McAllister: Time for Conservatives to Make a Choice

It’s pretty clear Donald Trump isn’t a conservative. The problem is many voters in the Republican Party think he is. These voters are real, they care about the constitutional principles that make America exceptional, and Trump needs them. He can’t afford to have the base of the Republican Party leave him for Ted Cruz.

This is why he needed Sarah Palin’s endorsement. This is why he went to Liberty University and talked about “2 Corinthians.” This is why Cruz’s comment about New York values was problematic for him. Many pundits made the mistake after the last debate of thinking the comment would hurt Cruz. It didn’t. It opened the door for everyone to see how liberal Trump truly is. This exchange with Tim Russert is damming (emphasis mine):

Trump’s own words are a ringing endorsement of his liberal values, and despite the whining from the New York crowd about Cruz’s comments, Trump knew he had a problem. He had to fix it. He clearly says in the Russert interview that New York values are very different from Iowa’s values. And with the Iowa caucus not far off, he had to do something to stop the bleeding. Enter Palin: the conservative darling of the Tea Party.

"Should conservatives sacrifice their principles on the altar of populist passion and pride?"

Many are applauding her endorsement and predicting how it will strengthen Trump’s support among conservatives. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. That depends on the conservatives—whether they’re already in his camp or thinking about joining it. It’s to these conservatives that I ask this question: If Trump is indeed repentant of his liberal sins—if he is actually a conservative—then why does he need Palin? Why not stand on his own as the true conservative in the race?

And here’s another question: If he is not a conservative—which appears to be the case, because he does, in fact, need Palin—then why would she support him? She’s supposed to be a conservative, right? If he’s not a conservative, then why endorse him? Why not endorse a true conservative?

Of course, none of us can really answer that last question because we don’t live in Palin’s mind. Whether it’s hunger for the spotlight, a promised place in the Trump administration, personal loyalty to a friend, money, or simply that she thinks he can win and believes the shtick that he’ll make America great again, the fact remains: she is abandoning her conservative principles to support Trump.

Should conservative voters do the same? Should conservatives sacrifice their principles on the altar of populist passion and pride? This is the only question that matters. Personalities don’t matter. Celebrity doesn’t matter. Promises made in the heat of campaign rallies don’t matter. Roaring rhetoric on a debate stage doesn’t matter. All that matters is this: Do you believe in conservative principles or don’t you?

If you do, your candidate is not Donald Trump. Palin’s endorsement doesn’t bolster his conservative credentials—it proves they don’t exist.

Where do you stand, conservatives? The time to choose is now. Up to this point, many of us who call ourselves constitutional conservatives have been silent in our support of any one candidate. We’ve been watching patiently as we’ve seen Trump take a wrecking ball to the Establishment. We didn’t attack Trump for his liberalism or his authoritarianism or even his elitism because we wanted him to continue to tear down the Establishment elites. It had to be done. They were the oozing scab that needed to be ripped off, so we could get to the infection underneath. Trump was the man to do that—and he’s done it well. We conservatives who have been fighting for America for years stood aside, even applauded, and often explained the reasons for the rise of Trump populism.

But we never believed for a minute that Trump should be president. We saw him as clearing a path for another, for a true constitutional conservative. That could have been one of many early on (Rick Perry, Rand Paul, Ben Carson), but now there is really only one: Ted Cruz. Now is the time to rally around him as the candidate who can channel the forces of populism in a principled conservative direction.

Granted, many populists won’t want to come along because they have never held to conservative principles. But that’s not the case for others. Many Trump supporters are conservative to their core, but they have populist sensibilities and sympathies. It’s to you that I’m making this appeal. The Trump juggernaut has done its job. It’s time to leave him and support the candidate who is truly committed to the Constitution, who respects states’ powers, who values individual rights, who is unquestionably pro-life, who understands the need to make our military strong in defense of this nation, and who is willing to repeal Obamacare. It’s time to support the true conservative in the race who has actually fought for your rights and liberties.

