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How Going Against Trump Affected Erick Erickson
Erick Erickson has been called one of the most powerful conservatives in America. He hosts the radio show “Atlanta’s Evening News with Erick Erickson” on WSB-AM and has guest hosted “The Rush Limbaugh Show.” Erick previously served as the editor-in-chief and CEO of the conservative political blog RedState, now runs the conservative website The Resurgent, and is a political contributor for CNN and Fox News. He took a stand against Donald Trump, even disinviting him to a Red State candidate forum. He speaks frankly about receiving threats during the 2016 election while battling serious family health issues, the alt-right, and political correctness. Erick, who is currently completing his Master’s of Divinity, analyzes cultural conservatism and the “church wing” of the Republican party and whether it had an impact in 2016. Where is he now on Trump? Watch to learn what’s changed. (Filmed aboard the 2016 Post Election Weekly Standard Cruise.)
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Thanks Q. I originally cheered for Rubio, but doesn’t mean I didn’t vote for Trump. I wasn’t #NeverTrump, in fact considered myself #SCOTUSTrump. And I absolutely agree with your last point. Well said.
There’s no rehabilitation or exoneration happening here, nor is anyone ignoring the agenda as each person interviewed were asked multiple questions about what they hope for in the Trump Administration. Each individually wants Trump to be successful in regards to our shared conservative values.
For those who don’t know me, I wasn’t Never Trump. Mea culpa, like many, I had valid concerns which made me believe he couldn’t win, but hoped he would and was pleasantly surprised when he did. The conservative election night event-turned giddy celebration party I attended was an evening I’ll always remember.
If Ricochet is a place to discuss politics then this is the place to understand people of good faith who voiced their reservations before the election. After all, they were and are still Conservatives. If we exile those who are read or listened to by millions simply because we disagreed with them I would respectfully suggest that may be short sighted for both the next election and long term future.
We can see how well balkanization worked for the Left.
Lacks rational basis.
@davesussman
You earn your way back. When you lose credibility , you earn it back the hard way. I predict at the first misstep of the new administration that the microphones will be in their faces from a media ready to pounce.
Let us see then if they will earn their way back. Until then, frankly, I do not care for what they have to say anymore.
Saying “Balkanization” and trying to get us to accept blame for it is a non starter. Some of us played for the side, and would have supported Cruz or Rubio if they had been the nominee. Ask the Balkanizers what they intend to do to earn their way back.
Agree. And I think the role model issue and similar doctrinal issues on fiscal matters and trade got too much weight by many who failed to support Trump after he captured the nomination. Now we can be sure that many of these same people will be on board and frequently for their own personal benefit. Trump has shown so far an ability to forget these things. I absolutely agree with Ericsson’s comment in the interview that two things need to happen early: take down the federal bureaucracy and get the right kind of justices on the Court.
Sincere question, TKC (as I butt in here). What kinds of things would help people earn their way back? I’m quite sincere. The reason I ask is if something goes sideways and a former anti-Trump person criticizes it, should they be discounted? Or are you just asking for people to keep it professional and rational (which I could seriously appreciate)?
Byron York: “From Charlie Sykes: It was the binary choicers, the birthers, the racists, the truthers, the alt-righties….”
This is moving forward?
I want them to take one for the team. When Reagan had Iran Contra explode, I am sure glad we had better team players than these guys for the media to pounce on.
I must be getting tired. (I’m not a big sports fan, either.) What kind of thing would happen and what kind of response would you like to see? Maybe something like finding out something about a Cabinet nominee that wasn’t vetted, and backing up Trump and his team as having made their best effort to vet the person? Rather than jumping all over him?
We agree, as usual. My dearly departed Texan husband would say of Eric Erickson, “He’s ten pounds lighter than a straw hat.” He is certainly not a major player in the Republican Party.
You have it. Just like the Democrats cover for their President when the news is bad.
My question to NeverTrumpers like Erickson is “What happened?”
By “NeverTrumpers like Erickson” I mean those who opposed Trump for very deeply felt moral and philosophical reasons, concerns for the deep and lasting damage Trump would visit on conservatism, and/or the mortal danger nuclear codes in Trump’s hands presented.
What happened?
Erickson is a thoughtful and spirited conservative. He wrote one of the most painfully honest (I thought at the time) pieces defending his NeverTrump position six weeks before the election: Here’s what I decided after pastors begged me to reconsider my NeverTrump stance.
