Posted on 09/11/2017 4:51:00 AM PDT by Kaslin
The latest Never Trump meme is that Donald Trump has defected to the Democrats, a notion that might charitably be labeled “wishful thinking” if it actually involved any thinking. But the “wishful” part is in full effect as this tattered remnant of worshippers at the altar of Establishment Conservatism seeks to revive their failed cult and reassume their position as the priesthood of all things on the right.
You remember Establishment Conservatism, right? It is to conservatism as Unitarians are to Christianity – “Well, I sort of believe in something, but mostly I just want whatever I do validated.” Establishment Conservatism is the sect that promised for seven years to repeal Obamacare then…didn’t. But that was Trump’s fault, of course, because reasons and because you’re a fake conservative for asking and also shut up.
So, this week’s True Con embarrassment arose because the Republicans were somehow going to score yet another smashing victory in a debt ceiling fight, as they always do, but darn that Trump! He got in the way of their cunning scheme. Or something.
When the collective panty twist went off, their wailing and gnashing of teeth seemed a bit overblown – by a factor of about a zillion. The media, always eager to divide the GOP and helped out by establishment Republicans who are always eager to be divided, dropped the breathless revelation that Trump had made a deal with Schumer and Pelosi to put off the debt ceiling fight until December and to pass a huge hurricane relief package for Texas – you know, where the GOP base lives.
The frenzied Fredocon spaz-fest that followed gave away the game. “Oh no, Trump sold out everything conservatives believe in by delaying the GOP’s certain humiliation for three months! He betrayed you all with this insignificant delay and by ensuring the GOP didn’t walk into the ‘You Republicans are playing politics with Harvey aid!’ ambush. He's clearly a Democrat now and next it will be single payer and then he’ll change all our pronouns to ‘xe’ or ‘xir.’”
Blah blah blah blah blah. Don’t these people ever get tired of being wrong?
When I saw the compromise news, I thought it odd that Trump had agreed with the Democrats about something, but I wondered what the collective freakout was all about. Perhaps I didn’t understand the GOP’s clever play. So I asked on Twitter, “I'm just curious about what the GOPe's plan for victory on the debt ceiling was. Their track record is so good that I'm sure it was awesome.” Maybe I was missing something. Maybe there was some great plan that the Republicans had created that somehow Trump truncated. Turns out I was not missing anything. There was no plan. This supernova of fake outrage was just another inept ploy to undercut the president as part of the establishment’s never-ending campaign to regain the power we voters stripped from it in retaliation for its failure.
After all, it’s not like the Republicans have a long and proud tradition of botching every single debt ceiling fight they ever wandered into, but it was definitely going to be different this time somehow, according to informed sources within the unicorn community.
Note that the Congressional GOP was so upset about this compromise that it passed it in a day. Remember that when you’re being encouraged to tear your hair out because Trump funded our own red state voters and avoided the headlines like “Republicans hold hurricane victims hostage in debt ceiling government shutdown Armageddon!” Yeah, we would have totally won that argument.
But uh oh! It turns out some GOP congreessjerks have a big case of the sad feelz because of Trump’s utter TOTAL COMPLETE TREASON BETRAYAL by extending the debt ceiling three months. It’s clear he’s a total liberal because the True Conservative fallback position was to extend it six months, and those extra three months WERE EVERYTHING SOMEHOW FOR SOME REASON UNICORNS UNICORNS UNICORNS!
Do Trump’s supporters care about these arcane D.C. manhood measuring games? No. Normals want stuff to get done, and if the GOP can’t do it and dealing with the Dems can, then guess what? No one outside the Beltway cares if the Smarmy Dope and Elderly Mutant Establishment Turtle got disrespected. We avoided was a fight right now that would have taken up the 12 whole days of legislative work that Ryan and McConnell somehow stuffed into the 30 days of September after taking August off. Now the Congressional GOP is free to focus its entire attention on failing at tax reform.
Trump isn’t “betraying” the base. He’s treating the Congressional GOP like the hacks they are. They have done nearly nothing except posture, pose and issue passive aggressive proclamations about how Trump offends their tender sensibilities. Trump doesn’t respect them because they haven’t earned any respect; this week, he saved them from making fools of themselves once again, at least until the holidays.
