A long time ago, the word ‘conservative’ became a litmus test word, sort of like the Tea Party.
Both have been usurped.
Politicians toss the word ‘conservative’ out to appeal to certain types of people, just like the invoke the name ‘Reagan’.
The word ‘conservative’ has basically lost its meaning. It has become whatever the user wants it to be. Politicians use it during election cycles and shelve it until their next election.
Saying one is a ‘conservative’ doesn’t make it so. It is validated by actions, and that is where most politicians fall short.
GWBush was a compassionate conservative. Romney claimed to be a severe conservative. JBush said he was a reform conservative. They create their own labels, so they can market their own brand of political pablum.
The biggest problem real conservatives have is their Battered Conservatives Syndrome. They take the constant abuse from the GOPestablishment, they gripe, they complain, but they hang on, thinking they can change the Republican party from the inside. That didn’t work with Goldwater. It didn’t work with Reagan.
Mark Levin keeps saying ‘we need a new Republican party.’ He never really says what that is, though. Trump seems to be bringing in new demographics and cross-overs and has already received about 2 million more votes in the primaries than Romney did at this point in 2012. But Levin has been trashing Trump for months. Trump seems to be the only candidate in decades who seems to be expanding that ‘tent’ the establishment wants to expand. So, they trash Trump — who is expanding that tent.
It is a lot of talk. Gibberish. Sound-good-isms to fill talk radio air time. It is an Industry and most of the participants who benefit financially do not want any changes to their status quo. That includes talkshow hosts, beltway pundits and commentators, lobbyists, politicians, media and big business.
what you’re essentially describing (3rd paragraph) is likely a significant reason to explain Rush and Levin’s behavior, although I doubt they would ever see it in themselves. Envy can be a powerful motivator on a subconscious level. It can be insidious and lead to one’s own self-destruction if not recognized and dealt with.
The typical cycle of envy that becomes toxic to self:
Envy -—> leads to resentment -—> causes anger -—> the anger is then projected onto the source of your anger. (e.g., You want to get rid of the anger because it’s an unjustifiable anger. It feels inherently uncomfortable because you cannot rationalize the irrational.)
I’ve had way too much coffee. :-)