Posted on 01/22/2023 11:28:08 AM PST by SoConPubbie
Since President Trump boarded Air Force One for the final time in January 2021, establishment Republicans have been clamoring for an alternative to be their 2024 nominee.
Despite his outsized influence over the party, these recovering NeverTrumpers (and patronizing “Neo-NeverTrumpers”) claim to want a reasonable alternative: a candidate who carries the mantle of “Trumpism” without all the baggage. This, according to their worldview, is in an effort to better appeal to those independents or voters who would otherwise perceive the former president as too divisive, but still appealing to voters who appreciate the Trump Administration’s “many successes.”
They play to the MAGA base’s potential misgivings about Trump’s first term, criticizing in hindsight the way his administration handled COVID, or some of his unwise endorsements, or the personnel problem that plagued his White House from the start.
But this chorus of critics frequently fails to account for the never-ending, groundless attacks, both internal and external, the Trump White House was forced to sustain from the moment he was elected—to say nothing of the systemic disadvantages afforded to an administration intent on bucking the establishment.
Whatever his imperfections, Trump is by far the best—and only—man for the job. Only in Trump do the American people find a true outsider candidate rather than a lifelong member of the political class. His mere presence would once again disrupt the status quo and his record of historic accomplishments speaks for itself. If that’s not enough, consider: The current administration is adamant Trump will not be elected again in 2024. The same cannot be said of any other potential 2024 GOP primary candidate.
A safe candidate, particularly one who has the blessings of National Review and the “Young Gun” (now in his 50s) Paul Ryan, will become part and parcel of the so-called Movement Conservatism that not only failed to conserve basic principles in America, but has been complicit in the Left’s ruinous march through our institutions. Giving in to people whose job is to perpetuate the movement by complaining, criticizing, and commenting from the sidelines will always leave the forgotten 75 million out to dry. With the preservation of the American way of life, ostensibly the Republican Party’s raison d’etre, all but eroded, what is meaningfully left for the GOP to offer?
In reality, Trump demolished the Blue Wall in 2016 by challenging the Republican Party apparatus directly. He didn’t stake his campaign on cutting taxes or the run-of-the-mill small government playbook. Trump’s greatest virtue, the thing that makes him so beloved beyond his policies is his method. In many ways, it was the disruption itself that sent shockwaves throughout the system, signaling to disaffected voters that this billionaire from New York might actually deliver something other than business-as-usual in Washington, D.C.
Trump called the moment for what it was:
This election will determine whether we are a free nation or whether we have only the illusion of democracy, but are in fact controlled by a small handful of global special interests rigging the system, and our system is rigged . . . Our great civilization has come upon a moment of reckoning.
In the face of shuttered factories, a post-frontier nation, and amidst the ruins of a once-great civilization, he reminded America of its capacity for greatness, raising the standard for our otherwise listless, nihilistic society drowning in mediocrity.
This resonated with the forgotten Americans who intimately experienced the harmful effects of an elite class grossly disinterested in governing on their behalf. They witnessed firsthand the influx of fentanyl into their communities as a byproduct of the open southern border. Their jobs were shipped overseas, and their children were also sent overseas to fight and die in the needless foreign wars sustaining solely for the purpose of making our ruling class richer.
We are approaching eight years since Trump descended the golden escalator of Trump Tower; in many ways the decline has accelerated. The Republican establishment, however, does not seem to have learned much in the intervening years, and still has very little to offer. This was most clearly on display during the midterm elections when, despite the smug predictions of an inevitable “red wave,” some were keen on the idea that some hollow “Commitment to America” would motivate voters to overwhelm the polls.
To the surprise of no one who has not been in the establishment or a coma, it failed. Perhaps for good reason, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blithely informed us following the GOP’s embarrassing midterm performance that providing military aid for the Ukraine should be our top priority, and a dozen more of our Grand Old Party elected officials voted in favor of codifying the redefinition of marriage.
Our elites ruthlessly trample upon the very foundations of America; they seek to destroy the good, deny beauty, and ultimately lead souls on the path to destruction. This unsustainable ideology has produced nothing but depression, confusion, and harm.
Yet, in a civilization at its breaking point, where one is reprimanded for espousing basic truths, this major party has nothing positive to offer. Have they been so deflated by the lies from our enemies’ tongues, that the absolute best we can look forward to is forbidding scandalizing sexual education policies until third grade? Once the child hits the age of 9, all bets are off?
A soft-spoken, low-energy politician with a “serious strategy,” simply clinging onto the toothless abstractions of freedom and individualism is insufficient. The summation of the Right’s worldview—should it provide a muscular alternative to the current course of decline—cannot simply be: but we’re not them!
As Peter Thiel reminded us at the 2022 National Conservatism conference, even Florida in 2022 fails to provide the foundation for a long-term alternative model to the one offered by California.