When you want your stripped-away power back, you’re always going to find the cloud behind the silver lining. But if America had followed the advice of Conservatism, Inc., and elected Felonia von Pantsuit (I guess 2017-2021 was going to be a rebuilding term), none of this would have happened. No, it’s not all winning. There’s Obamacare, of course, though that’s all on the GOP liars like John “Blue Falcon” McCain. And sure, the shockingly inept Jeff Sessions is letting Lois Lerner slip past criminal accountability – gee, didn’t the Tru Cons tell us Sessions was a great conservative? Still, the Fredcons, who desperately conspired with Hyman Roth Clinton to get something for themselves because they were passed over, can’t get beyond the one indisputable fact that utterly defeats their endless, semi-coherent claims that Trump is THE WORST THING EVER.
With Trump, as imperfect as he is, we at least aren’t goosestepping down the road to Venezuela or even much, much worse, as we would have been if we had taken their advice and Been With Her. And that’s enough.
Debt is debt.
You miss the point.
The debt ceiling is trivial and is going to be raised. Trump disallowed the perpetual games congress plays while raising the ceiling.
A trivial game is not worth playing when the outcome is known and there are much more important uses of congressional time than playing worthless games
Pubs can either get on board with MAGA or they will be left standing at the station.
I love how this guy writes. Captures how I think perfectly.
“Were winning, not in huge, sweeping moves, but in inches.”
That can never be imparted on them because they aren’t used to anything but losing dramatically.
It’s part of their culture. To either get the whole loaf today, or to scream to the heavens that “all is lost!!!!!!!!!!!! I have beens BETRAYED!!!!!!!!!!” like complete drama queens. I can only assume their favorite poem is the “Charge of the Light-Brigade”, where they put on their virtue and charge like idiots with no plan, right into the guns, because “isnt it glorious to go down in such splendor?”.
That is why despite all of the stuff Trump has done, far beyond anything these clowns have ever pulled off for the past 27 years, they still scream like a baby on the first thing that doesn’t live up to the 1000000000000000% perfection they demand.....
A standard that they never reach themselves on anything, thus is why they love to sit around and critique and complain.
The smart ones make a career off that act (Ann Coulter). The dumb ones troll sites like this for free.
Sounds like he’s been reading Free Republic too
Yes, it’s comical how the drowning presstitutes will grasp any floating straw. It’s tragic that some gullible Trump supporters will try to latch on to that straw.
The term 3 D chess is bandied about. This Trump gambit involved a fork on two different levels. The different level part is that hard part to understand by a one plane mind
Nice article.
“Oh no, Trump sold out everything conservatives believe in by delaying the GOPs certain humiliation for three months!”
Judging by the reaction here on Free Republic, Trump’s base not only understood his actions, but applauded his giving the do-nothing GOP-e congress the shaft.
I hope he does it again with health care.
The Republicans have a majority in both houses. If they pass a budget that contains tax relief and debt reduction, Trump will sign it. The problem isn’t Trump - the problem is Ryan and McConnell. They have permitted - I say orchestrated - enough of their colleagues to oppose legislation that they are supposedly for, in order to sabotage Trump. If they were truly serious about passing major items such as the repeal of Oabamcare, McConnell would have disciplined McCain, Collins, Murkowski etc. They know they have a green light to undermine Trump without repercussions.
Yep. Trump couldn't say grace over dinner without the Republicans saying he was disrupting sensitive negotiations they were having with the Democrats over the debt ceiling. Trump figured out that game quick, 2 play while 1 sits on the sidelines. Simple. Trump plays to win. Now the calendar is cleared to get something promised done.
I am fearing that what we really have in Congress are the GOProgressives.
FTA: “It is to conservatism as Unitarians are to Christianity Well, I sort of believe in something, but mostly I just want whatever I do validated.”
Kurt Schlichter is rapidly approaching Mark Steyn in the category of Master Turner of a Phrase, IMO. This comparison is so apt in multiple applications. Definitely filing this one away for a future use.
The constitution assumes that we pay our debts. There is nothing in it about debt ceiling votes. Or budgets for that matter. But neither of those is followed. If one were, then the other wouldn’t be a necessity. A real budget, though, is a great planning and accountability tool.
Agreed - always get a belly laugh or three from Schlichter:
“...according to informed sources within the unicorn community.” LOL!
Great read, thanks.
Trump isnt betraying the base. Hes treating the Congressional GOP like the hacks they are.
&&&&
Exactly! This piece sums it up perfectly.
And I absolutely loved some of the brilliant nuggets like:
.intermittently-read cruise brochures like The Weekly Standard.
:)
They know they have a green light to undermine Trump without repercussions.
***
Sadly, yes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.