If conservatives fail to make a decision to stand for constitutional principles now that the Trump wrecking ball has done its job, then the unprincipled populist genie will never be put back in its bottle. It will continue to grow bigger and bigger until the reasoned voices of those who are actually fighting for our country are silenced.

"Why does the Establishment want Trump and not Cruz?"

If you’re still not swayed and are drawn to the populist ideals over your core principles, consider this: Trump isn’t a populist either. He made that clear when he made the following statement about getting deals done in Washington: “You get Congress, you get ‘em together, you get everybody together in a room, you cajole, you get along, you have dinner, and you make deals.”

Are those the words of a populist? Is a populist someone who wants to cozy up to politicians who rip our Constitution to shreds and sell out hard-working Americans to Wall Street cronies? Does a populist want to have dinner with the Establishment elites and Leftists while the people wonder what’s happened to their country? Maybe they’ll have a scotch and a nice Ramon Allones cigar. Maybe finish it off with a round of golf at Trump International. Is that a populist? Is that a fighter? Is that a leader who speaks for the people?

Clearly, the answer is no. Trump isn’t a conservative and he’s not a populist. Think on it. Think on it hard. Your rights and liberties hang in the balance. Your children’s future is at stake. If you’re still in doubt about the first point, ask yourself: Why did he need Sarah Palin? If you’re still in doubt about the second, ask yourself: Why does the Establishment want Trump and not Cruz?

It’s time for conservatives to make a choice. Stand for reason and constitutional principles or abandon them for madness and power.

I've never seen anything anti-Semitic from the Constitution Party (and I understand it's founder to be of Jewish descent himself). I'm not at any rate. I've also never noted a link between them and JBS, if they even exist any more.

Then you are very naive. The Constitution Party is a party based on "Reconstructionism" (a Protestant school associated with Rousas J. Rushdoony and Gary North). It is militantly opposed to traditional dispensational pre-millenialist Fundamentalism and hostile to Israel as well (the party rejected Alan Keyes as a presidential candidate a few years ago because he was pro-Israel). The entire Reconstructionist project is anti-Israel, as is Chuck Baldwin, their current leader. For all practical purposes, they regard the United States as the special chosen country and worship an American national "gxd." And I don't care what Howard Phillips' ancestry was; he was a convert to Reconstructionism.

And by the way, the John Birch Society very much exists today (I was once a member) and they are more anti-Israel than ever.

Let's say there was an element in the Constitution Party that did harbor such views--would it invalidate their platform?

Yes it would. It would make them an evil organization in opposition to G-d's plans for the world. They are "palaeoconservatives," and "palaeoconservatives" are essentially henotheists who believe every people and every country has its own valid national "truth" as opposed to the universal Truth of the objective G-d of Israel. Furthermore, I am convinced supporting such an evil philosophy opens one up to Divine punishment. There is no "conservatism" without the One True G-d. G-d did not write the United States Constitution, but He did indeed write the Holy Torah.

The danger here is that conservatives keep breaking into factions and marginalizing themselves with purity tests that are not necessary.

This is not a "purity test!" "Chrstian Reconstructionists" are anti-Semitic lunatics, many of whom regard Israel as the "vatican" of the "New World Order." This is not a minor point. This makes them Jew-haters of the first water.

It's quite necessary to recognize who is on the right side of the fence (which is why I reject most Republicans as unacceptable "republicats" for example), but beyond that Iâ€™d say we need to agree to disagree on non-foundational issues.

Anti-Semites and opponents of the regathering of Jews in 'Eretz Yisra'el are not on my side of the fence,and if they're on your side of the fence, then I want nothing to do with you. This is not an issue on which I am willing to "agree to disagree" with anyone. Sorry.

Why don't you do a little online research on Reconstructionism, Rushdoony, North, G. Edward Griffin, etc. and the "Constitution Party?"

Wideawake, can you explain it to this guy?

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.