Posted on 08/02/2016 4:32:48 AM PDT by SJackson
During the presidential primaries I devoted many hours of radio and many columns to criticizing Donald Trump. His nomination caused me grief as an American, a Republican, and a conservative. That his character defects, gaps in knowledge on some important issues, and lack of identifiably conservative principles meant little to so many Republican voters is quite troubling.
(Though, I might add, it is even more troubling that virtually all Democrats ignored the even worse character of Hillary Clinton, as well as the idiotic socialist ideas of Sen. Bernie Sanders.)
Anti-Trump conservatives such as Jonah Goldberg, Bill Kristol, Ben Shapiro, Bret Stephens, and George Will are not merely people I admire they are friends and colleagues. Goldberg, Stephens, and Will have made multiple videos for my Prager University website that have received millions of views. Shapiro and I have spent Shabbat together. I have had the privilege of writing for Kristols Weekly Standard magazine and hosting him on my radio show many times. And I have enthusiastically promoted their books.
These individuals are special to me not only as thinkers, but as people. However, in the final analysis, I do not find their arguments compelling.
The choice this November is tragic. As often happens in life, the choice is between bad and worse, not bad and good.
But America has made that choice before. When forced to choose between bad and worse, we supported Stalin against Hitler, and we supported right-wing authoritarians against Communist totalitarians.
It seems to me that anti-Trump conservatives want to remain morally pure. I understand that temptation. I am tempted, too. But if you wish to vanquish the bad, it is not possible at least not on this side of the afterlife to remain pure.
The most moving interview of my 33 years in radio was with Irene Opdyke, a Polish Catholic woman. Opdyke became the mistress of a married Nazi officer in order to save the lives of 12 Jews. She hid them in the cellar of the officers house in Warsaw. There were some Christians who called my show to say Opdykes actions were wrong, that she had in fact sinned because she knowingly committed a mortal sin. In their view, she compromised Catholic/Christian doctrine.
In my view and, I believe, the view of most Catholics and other Christians she brought glory to her God and her faith. Why? Because circumstances almost always determine what is moral, even for religious people like myself who believe in moral absolutes. Thats why the act of dropping atom bombs on Japan was moral. The circumstances (ending a war that would otherwise continue taking millions of lives) made moral what under other circumstances would be immoral.
In the 2016 presidential race, I am not interested in moral purity. I am interested in defeating the left and its political arm, the Democratic Party. The notion (expressed by virtually every anti-Trump conservative) that we can live with another four years of a Democratic president is, forgive me, mind-boggling.
To that end, with at least one, and probably multiple, additional leftists on the Supreme Court, a Republican presidential victory in 2020 would mean little. All the left needs is the judicial branch, especially the Supreme Court. Left-wing judges pass so many left-wing laws that they render those who control Congress, and even the White House, almost irrelevant.
Here, then, are nine reasons (there are more) why a conservative should prefer a Trump presidency to a Democratic presidency:
* Prevent a left-wing Supreme Court.
* Increase the defense budget.
* Repeal, or at least modify, the Dodd-Frank act.
* Prevent Washington, D.C., from becoming a state and giving the Democrats another two permanent senators.
* Repeal Obamacare.
* Curtail illegal immigration, a goal that doesnt necessarily have anything to do with xenophobia or nativism (just look at Western Europe).
* Reduce job-killing regulations on large and small businesses.
* Lower the corporate income tax and bring back hundreds of billions of offshore dollars to the United States.
* Continue fracking, which the left, in its science-rejecting hysteria, opposes.
For these reasons, I, unlike my friends, could not live with my conscience if I voted to help the left win the presidency.
I just dont understand how anyone who understands the threat the left and the Democrats pose to America would refuse to vote for the only person who at this point can stop them.
Exactly right. These scumbags are just as evil and dangerous to the welfare of America as the Democrats, and maybe even more so.
I have about the same level of enthusiasm for Trump that I did for McQueeg.
