For a conservative, it seemed that voting for Donald Trump or Joe Biden is an easy choice.
Or you could choose the person with good policies, which reduced government intervention in your daily life, so that you may prosper. All the rest was mere chaff.
It’s an existential question for a conservative in my opinion, and picking the other guy would lead to everything we’re seeing now. If you think about it in these simple terms, none of what has come from Biden — the bad policies, the authoritarianism — is a surprise. All of it should have been fought with every breath from anyone who claimed to believe in the principles of this country, or who claimed to be “conservative.”
That’s why it always seemed to me that the most ridiculous creatures were the professional Never Trump folks — who did it while claiming they were “conserving conservatism” or some such nonsense — while everything they did was centered on Trump and then resulted in pushing the country further to the radical left, despite their claimed beliefs.
So today, when I saw that there was infighting with The Bulwark’s Bill Kristol and Mona Charen blasting The Dispatch’s Jonah Goldberg, I thought it was pretty hilarious. What started it was Goldberg had finally stumbled upon an essential truth that seems to have eluded many Never Trump folks like those at The Bulwark and The Lincoln Project, the WaPo’s Jennifer Rubin, even folks at CNN, like Jim Acosta: they are completely defined by their connection to Donald Trump. Even as they whine to get rid of him, he’s essential to their very existence.
It is not a good idea to snipe on your allies. Jonah Goldberg’s Narcissism of Small Differences https://t.co/48hNZloDSt via @BulwarkOnline
— Mona Charen (@monacharen) October 13, 2021
Charen was furious at Goldberg’s comments. She was miffed that he seemed to be mired in “small differences” between them.
Goldberg isn’t conveying that spirit. Regarding The Bulwark, he said, “If you wake up every morning trying to argue about why Trump is bad and the people who like Trump are evil, you’re just as obsessed with him as the people who wake up every morning wanting to prove that Trump is a glorious statesman and everything he does is great.” Never Trump and pro-Trump publications, he continued, are “two sides of the same Trump-obsessed coin.”
It’s true. That’s awfully close to accusing The Bulwark of Trump Derangement Syndrome—an accusation that has often been lobbed at Goldberg by people who regard any criticism of El Jefe as treason.
It’s true, but? It’s a perfect definition of Never Trump. It’s even in the name which only exists with Trump in it.
Charen claims they aren’t just writing about Trump, but they are also inveighing against progressive ideas and urging Biden to tack to the center. The top three most popular pieces they have on their website are Trump-related. (Sorry! I was taking the hit for everyone and went to the site).
Do you think there are other options? There are. But here’s the problem with this argument. It isn’t what you say, it’s what you did. You helped Biden. So, if you’re upset he’s been more left than you anticipated, congratulations, here’s a clue. We could have told you that, but you didn’t listen. You could be told by anyone with an active brain. If you don’t realize dangerous that was, then you weren’t paying attention.
They don’t seem to understand how Joe Biden and the Democrats broke norms for the last nine months. That thing they were apparently upset about Trump? It doesn’t seem so. What is the way to know this? They’re still willing to give Democrats even more power, even urging people vote for a craven character like Terry McAuliffe, who doesn’t seem to believe that parents have a right to have a say in their children’s education.
Let’s look at what else Mona Charen had to say.
It may be a matter of importance. Kristol has said that in light of the Republican party’s lunatic spiral he’s hoping for Biden’s success (while also advising that Biden, you guessed it, tack to the center). I have written that in the Virginia governor’s race, I’m voting Democratic because the Republican is signaling his endorsement of the fiction that our elections are not legitimate. Sometimes, you have to lean towards one party over the next even though it’s uncomfortable. The only way to get Democrats to support centrist, popular policies is to not endorse Bernie Sanders’ agenda. It is quite the contrary. It isn’t a surrender of partisanship.
So, they’re lining up to make the very same mistake right again, making the decision to give Democrats more power, based on a false spin about what Youngkin has said. And if McAuliffe doesn’t believe in parents’ rights and drives the country further left, eh, not their fault, right?
Can we talk about how they didn’t apply this same standard to the Democrats? Stacey Abrams and Hillary Clinton were Democrats who wondered about the legitimacy or validity of their elections.
Not only that, but Clinton and the Democrats did something which should concern anyone who cares about election integrity and this country — weaponizing a false story about Russia collusion and using it to divide the country. They have been a significant part of this nation’s division. This should make them disqualified for all time, given the terrible harm they did. The spin and lies that continue to be told.
But, those who say they are concerned about maintaining norms will be all too happy to give them more power. Republicans also raise concerns about election results. Clinton/DNC actually interfered with unity and didn’t care how it affected Americans or the country. After that, who could possibly support them? To call them the “sane party,” when they would do anything for power, is not to have been watching what’s happened the past four years. It’s ignorant.
Yes, they are endorsing Bernie Sanders’ agenda by giving them this power. Are you looking for more evidence than what has happened in the last nine months? Biden is taking the lead. Is it his alleged “moderate” nature? No, it’s the progressives and Biden’s actual extremism. Not to mention his incredible incompetence — which has cost Americans lives and emboldened our enemies.
So, Goldberg told the folks at The Bulwark a basic truth and they didn’t want to hear it. They probably protest too much because the truth hits so close to their hearts. So here’s another truth for them: you’re not conservatives if you still think you are. Maybe, you never were. If you’re voting for Democrats, you’re a Democrat.
The positions that Never Trump folks are often putting out there — like those of Bill Kristol and Jennifer Rubin — are Democratic positions. Maybe if they just admitted the truth, then they could finally be rid of Trump because then they could be honest — give up “Never Trump” and just say “Democrat.” It’s really just a “small difference” at this point.
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