How does this opposition have anything to do with “data”? And how could it be affected in any meaningful sense by 80,000 votes in four Midwestern states?
The man opposed Trump out of fear for the spiritual integrity of the church.
But like George Will, for whom Trump was a dagger in the heart of the Republic, all it took was Trump delivering a victory speech where he did not proclaim droit du seigneur and they were on board, ready to give Trump a new look.
I guess those of us who didn’t have to come to terms with Trump publicly should just count our blessings, which include the election of Mr. Trump last month.
Doc, @docjay just so we do not get cross wise, all my comments are referring to the professional pundit class. Private citizens I have no beef with.
The guys who made their living selling us on McMullin,Johnson or Hillary because …..Trump was …. just not our kind of people.
Everyday voters and citizens are fine.
Erik Erickson: “Evan McMullin: A Sane Alternative”
Wrong.
I have no problems with you handling your positions. I have some issues with some pundits too and have heaped some scorn on them. I’m going to judge them going forward on how they act.
Let’s be blunt, even though that is uncommon here.
The NeverTrumpers, whether pundits or merely interested private citizens, were wrong. Many abandoned and savaged the GOP in our time of need. They became infantilized and obsessed with their own internal conflicts and moral confusion. Narcissism on stilts. Now we waste precious white space and time here on Ricochet gazing into Erickson’s navel? He can apologize and reach out to us at his convenience. And, I mean apologize.
Without the NT’s interference and intemperate afflictions on our goal of running the manifestation of Satan out of power, without the 30 point headwind of our determined and captured socialist corporate media, and without the millions of false and illegal votes, Trump would have won by 70/30. So, please save your breath trying to rehabilitate toothless “conservatives” such as Erickson. These guys must lay in the bed they made. No crocodile tears from me for their current discomfort.
Can we move into the present and future now, unencumbered by these pseudo-intellectual losers? There are many important issues to air, and I’m more interested in the positive atmosphere and possibilities we now enjoy.
For example, I am looking forward to listing the Federal agencies that will cease to exist. If Rick Perry couldn’t remember the name of a particular department, maybe it should fade away; after all, it was only recently created by the now downgraded second-worst POTUS in history, Carter.
Happy Days Are Here Again!
It was the Republican Party, the same one that so many Trump supporters continue to demonize, that actually elected Trump. There were not enough avid Trump supporters to push him into office. This election hinged on the votes of a lot of reluctant Trump voters.
It really bothers me when Trump’s supporters call for the damnation of the old Republican Party. It is unfair.
He got a lot of votes just because he was at the top of the Republican ticket. It was the respect that the Republican Party has earned over its long hardworking history that helped Donald Trump win.
Just as a lot of people voted reluctantly for McCain and Romney.
It is exactly the same with Donald Trump.
That has yet to be determined. The opposition to Trump was not primarily about his chances of winning or losing, although that was a big concern. The primary concern was what he would do as president. At this point, I can imagine Trump doing really great things, but I can also see him doing to his party what Obama did to his, leave it a smoking ruin. I really hope that he’s good, or just okay, which would be a lot better than Hillary, but I don’t know what’s going to happen.
I actually listened to this so I could feel qualified to comment. Kudos to me.
Anyway, this was a nice job interviewing. I’m ashamed to admit after watching I don’t despise Erickson as much as I think I should. Nevertrumpers like him almost cost Trump the election. And I’m happy to see that he admits he has been wrong, so he
has come crawling back to the new master of the GOPwants to give Trump the benefit of the doubt going forward. Kudos to him. But he is still terribly wrong about terribly much.At about the 16:00 mark he says- condensing his remarks- that he hopes Trump abandons his protectionism because it’s not helpful. He then goes on to describe his surprise that some Americans of African descent called his show or told him in person that they were voting for Trump.
Ummm…
The key job of a political party is to get enough votes to take control of the government. Any campaign promise that convinces people to vote for a party- especially people who do not generally vote for that party- is helpful in completing job #1, winning control of the government.
Subsequently, you can screw up if you don’t keep your promises or your policies don’t work- but if you don’t get control of the government neither your promises nor your policies matter at all.
Why is this so hard for so many folks to understand?