America needs a proven leader, and a visionary to capture the intangible—someone who will not merely motivate the masses to get to the polls but who can craft a meaningful vision in which Americans can place their hope. It needs a vision for American excellence: a sovereign nation under God that embraces Truth, not rejects it.
Though the 2024 election is still nearly two years away, the man at Mar-a-Lago still possesses the requisite spirit, grit, and instinct to take on the colossal task of recapturing the White House, come what may.
Despite his outsized influence over the party, these recovering NeverTrumpers (and patronizing “Neo-NeverTrumpers”) claim to want a reasonable alternative: a candidate who carries the mantle of “Trumpism” without all the baggage
Trump is who you get when you have a system rigged against the right wing.
We are doing great damage to the cause of freedom and liberty to this country when we start making claims and staking beliefs that everything hinges on one single man/person. If this is the case, then we are saying that all is won or lost based on one single person . This cult of personality needs to stop. This movement is much greater than Trump and should not be defined as such. Instead, we should identify those who are FOR or AGAINST the policies that make our country great. Focusing on single individual only helps the enemy by allowing the enemy to just demonize whoever is at the tip of the spear on our side, and make their task to weaken the overall movement that much easier.
When there are others willing the stand in the breach, as Trump has, then we’ll talk.
This Trump worship is very similar to how the left worships Obama, and it’s a little creepy. I voted for Trump twice, and
I will vote for him again if he’s the nominee. However, I’m quite tired of Trump being elevated to demi-god status, as if he’s the “only one who can save us!” As a result, you are labeled a heretic or Never-Trumper if you happen to think there just might be other Republicans worthy of consideration.
Good point. I love what Trump stands for, but what he stands for should be the goal.
I’m old enough to remember “winning”.
I thoroughly believed that an outsider was what we needed when voting for Trump. The problem I have come to realize is that Trump’s record at picking people for government positions was extremely poor. Being a total outsider meant relying on insiders to recommend persons with government experience. I am thinking someone that is in politics but not part of the Washington DC establishment would be better. If Trump is the nominee I will vote for him. But, I am considering whether a State governor like DeSantis would be better. If I remember correctly, most of Reagan’s inner circle came with him from positions in his California administration.
The Clintons brought their cronies from Arkansas (images of the Beverly Hillbillies come to mind), and I think it made things worse.
Without Trump It’s Business As Usual
Grab your ankles
However, I’m quite tired of Trump being elevated to demi-god status, as if he’s the “only one who can save us!”
The problem is that no one has really elevated him to a demi-god. It’s just no republican has proven they can be trusted or rise anywhere near the top.
No one thinking of running against Trump is other than an Establishment Hack who care less about our crumbling country. They allow voter fraud, DOJ/FBI/Intell agency corruption, support the alien invasion (other than harsh words), China poisoning our country, you name it.
Name me a non-hack... Elections are always the best option, not the perfect one. There is and never has been a perfect candidate.
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You have it backwards.
You're blaming the people who are simply pointing out that there is (currently) only one person who takes on the uniparty.
Nevermind all the other GOP who won't.
Or let me guess. You think there's a second person? Just come out and say it and stop calling people cultists simply for pointing out the crap show that is the uniparty.
Exactly right.
“We are doing great damage to the cause of freedom and liberty to this country when we start making claims and staking beliefs that everything hinges on one single man/person.”
That is a classic straw man argument. No one is saying that except the enemies of freedom, who see President Trump as a threat and want to marginalize him.
They concoct these false “cult of personality” and “Trump worship” narratives. Happily, Trump supporters are not stupid enough to fall for it.
Nobody is “worshipping” Trump, yet there is a constant refrain that “Trump worship” is a problem. But can you find me one single case of an actual Trump supporter worshipping Trump? No, of course you can’t, because it’s not a thing.
Trump supporters are some of the most rational, common sense, independent thinkers you will ever find on this planet - not at all prone to cultism.
We really love it that President Trump made so many great promises - and then actually kept them! We really love it that Trump speaks the unvarnished truth no matter what, and never stops fighting. We really love it that he was willing to give up a life of luxury to fight to give us a seat at the table.
We don’t see anyone else around able to take the fight as far as Trump has - DeSantis looks promising - good for him. Trump won’t live forever - MAGA will always need leaders - I hope DeSantis proves to be a MAGA fighter like Trump. But Trump isn’t done yet - we don’t have to choose - they can fight side by side. We want to see how far Trump can take this fight.
So stop presenting this false choice - that we need to abandon our support for Trump in order to move forward. That’s nonsense.
Think of it this way: You are a restaurant owner and everyone comes there for your amazing ribeye steak. Nothing else on your menu gets ordered and you would like to change that.
So what do you do? Do you strive to add more appealing dishes to your menu, or do you accuse your patrons of being in a rut, or lacking sophisticated taste?
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