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To Save Conservatism
If one believes conservatism is the only cure for what ails the nation, then 2016 is a bleak year. We have before us a choice of a dedicated leftist whose entire public life has been dedicated to the destruction of our republic (and replacing it with yet another European-styel socialist welfare state), or a guy who can be charitably described as “not a conservative.” Because Hillary Clinton is such a well known statist and a threat to our way of life, it would seem obvious that the only viable option for conservatives would be to oppose her with everything they have. Under any normal set of circumstances that would be exactly the right course of action. Indeed, many have claimed that it’s so obviously correct that there can be no other argument. Ben Shapiro, however, takes a different view:
That brings us to the real reason to oppose Trump’s candidacy: the attempt to turn the conservative movement into a nationalist populist one, complete with shilling for Trump’s incomprehensible decisions and statements. If you believe that the only solution to America’s problems is true conservatism, your greatest fear is not a Hillary presidency: It’s the perversion of the conservative movement itself, the corruption of conservatism in favor of power. Hillary Clinton’s presidency does not snuff out conservatism, even though it provides a serious danger to the republic. Trump’s presidency does.
I share this view. Conservatism is the solution to our problems. Not voting for Trump increases the likelihood of for four more years of an anti-conservative president who will do everything she can to obstruct conservative ideas and policies. However, a vote for Trump is a vote against conservatism itself. If conservatism has outlived its usefulness and must pass then so be it, but I cannot take an active part in bludgeoning it to death while it still draws breath. Hillary is just another external threat against which we have established defenses. Trump represents an internal rot eating away the very foundation of what America is and what we fight to conserve.
Published in General
This is a great point and I think supports the notion that Republicans wish a big government strongman in charge, just not the one on offer.
Jumping to conclusions is a good one for leg day.
Truth, and that’s something conservatives have stood athwart within the party for decades. Now we have strongman politics in both major parties.
Lemme’ see here…
It win the Cold War, rolled back the Iron Curtain, freed tens of millions from Communist slavery, cowed the Iranians and spread freedom and liberty across the globe. It rolled back confiscatory taxes, liberated the domestic economy, surged new business development and employment and ignited the largest peacetime economic expansion in history.
Oh … And did it all while fighting off the same GOP establishment that hated Reagan and his ‘kamikazee conservatives’ … And a Congress controlled by Democrats.
Indeed. Trumpism is a movement largely fueled by intense hatred of the Republican Party. Its their bogeymen. A vote for Trump is nothing less that an affirmation of hatred of the Republican Party and a desire for Trump to take it over and demolish whats left of it, as Democrats will capitalize on Trumpist fueled chaos and hatred of Republicans. Basically, you’re voting for the Party’s destruction.
Meanwhile, if Trump loses big, Trumpist self destruction of the Republican Party is dead, and we can go back to engaging voters on conservative issues, in hopes for resurgence in 2018 and 2020.
Most of your list is composed of Supreme Court rulings. Try to imagine the tenor of the Court had Reagan’s nomination of Bork to the Court not been undermined by a handful of go-along-to-get-along Republicans. Conservative Bork instead of Kennedy.
Our current tax code (primarily personal income tax), although far from perfect in my ideal world, has to be considered a permanent victory for conservatives. When was the last time you heard a Democrat mention anything about increasing taxes on the middle class or the non-wealthy? Obama’s plan during both campaigns was to make it very clear that taxes would not go up for 98% of folks. I have plenty of issues with his tax plan and the current tax code but it is delusional to think that Dems would be singing this tune in the absence of conservatives and republicans’ 30 year relentless effort on this front. Now the Dems want Sweden like spending without Sweden like taxes but it is a permanent victory nonetheless.
Adressed already how none of that is “lasting”
I’m afraid I see no solution here. Unless the GOP is able to oust Trump, we’re not only stuck with this guy (and a Clinton presidency as a result), but a likely switch of the republican majority in both houses of Congress (not to mention SCOTUS). I’ve read some conservative pundits proclaim that we can recover after this kind of devastating loss. I’m not convinced. The Dems will do everything in their power to ensure the end of the conservative movement. Time for our party elders to stage an intervention and switch our candidate for someone who could beat Hillary. It may already be too late judging from the growing number of republicans who are bailing this quickly sinking ship. Quelle disastre!
By 2020 it won’t matter anymore. The republic is dead by then.
Hey … Sorry we couldn’t freeze those days I n amber for you. But things change. Most importantly, the Party renounced those ‘kamikazee conservatives’ and their thinking in 1988 in favor of something ‘kinder and gentler’ and later for something ‘compassionate’. Whatever it was it was not the conservatism that came before … Though ACTUAL conservatism’s success had been so great that for marketing purposes the Party leadership appended its name to themselves and their hyphenated philosophies.
That marketing effort succeeded to the point that people now associate the likes of Boehner, McConnell, and Graham with conservatism and conclude that ‘conservativism failed’. Rubbish. Conservatism succeeded spectacularly. Then the hyphenators abandoned it. They shun it and the remaining ‘kamikazee conservatives’ to this day.
That brings us to the real reason to oppose Trump’s candidacy: the attempt to turn the conservative movement into a nationalist populist one, complete with shilling for Trump’s incomprehensible decisions and statements. If you believe that the only solution to America’s problems is true conservatism, your greatest fear is not a Hillary presidency: It’s the perversion of the conservative movement itself, the corruption of conservatism in favor of power. Hillary Clinton’s presidency does not snuff out conservatism, even though it provides a serious danger to the republic. Trump’s presidency does.
Best explanation of the Never Trumpers I have read to date. I’m not sure I agree with it, but I appreciate where they are coming from.
I’m not entirely convinced he’ll lose. Nothing this year is certain, and the depth and breadth of his support has been underestimated at every turn. I wouldn’t be surprised if he absolutely embarrassed Hillary in November. All that being said, to what end? I have absolutely no idea what America after 4 years of Trump will look like. We could have a giant wall on the border. The world could be at peace. There could be great prosperity. The SCOTUS could be conservative for the next generation. Or, just as likely, Trump will discover the limits of his power over 535 legislators who must pander and answer to their own constituencies.
I’d love for Hillary to go down in flames with the beating she’s wanted to give Bill all these years. I’d love for Trump to appoint the next Scalia (better yet, the next Thomas), but I don’t know that he’d even recognize a conservative jurist (he has no clue what constitutionalism or conservatism is) or that he would understand how to shepherd one through the confirmation process against an angry and hostile Democrat minority or majority Senate.
Man, to believe this I have to go all in with Mencken on the stupidity of the American people. At some point someone is going to have to stop making empty promises and just run as a grown up and propose solutions that would actually work. And spell out the costs. Might be refreshing. Our problems loom large enough, I should think.
Is this strictly logical? But yes, the probably have some effect greater than zero but only at the margin of the margin.
That sounds like my anger about nothing lasting that is directed at the GOP leadership of the 2000’s is justified.
I rather think the effect of pundits at National Review is greater than the margin of the margin on conservative voters. I guess we just have to disagree, since I don’t know how to prove it.
It’s already dead – it elected Obama twice. And then nominated Trump. There’s no stopping what’s coming, being prepared for the reboot is all we can do.
Your anger at GOP Leadership is entirely justified. And had you said that the RINO/GOPe had squandered the triumphs of actual, Unhyphenated conservativism I’d have said “Amen!” But you implied that conservatism itself had failed and I’lltake issue with that every time.
Good conversation … Have a great weekend!