doubt they'd do much harm either though. Between the Trump circus and the Dem primary circus I don't think anyone could garner much attention.

[Perd Hapley]

I can't really speak for the NeverTrumpers, I never considered myself one. However I'm also definitely not one of those nutty anti-NeverTrumpers, which is why I am the (self-declared) leader of the Contra-Anti-NeverTrump movement.  My goal is to take the "circular firing squad" concept to a higher level - haven't decided yet if that should be a "golden spiral of self destruction" or a "sphere of self immolation". 

Three-dimensional firing squad.

[Scout26]

"An Awesome Ballet of Death" [/Ron Swanson voice]

 

[Scout26]

Ummmmm,

Appointed two originalists to the USSC and has appointed many, many Federalist Society Judges to lower courts.

Eliminated a metric buttload of regulations.

Passed Tax Reform, lowering tax rates, and simplifying returns for millions of people.

Actively working on improving southern border security.


Ok. He has not reduced .gov spending.


So aside from that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play, how is he not a "conservative"??

[Ron]

Ummmmm,

Appointed two originalists to the USSC and has appointed many, many Federalist Society Judges to lower courts.

Eliminated a metric buttload of regulations.

Passed Tax Reform, lowering tax rates, and simplifying returns for millions of people.

Actively working on improving southern border security.


Ok. He has not reduced .gov spending.


So aside from that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play, how is he not a "conservative"??

He has been more conservative than both Bush’s and (heresy!) Reagan.

[MechAg94]

He has been more conservative than both Bush’s and (heresy!) Reagan.

And Reagan wasn't all that pro-gun either.

Most of the negative comments I hear from "conservatives" about Trump usually center around his style, his behavior, and they just don't like him personally.  I am unlikely to ever meet the guy so it is the final results I care about.  I just hope the moderate Republicans in Congress don't stand in the way to getting good results going forward.

[Pb]

All I have got to say is the immigration is an existential threat to conservatism.

Trump is the only one who appears to be sort of trying to do something about it.