HIS SAY: 5 CRITICAL QUESTIONS UNDECIDED CONSERVATIVES MUST ASK TRUMP By: Benjamin Weingarten
Who cares if Bush pere et fils will skip the convention? They can sup with James Baker and their Saudi pals instead and sulk over the findings of Saudi complicity in 9/11 that incriminates the Bushies.Message to the GOP…..Trump won in a democratic process of primaries. Now the question is who is worse Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? Ben Weingarten has some suggestions for thinking it through.
– See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/05/5-critical-questions-undecided-conservatives-must-ask-trump#sthash.3sapmDUv.dpuf
To conservatives shell-shocked at the jarring conclusion of the Republican Primary and those in despair over the prospect of a Donald Trump versus Hillary Clinton general election, many are struggling with the same Hobson’s choice ironically lamented by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in reference to the options in the GOP field.
There are several questions those of us dedicated to advancing individual liberty, private property rights, the rule of law and a Kirkpatrickian defense must consider in the coming days and weeks. We must decide whether or not we can in good faith pull the lever for a candidate anathema to many of us personally and antithetical to us politically and ideologically.
Before we begin, let us stipulate that a Hillary Clinton presidency would be an extension of the Obama years – that is, an utter disaster for the country. None of the below questions are meant to imply that any Republican or conservative should make the unconscionable decision to vote for the pox on the body politic that is Hillary. But they are meant to serve as a framework for determining whether – given the stakes of growing existential threats and the dominance of regressive progressivism – we can in good faith vote for a lesser of two potential evils, or should give no sanction to any potential evil at all.
The following are five critical questions with which undecided conservative voters must grapple:
- Can we in good conscience vote for someone who is not only left on most issues but is personally petty, narcissistic and arguably sociopathic, and who engenders the support of a percentage of fans who are truly detestable and who will be used to smear the conservative movement more broadly?
Trump has argued for, among other things, touchback amnesty, socialized medicine, tariffs that will increase the costs of goods for Americans, liberal use of eminent domain if it means more tax revenue, commitment to maintaining the welfare state generally and entitlement status quo specifically, opening up libel laws as a means of threatening the press (thereby chilling free speech), openness to job-killing minimum wage increases, retrenchment from America’s leadership role abroad while increasing spending on public works projects at home, “neutrality” vis-à-vis Israel versus the Arabs, continued support of Planned Parenthood and a host of other positions at odds with core conservative principles. He has undeniably shown himself to be an egotistical, dishonest philanderer prone to bullying and rashness. Many of these character defects are celebrated by his most rabid fans on social media, some of whom truly are the neo-Nazis and white supremacist caricatures that the Left loves to paint genuine conservatives as being. The invocation of “America First,” meant to troll #NeverTrump folks while tickling his most bigoted supporters should not have been lost on anyone. It is unfair to judge a person by the fans they attract, but Trump’s strongman utterings and praise for Vladimir Putin are clearly intended to stir up fans with whom no conservative would ever want to associate or be associated. Moreover, Trump’s apparent encouragement of violence and intimidation lends further credence to an inaccurate image of conservatives. Plenty of flawed human beings may make great presidents, but Trump presents a unique combination of problems substantively and stylistically. Holding your nose for Trump is qualitatively different than holding your nose for Romney or McCain.
- If Trump’s administration was to discredit conservatism, would that do more damage to the cause than a Hillary presidency?
The worst of Trump’s supporters have already done damage to the conservative image. But under Trump we will also have to deal with the actual outcomes of his policies. These will be hung around the necks of conservatives by the Left because Trump has been branded “anti-Establishment,” wrongly equating the populist positions of another dealmaker with free markets, free minds and the defense of Western civilization. If Putin is to roll into Europe unchecked, a debilitating trade war is to erupt or Trump is to target enemies a la Nixon or Obama while running roughshod over the Constitution, conservatives are going to pay the price. True, we may see some benefits if Trump’s tax plan were to be implemented, but the question is whether or not those positive effects will be masked by Trump’s other anti-capitalist policies and the continued growth of the state. We know on the other hand that Hillary Clinton’s policies will prove painful, and further that she is not nearly the charismatic spokesperson for progressivism that Barack Obama was. Hillary will hurt the Democratic brand with her words and actions. The best she will be able to do is repeat that old saw that Republicans are intransigent hostage takers – of course that assumes a Republican Congress will put up a fight. Hillary might actually have the double benefit of being a disaster herself while further exposing fraudulent Republicans in Congress.
