Don Surber writes on the irrelevancy of The National Review, a conservative publication that used to be considered one of the bastions of rightie thinking. Ever since the NRO (National Review Online) went Never Trump, though, it lost its grip on reality and chose losing with honor over fighting to win. The NRO is emblematic of everything that is wrong with limp-wristed, pussified conservatism. Just as The Drudge Report took a turn into the morass of Never Trumpism, the NRO has decided to become a swamp of its own. What a shame.
My reaction to Against Trump was, "National Review Hoists White Flag, Defiantly Rows To Outcast Island." Ahoy!
I was correct. The National Review now serves no purpose other than as a platform for an occasional column by Conrad Black or Victor Davis Hanson.
How odd that the people who called for losing with dignity do not have the dignity to own up to their error, which has aided and abetted the critics and opponents of the most conservative president since Reagan.
I agree with parts of Surber's conclusion, but I'm not convinced Trump is conservative in the traditional sense—which is precisely why Never Trumpers hate and fear him. His stance against free trade and for protectionism harks back to his days as a liberal Democrat, for example, and he obviously wants nothing to do with the recent neocon agenda when it comes to the US's overseas military adventurism. I'm still a skeptic when it comes to Trump's trade policies, but I admit that his stance puts Democrats in the awkward position of denouncing Trump every time he talks about bringing jobs back to the States—a policy goal that Democrats lauded not so long ago. Trump's initiatives regarding the US border are consistent with the positions taken by 90s-era Bill Clinton and by Barack Obama, both of whom (1) advocated for stricter border controls and (2) saw the burgeoning presence of illegals as a strain on the economy and the legal system. So Trump has ushered in a new type of conservatism, one that is skeptical of globalism and, by extension, free trade among nations. Never Trumpers would be wise to put aside their animus and get with the program. Never Trumpers in Congress who insist on continuing to pout will likely end up being voted out. I won't lose any sleep when that happens.
Good analysis. The only world we have is the one in which Trump is president. Traditional conservatives can accept that or choose to become irrelevant. National Review, Drudge, and idiots like Bill Kristol, have squandered whatever credibility they possessed once they succumbed to TDS.
ReplyDeleteAs I've often said, the choice in 2016 was between a crook and a clown. The clown has turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise. I don't agree with all of his policies and wish he acted with a little more presidential decorum on occasion, but he's getting the job done in the face of unprecedented opposition. I think most Americans are seeing it that way too, which is why the impeachment fiasco is probably actually making Trump stronger.
I hope you are right that so-called Republicans standing in Trump's way will pay a price at the polls. It will be interesting to watch what happens next.