Posted on 08/16/2015 1:02:06 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
“Trumpites” are only “lightly attached to the political process”
George Will has written a thought-provoking piece over at WaPo in which he argues that the GOP should purge itself of Trump and Trump’s supporters.
Will explains:
"When, however, Trump decided that his next acquisition would be not another casino but the Republican presidential nomination, he tactically and quickly underwent many conversions of convenience (concerning abortion, health care, funding Democrats, etc.). His makeover demonstrates that he is a counterfeit Republican and no conservative.
He is an affront to anyone devoted to the project William F. Buckley began six decades ago with the founding in 1955 of the National Review — making conservatism intellectually respectable and politically palatable. Buckley’s legacy is being betrayed by invertebrate conservatives now saying that although Trump “goes too far,” he has “tapped into something,” and therefore . . . ."
Therefore what? This stance — if a semi-grovel can be dignified as a stance — is a recipe for deserved disaster. Remember, Henry Wallace and Strom Thurmond “tapped into” things.
Unlike Ted Cruz who embraces Trump supporters, Will wonders who Trump’s supporters are:
Conservatives who flinch from forthrightly marginalizing Trump mistakenly fear alienating a substantial Republican cohort. But the assumption that today’s Trumpites are Republicans is unsubstantiated and implausible. Many are no doubt lightly attached to the political process, preferring entertainment to affiliation. They relish their candidate’s vituperation and share his aversion to facts. From what GOP faction might Trumpites come? The establishment? Social conservatives? Unlikely.
They certainly are not tea partyers, those earnest, issue-oriented, book-club organizing activists who are passionate about policy. Trump’s aversion to reality was displayed during the Cleveland debate when Chris Wallace asked him for “evidence” to support his claim that Mexico’s government is sending rapists and drug dealers to the United States. Trump, as usual, offered apoplexy as an argument.
Will concludes his piece calling for “excommunicating” Trump and his supporters from the GOP:
So, conservatives today should deal with Trump with the firmness Buckley dealt with the John Birch Society in 1962. The society was an extension of a loony businessman who said Dwight Eisenhower was “a dedicated, conscious agent of the Communist conspiracy.” In a 5,000-word National Review “excoriation” (Buckley’s word), he excommunicated the society from the conservative movement.
Peter Whener, writing at Commentary, agrees with Will:
"Fortunately there are conservative commentators who are doing just that [“excommunicating” Trump and his supporters], including Bill Bennett, David Brooks, Mona Charen, Charles C.W. Cooke, Michael Gerson, Jonah Goldberg, Victor Davis Hanson, Charles Krauthammer, Matt Lewis, Rich Lowry, Michael Medved, Paul Mirengoff, Dana Perino, John Podhoretz, Karl Rove, Jennifer Rubin, Kevin Williamson, regular contributors to this web site (among them Max Boot, Noah Rothman and Jonathan Tobin), editorial page writers for the Wall Street Journal and others.
These individuals, while differing on various matters, understand the difference between angry populism and conservatism. They don’t believe crudity is a conservative virtue. And they don’t want conservatism stained by an unprincipled interloper and cynical opportunist, which is what Mr. Trump is. (It’s been well documented that until a few years ago, Trump was a registered Democrat, a large financial contributor to leading liberal politicians, and held liberal positions on a wide range of issues.)
In that sense, this is a clarifying moment for conservatism. Those on the right who have become Trump defenders have, I think, made a serious error in judgment that is the result of a rather profound misunderstanding of conservatism (for more, see here). You can cherish and champion conservative principles, or you can support and praise Donald Trump. But you can’t do both."
Writing at Townhall, Pat Buchanan offers a different viewpoint:
"For there is a plot afoot in The Washington Post Conservative Club to purge Trump from the Republican Party before the primaries begin."
“A political party has a right to … secure its borders,” asserts the Post’s George Will, “a duty to exclude interlopers.” Will wants The Donald “excommunicated” and locked out of all GOP debates until he kneels and takes a loyalty oath to the nominee.
“Marginalizing Trump” carries no risk of “alienating a substantial Republican cohort,” Will assures us, for these “Trumpites” are neither Republicans nor conservatives. Better off without such trash.
The Post’s Michael Gerson says “establishment Republicans” must “make clear that [Trump] has moved beyond the boundaries of serious and civil discourse.” He loathes the Trumpites as much as Will.
