I was not a fan of Trump before the election because I thought he was a closet liberal. Turns out he was a closet conservative. Who knew?!
He’s more conservative than Reagan and I like him even better.
Trump won because he ran as a candidate who was diametrically opposed to several key planks in the Republican Party platform -- notably immigration and trade policy. He was absolutely a "populist" on those issues, and his public statements about health care reform ("You'll get better health care and it will cost less!") sure weren't conservative at all.
“Conservatism versus Populism” is a false dichotomy. Rush’s “conservatism” is a non-starter, a dead-end street, with no vision for future. Forget “conservatism” except as a last-resort term for convenience.
America will win, but not with “conservatism”. A great deal of “conservatism” is about preserving the “establishment” - which is exactly the opposite of what needs to happen which is to blow up the status quo and the establishment.
If the figureheads of “conservatism” - George Will, Charles Krauthammer and Co. - had their way Trump would not have been nominated, and much to their apparent chagrin, Hillary would have been nominated. America would have lost BIG TIME.
No America’s victory and future is in the FIGHT for FREEDOM and FAITH. Some of that is in “conservatism”, some not, but ALL is necessary. Unlike the goals of “conservatism” (nobody knows what “conservatism”’s goals are which is one reason “conservatism” is a problem), our goals, the goals of true patriotic Americans, the goals of the Right who love this country, must be the RESTORATION OF OUR FREE CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC regardless of whatever “conservatism” is.
Whatever helps you sleep at night Rush.
I think hanging your hat on the GOP’s 2016 vision of “conservatism” won’t win national elections. I think Trump did just the right approach.
Rush was the guy that was pumping Marco Rubio as a “rock ribbed conservative,” don’t forget. I have no idea what the hell he was talking about.
Who in the hell says populism is not part and parcel of true classical conservatism? Maybe Rush should go to college. Disappoing to hear him talk like that.
Trumps’s nomination and election were a repudiation of the GOPe and its policies and an embrace of populist policies that actually help the lives of people down on the ground.