A Flawed Friend

National Review Online ^ | October 8, 2018 | Rich Lowry

[billorites]

Brett Kavanugh is on the Supreme Court and the biggest reason is Donald Trump. When he won the nomination in 2016, it wasn’t unreasonable to think that Trump wouldn’t win the general election, he wouldn’t be true to his promise on judges even if he won, and even if he nominated the right people, he wouldn’t care enough about the Court to see through a difficult, high-stakes confirmation fight. We can now say of these presumptions, wrong, wrong, and wrong.

The Kavanugh confirmation was clarifying in another way. Brett Kavanugh is not a loudmouth. He never insulted anyone or said a bad word in public. He’s upstanding. He never paid off a porn star or resorted to dubious tax schemes. He’s not a populist or a nationalist. He’s a respectable member of the Republican establishment who no reasonable person could find threatening or outrageous. Yet they tried, not just to defeat him, but to destroy him. Comments

By “they,” I mean the liberal media, the Democratic Party, the legal academy and, Hollywood. All that stood in the way of this effort were Republican officeholders, conservative voters and media—and Donald Trump.

This tells us something important about how Trump-skeptical conservatives should regard him. The president has many flaws. We can argue about how much weight to put on them and it remains to be seen how they will ultimately ramify. But the last two weeks make clear that despite them, Trump is a friend. It also makes abundantly clear, if it wasn’t already completely obvious, who is out to destroy conservatism and conservatives, even those who don’t have a whiff of Trump about them.

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

It’s amazing to me how long it takes some people to grasp the obvious. I knew it the moment he said (regarding political correctness), “ I don’t have time for that.” (Translatikn: Dismissed outright; next topic, please.)

Right then and there he had my enthusiastic support. He instinctively knows (intellegence, guided by experience = instinct) what’s important, and what’s not.

I love Trump!!!

[jalisco555]

Bill Kristol must be on vacation for this to have been printed.

Kristol is at the Weekly Standard, not National Review. The people at NR are slowly, hesitatingly, sheepishly coming around.

[Robert DeLong]

Because Trump was a fighter during the primaries is why he drew the respect of so many Republican voters. We were desperate for someone who would stand up to the Democrats. On top of that he actually would win every time. That Never-Trumoers failed to recognize this is just proof that they had no clue how to defeat Hillary Clinton or the Democrats. Glad you slow pokes are finally catching up. But it doesn’t buy you any brownie points, because basically you are still idiots with no vision.

[LeonardFMason]

“He never paid off a porn star or resorted to dubious tax schemes.”

So what on the first AND did the IRS allow the second? “Dubious” doesn’t mean illegal.

Get over it. Trump is best thing Republicans have going.

The Day Kasich, Flake, and Rubio define what a Republican is me and millions are done voting.

[gibsonguy]

I wouldn’t goes as far as you but he didn’t do right with the Judiciary. Don’t forget there was NO conservative media, no talk radio and a Rat Senate. That said I wished he fought harder on that front.

[wastoute]

IIRC Bush let Thomas swing in the wind.

[TakebackGOP]

Lowry supported Fiorina.

[kiryandil]

My dear old mother pointed out something yesterday that I didn't realize - Brett Kavanaugh's wife Ashley Estes was George E. Bush's personal secretary.

Turns out Ashley was Dubya's secretary for 3 years when he was Texas governor, through his presidential campaign, and then was Personal Secretary To The President till future Justice Kavanaugh scooped her up in 2004.

In a word, she's FAMILY, and by extension, so is Brett Kavanaugh.

The Lefties just attacked George W. Bush's PERSONAL family, and tried to destroy them in the public square, and Trump led the charge to save them.

President Trump just gained a bunch of Bushee troops that were formerly anti- Trump...

There's some "downside" for ya - and the idiots don't even know what they did.    

    

In other news today, one of the Twitter "Republican" NeverTrump biggies has come out as a TrueDemocrat: Tom Nichols aka @RadioFreeTom [I call him @FactFreeTom]

[Grampa Dave]

Never Trumpers are belatedly realizing Trump is all that stands between order and chaos. Voting for the Democrats isn’t an option. The Kavanaugh donnybrook was a wake up call. Let’s hope some people on the Right begin taking it seriously.

President Trump has drawn the line in our political sand and thrown his gauntlet down.

[kiryandil]

Whoops! "Dubya"

My dear old mother pointed out something yesterday that I didn't realize - Brett Kavanaugh's wife Ashley Estes was George W. Bush's personal secretary.

Turns out Ashley was Dubya's secretary for 3 years when he was Texas governor, through his presidential campaign, and then was Personal Secretary To The President till future Justice Kavanaugh scooped her up in 2004.

In a word, she's FAMILY, and by extension, so is Brett Kavanaugh.

The Lefties just attacked George W. Bush's PERSONAL family, and tried to destroy them in the public square, and Trump led the charge to save them.

President Trump just gained a bunch of Bushee troops that were formerly anti- Trump...

There's some "downside" for ya - and the idiots don't even know what they did.    

    

In other news today, one of the Twitter "Republican" NeverTrump biggies has come out as a TrueDemocrat: Tom Nichols aka @RadioFreeTom [I call him @FactFreeTom]

[Mr. Mojo]

[Kavanaugh is] not a nationalist.

1) How does Lowry know that? 2) He says "nationalist" like it's a bad thing.

He’s a respectable member of the Republican establishment

He says that like it's a good thing.

Scratch what I said earlier about Lowry. He still has his head up his ass. ....just not quite as far as before.

[Nifster]

meh

I don’t trust any of them. They will turn on Trump in a heart beat

[PsyCon]

Good to see this change of mind printed. Is it real, time will tell.

It will also be interesting to see if more follow.

[wastoute]

That really is “massive if factual”. Thanks. Why has no one pointed this out?

[heights]

Anyone that still refers to the DNC Radical Socialist Media as “Liberal”, is an f-ing Idiot.

[MNJohnnie]

That is a brilliant LINE by President Trump. Absolutely nails the Dems. I hope he repeats it over and over and over.

[EMI_Guy]

“Speak for yourself, you dumbass Low-life.”

I can get on board with that sentiment.

Someone way smarter than me needs to analyze and report on what makes these Never-Trumpers tick. I have an idea, but I think it falls far short of what’s really going on.

[kiryandil]

I didn't catch it till my mother mentioned it.

And I follow this stuff deeply.

I knew that Dubya was calling around to Pubbie Senators to drum up support for Justice Kavanaugh - but I thought it was because Kavanaugh had worked for him and his administration.

Ashley Estes Kavanaugh is pretty much the third daughter.

And Trump crushed her enemies for Dubya...

[wastoute]

Ford needs to be crushed to put an end to this “asterisk” nonsense.