- Will Trump pick superior Supreme Court justices to Hillary?
Assuming the Republican Senate does not cave to President Obama before the 2016 election, and an Obama nominee is not rammed through a Democratic Senate in 2017 in the period prior to the next president’s inauguration, we will see the replacement of Justice Scalia and perhaps Justices Ginsberg, Kennedy and/or Breyer under the next president. Given the dereliction of duty of a Congress that punts all manner of critical issues to the Supreme Court, our most cherished and fundamental liberties are likely to continue coming under assault. Under Hillary Clinton we would lose such liberties because she would ensure a progressive judicial majority for at least a generation.
What types of justices might we expect from Donald Trump? First, let us recall that far more conservative presidents than Trump have consistently made disastrous choices with respect to the Supreme Court. Second, recall that Trump’s words during the presidential campaign have indicated a lack of respect for and/or knowledge of the rule of law and the basic duties and responsibilities for which the chief executive is responsible. Perversely, number two might be a blessing in disguise: One can surmise that Donald might truly outsource the Supreme Court selection process, preferably to the likes of The Federalist Society and Heritage Foundation. Sen. Jeff Sessions himself might have an outsized influence on the process. We do not know who will form Trump’s inner circle on matters of the law, and how receptive he will be to their suggestions, but all of this will be worth keeping an eye on as he begins to assemble his team. For his part, Trump threw out the names of Judges Diane Sykes and Bill Pryor as potential replacements for the late Justice Scalia.
- Do you trust Donald Trump to deal with the threats posed by Islamic supremacism/Iran/ISIS, Russia, China and their proxies?
Arguably more important than the Court in the near term are the existential threats our country faces. With respect to foreign policy, there are several positions on which Donald Trump has been relatively consistent throughout his public life: Foreign nations need to pay America for providing a security blanket, occupied nations should have to pay America for rebuilding costs, Trump can negotiate better deals than other presidents with our adversaries, ISIS must be destroyed and we are going to bring our troops home and “rebuild America.” All of that said, Donald Trump could not name the three legs of the nuclear triad. He believes that there are deals that can be made with genocidal jihadists in Iran and with the Arabs of Palestine. Amazingly, he started this latter negotiation from a point of weakness with respect to America’s interest in declaring himself “neutral” between the Israelis and Arabs. While his instincts may be accurate regarding the threat posed by Islamic supremacists, he has not articulated an understanding as to the goals, tactics and strategies of the enemy and how to defeat it. Perhaps most troubling of all is that Trump’s inner circle consists of two individuals with longstanding and well-documented ties to Vladimir Putin’s puppets in Paul Manafort and Carter Page. Combine this with Trump’s favorable words towards Putin, and the support he is receiving from Russia-controlled media and the implications are more than troubling. If you think Russia poses a serious threat to America’s national interest and wishes at the very least to see us knocked down a peg as a world power, the invitation of those cozy with Russia into Trump’s kitchen cabinet reflects a serious lack of judgment. Russia would not be supporting an American presidential candidate unless it thought he could be manipulated. Given that Trump’s animating character trait is self-interest, it is not hard to imagine him bringing others into his inner circle with dubious ties and competing agendas. Their influence could prove disastrous for the country.
- If Donald Trump surrounds himself with conservatives who have proven their fidelity to the spirit of the Declaration of Independence and letter of the Constitution, will that change your view of him? Related to this question: Will those who surround Trump have any influence on policy?
Donald Trump claims to be his own best advisor. That said, he is going to have to surround himself with people who actually know how to execute on and implement his directives. He also will be working to win over conservatives by picking conservative-friendly advisors and perhaps a vice presidential candidate who will signal faithfulness to the principles we hold dear. If Trump is to make such moves, will they be purely cosmetic? Will such individuals impact Trump’s agenda? Stay tuned.
More fundamentally, the fact that we are choosing between a life-long donor to Democrats including Hillary Clinton, and Hillary Clinton herself, is the latest indication that while we may win electoral battles from time to time, we are losing the war of ideas. And we are losing the war of ideas badly. Politics is downstream from culture. If we wish to achieve sustained long-term political change, it is in the culture where we must win first. – See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/05/5-critical-questions-undecided-conservatives-must-ask-trump#sthash.3sapmDUv.dpuf
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