Friday, January 22, 2016

National Review says NO to Trump

I said a few weeks back that it's time to expose the truth about Donald Trump. His record, his rhetoric, his leanings, nothing about them are conservative, folks. And it's past time for Americans of principle and value to come to terms with that, understand it, and find the better candidate.

Now, the National Review has assembled a symposium of conservatives to spread this message even more bluntly...

NR: Donald Trump leads the polls nationally and in most states in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. There are understandable reasons for his eminence, and he has shown impressive gut-level skill as a campaigner. But he is not deserving of conservative support in the caucuses and primaries. Trump is a philosophically unmoored political opportunist who would trash the broad conservative ideological consensus within the GOP in favor of a free-floating populism with strong-man overtones.

 Trump’s political opinions have wobbled all over the lot. The real-estate mogul and reality-TV star has supported abortion, gun control, single-payer health care à la Canada, and punitive taxes on the wealthy. (He and Bernie Sanders have shared more than funky outer-borough accents.) Since declaring his candidacy he has taken a more conservative line, yet there are great gaping holes in it.



Then from the Trump defenders, we're typically called 'purists' for desiring to hold to conservative principles. And the detachment of the two, as we've seen in the Washington Cartel the majority of this century thus far and danced around/over/on by Trump, is doing such wonders? Of course not.

Never mind that, though. The Republican establishment has now embraced Trump, with the usual McConnell crew piling on, warning of a revolt should Cruz win. Then of course, the Donald responds to NationReview with his usual conflicted vitriol, followed by the RNC expelling the magazine from co-hosting the next debate...followed by more Trump boasting...
TRS: I really think this is a bad development, but I understand why they think it’s necessary. National Review has long been a haven and inspiration for the conservative movement, to cut it out of a debate for the GOP primary seems like a turning away from our principles and traditional right-wing institutions. But then that’s what Trump is all about…
Levin asked last night, "why not ask him about his past donations to Sen. Harry Reid, previous support of amnesty or support of Syrian refuges?" Nope, not allowed to without being shouted down or shut down by the Trumpsters. And again I have to ask, this campaign is about principled conservatism? No way, not buying it...

 Related links: The GOP establishment is blinded by their hatred of Ted Cruz
GOP Senators Have Knicker-Twisting Party At the Thought Of A Ted Cruz Candidacy
GOP Warms to Donald Trump in Anybody-But-Cruz Fervor
The GOP Establishment Goes All In For Donald Trump
Posted by an ebb and flow at 1:33 PM