Moving the goal posts. One could easily say that G.W. Bush begat Obama. In fact, I have. He failed to adequately defend himself an allowed toxic memes to spread. Or one could say that he was ill-advised to undertake the Iraq War and mission at all, fueling leftist antiwar politics which ultimately ushered in Obama.
These pundits cannot be vindicated no matter what. They got too many things wrong to now be granted the luxury of sitting back with arms folded waiting for mistakes by DJT.
The counterfactual – an HRC administration – will exist for the next 4 years. They can’t pretend otherwise. They can cruise around telling each other stories all they want. When they disembark from their fantasies, they still have to deal with reality.
# 50 continued
There’s no one in the GOP who held out from the 2000 election I can think of, but imagining there was such a faction, it would be absurd to grant them immunity once everyone saw the ultimate outcome of the war and subsequent electoral losses.
We must fight battles as they present themselves. These pundits aren’t warriors, they are armchair generals who not only have been proven wrong, they are proven to be cowardly and petty.
There was a strong anti-goldwater faction, which also became important to LBJs campaign.
Funny how “the media” think certain conservatives are powerful…when they attack other Republicans. Like “powerful” John McCain and “powerful” Lindsey Graham. You’ll never hear “powerful” Mike Lee or “powerful” Ben Sasse, I assure you. I’m sure Erick felt motivated to “protect” the conservative movement, but all that should have ended after the convention in order to prevent “powerful” Hillary Clinton from finishing off the country that Barack Obama became “fundamentally transforming” the USA into a middling wimpy behemoth with the false “red lines” and apology tours and bowing to despots. Good riddance.
He owes the President-elect an apology. To quote Ulysses S. Grant, after Fort Sumter, “There are but two parties now: traitors and patriots. And I want hereafter to be ranked with the latter and, I trust, the stronger party.” Get with the program, Erick.
I’m not convinced of that at all; I credit Trump supporters for correctly perceiving an opportunity with mid-western, rural whites (contrary to polling) that Trump was in the best position to exploit, but his warts also caused a hemorrhaging among whites with college educations. I still believe its more likely that “Trump was the only candidate who could lose against Hillary, and Hillary the only candidate who could lose against Trump.” That’s an exaggeration, of course, but I believe its more true than the theory that Trump was the only candidate who could beat Hillary.
I can understand ill feelings about his refusal to support Trump as the only means of stopping Hillary, but the election is over: the LAST thing we need now is uncritical support of the President-elect.
The election is over, but the fight is not. It’s just beginning. What constitutes “uncritical support” in your view?
What must first be understood is the nature and motivation(s) of the political enemy. Truly, I don’t believe the Nevers are fully cognizant of that, and are therefore in no position to separate their attacks and critiques from the left’s plans for political sabotage. These people need to first get right with this, and they probably won’t. So their criticism will be used by the left to forward the left’s agenda.
They will then continue to aggravate Trump supporters and permanently marginalize themselves. That’s not healing or coming together, that will just widen the split.
My view is that it won’t matter much what these folks like Kristol and George Will say, they are digging themselves a deeper hole.
Trump supporters are not retiring to their drawing rooms. This is still a very different election.
If “too many things wrong” means that Trump would lose the election, I’d agree. Otherwise, “too soon to tell” is a more appropriate characterization.
For me, the difference is quite simple: are they criticizing Trump on conservative grounds (which is needed), like Ben Shapiro (who has also noted when he believes Trump is doing something right, and has never stopped attacking the left), or are they validating leftist talking points, like Evan McMullin? I consider the first my ideological friend and ally whose electoral stance I disagreed with on risk assessment grounds (I didn’t disagree about Trump and his effect on movement conservatism, just on whether the country could survive four years of a Hillary regime with an Imperial Presidency, a lapdog Supreme Court, a Pravda media, a Red Guard Academia, and a bureaucratic shadow government). The latter I regard as a useful idiot for the left.
Edit: FWIW, Erick Erickson and the folks and RedState are on my personal blacklist for different reasons, I’m just giving my general stance on NeverTrump pundits.
I think its a forgone conclusion that he will be better than Hillary (or really just about any Democrat not named Webb at this juncture), but I share your worries about what will happen in 4-8 years.
Yes @marcin, but there was a lot of antagonism after the nomination from Republican insiders–very public and very loud — that we do not normally see. I credit Reince Preibus for finally holding everyone together.