My primary hope was that he’d die or become ill and Palin would replace him.
But I still voted for him.
So:
Trump.
For President.
If I have to.
I guess.
Sage conclusion by Mr. Prager.
You don’t have to be in love with Trump to realize that if Hillary wins it’s OVER! She’ll finish implementing the Democrat Permanent Majority Plan and the sun will go supernova before the GOP ever wins another national election.
Any conservative writer who doesn't get it isn't worth reading any longer, IMO. I have long enjoyed Prager's columns. If he had written that he's a # NeverTrumper to the end, I think I would ignore his writings from here on out. Fortunately, as you said, he get's it. The # NeverTrumpers he mentions in his column have nothing more to say as far as I am concerned.
Can you elaborate?
I read your statement several times, and just can’t understand what you are trying to say.
Trump was not my choice in the primaries.
But, the primaries are over, the convention is over, and the Trump/Pence ticket is who the Republicans have as candidates.
We face a binary choice now that the primary process is over.
You can vote for Trump, with all misgivings about how he will be as president, or else, you will get Hillary.
The numerous minor party candidates have no chance of being elected. At best they will simply take some votes away from the 2 major party candidates.
We all have to make choices in life, and often our choices are not between an ideal situation and a bad situation. This is one of those times for the never Trump people.
It’s a binary choice. If you are a never Trump person then you will help elect Hillary.
I don’t want to think about how the 2020 election is going to go. How does it make sense to let Hillary win now, and then try again with a new candidate in 2020?
We have a major national election three months from now. While we may not have the ideal Republican according to many on the GOP side, it’s either Trump or Hillary now.
Thank goodness Prager sobered up. I hope he influences some other folks to do the same.
I’m on the flip side of you.
I was not a Romney fan, and I actually loathe and detest John McCain. But they each emerged victorious from the primaries, and I held my nose and voted for both as I knew how the alternative of President Obama would be so utterly destructive.
It is really not cool seeing how many Republicans who preached this philosophy now won’t support Trump.
They're paying Grandma's assisted living bills - the rest can be worked out.
Stooges for Trump?
Personally, I’m damn glad Trump is not an ideal Republican because what we desperately need is a President who is an America-first patriot, and I don’t believe there’s an ideal Republican who is one.
Jewish civil rights piggybacked on black civil rights
therefore, Jews feel beholden to democrats who are perceived as leading the covil rights efforts
“TRUMP is the first person in a long time who is qualified
for the job, equal to it and up to it, and we have not had
one of those in a long time.” - AndyJackson
I will proudly and enthusiastically vote for Donald Trump.
This election is not about any one man, it’s not about a political party, it’s not about many things we commonly use to justify our vote. This election is about the very survival of our once great country. It’s about the real future of my grandchildren. It’s about right vs wrong — good vs evil.
Go Trump, Go! Go Trump, Go! Go Trump, Go!
I will proudly and enthusiastically vote for Donald Trump.
This election is not about any one man, it’s not about a political party, it’s not about many things we commonly use to justify our vote. This election is about the very survival of our once great country. It’s about the real future of my grandchildren. It’s about right vs wrong — good vs evil.
Go Trump, Go! Go Trump, Go! Go Trump, Go!
They are willing to trade a free and sovereign America for their own selfish desires. They are traitors to America and every American, and should be publicly tried, convicted and shot.
The scum.
OMG. If that's true, then they are truly ignorant of American political history. If Democrats -only- had voted on 1960's civil rights legislation, those bills would have failed strongly.
If you're correct, then they deserve the title of mIsraelites. Again, WTH?
Levin and the nevertrumpers are standing on their principles and going all in for Hillary, knowing the hell that is coming and yet are perfectly content with what they are doing to the country.
Is Trump perfect? No, but dear God he isn’t Hillary and deserves the benefit of the doubt because all you principled conservatives KNOW what the Hag will do if she wins.
Levin still vomiting all over Facebook about Cruz.
Eventually he’ll Cruz into obscurity.
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