All too many conservatives, including some magazine editors, have been willing to overlook his hucksterism as he’s risen in the polls.
On the contrary. Most are taking him with a grain of salt given his past. They are merely responding to his willingness to address specific problems and issues.
They pretend that he deserves respect because he’s giving voice to some deep disquiet or anger in the American electorate.
Pretend? What does 'deserving respect' have to do with telling the truth? McCain and Romney 'deserved respect' and failed miserably because they took the coward's way out.
But America has rarely lacked for demagogues willing to exploit public discontents. William Jennings Bryan / Henry Wallace / Strom Thurmond etc.
Ancient history and hypotheticals as logic? Gigot, you are losing it - rapidly.
How, precisely, can someone relating facts be considered a demagogue, especially compared to the nonstop demagogues in the Democratic party?
As a standard-bearer for conservative ideas, Mr. Trump would likewise be a catastrophe. His only discernible principle is the promotion of his personal brand. His main message seems to be that because he’s rich and doesn’t care what anyone thinks, he can afford to tell everyone to go to hell.
And this ability drives the Beltway class insane, because he won't knuckle under, take orders from the Bush/Rove axis, or play the 'I'm sorry' cap-in-hand game demanded by the media.
Some Americans may find it satisfying 16 months from Election Day to tell pollsters they’d vote for him, but that doesn’t mean conservative elites should validate this nonsense.
Ahhhh - the ELITES! The (self-) important people! Now we finally reach the truth. The WSJ under Gigot are barely discernible from David Brooks.