Trump’s followers are “xenophobic,” Gerson tells CNN. They have a “resentment of outsiders, of Mexico, of China, and immigrants. That’s more like a European right-wing party, a UKIP or a National Front in France. Republicans can’t incorporate that.”
But if the GOP has no room for Trump’s followers, it has no future. For there simply aren’t that many chamber-of-commerce and country-club Republicans.
I’m sure that this is a debate that will continue for some time, but I wonder if it will end as the GOP establishment seems to think it will?
In all fairness to Coulter, Trump is her second choice after “true conservative” Mitt Romney.
George Will is part of the problem Trump suporters seek to fix.
We want our party back.
My, my she is definitely not guilty...though I have no idea why you posted that. But who cares?
A who’s who list of eunuchs. (I agree on VDH - I hope he sees the light soon)
They are blasting Trump’s style, which has been his most successful attribute, and has...
1. Single handedly demolished PC, the country’s enemy #1
2. Taken it to the propaganda organs (the media)
3. Taken it to the establishment of all stripes
4. Put illegal immigration on the front burner...
5. ...As well as sanctuary cities
6. Stated a clear position on PP - defund them if they do abortions
7. Taken a strong position on China, etc, regarding currency manipulation
8. Energized the conservative grassroots like no one else
9. Forced the media to cover what he has to say, putting his bombastic style to good use
10. Not apologized or backed down at the demands of the PC police, instead he doubled down
11. Come out strong against ISIS
12. Come out for a military so strong (and with the will to use it) that no one would mess with us
13. Come up with a simple slogan that resonates with sane americans of all stripes - “Make America Great Again”.
14. Dominated the news cycle for weeks at a time, getting all the attention and name recognition, and taking all the oxygen out of the other campaigns, in the process spending not a cent for all that publicity.
Who among these paragons of civility can claim a tenth of this success in all the years that they have been scribbling?
It’s not business as usual friends, you people who are saying Purge the Republican Party of Trump Supporters, is that your latest move? Pathetic jerks. I’m not going to sit thru another election cycle while you feed up your crap and the middle class keeps on bleeding jobs and there’s no interest income coming in on our CD’s and bank accounts and the economic picture looks bleak but you let the county go into 13 trillion debt and you let Iran get nukes with that horrible Iran deal and you give Iran 150 billion dollars while allowing the world’s pour to enter our borders and bleed us dry. I’m ready to vote for anybody who addresses my concerns about the dying of America the Great as we knew it. Nuff said.
That would be you, Will (and most of today's NR as well!).
What a puerile joke.
So, did Mr. Bowtie speak up against Boehner and McConnell when they betrayed conservatives even after Republicans winning 2 consecutive massive mid-term landslides?
Did he criticize Bush on spending and not fighting back against the Left, which directly contributed to the 2006 Dems winning Congress and Obama? Hell, did he even criticize Poppy Bush in 1992, Dole, McCain, and Romney for running crappy campaigns?
No, didn't think so.
Pound sand, Will.
You know how Ann is. She uses biting sarcasm and humor in all of her writings.
niteowl77 was mentioning Maureen Dowd. When M.D. is mentioned or writes an article, it is a rule to post a pic of Catherine Zeta Jones.
I thought the only people who love purges are Leftists!
Seems like it’s actually the other way around.
The voters are purging the GOP.
What happened to that “big tent” we hear so much about from the GOPe?
And....George Will is a conservative......since when??? This idiot belongs as a greeter at Walmart, no offense to any of the Walmart Greeters!!!
“A political party has a right to … secure its borders,” asserts the Post’s George Will, “a duty to exclude interlopers.”
GW should read his own words. Immigration lover that he is.
Oh yeah, Trump’s not as anti-abortion as McConnall, who stopped Ted Cruz’s bill to defund the selling of baby body parts by Planned Parenthood. What has your GOPe done to stop these atrocities, Mr. Will? Why should we trust the party that buys Black Democrat votes to defeat a fine conservative candidate in MS to keep a barely-sentient good ol’ boy in the seat?
A reminder: if the TEA Party sits out in ‘16, the Republican Party loses...again.
LOL
Same with me!
A serious attempt to “purge Trump and his supporters from the GOP” might have the effect of purging the GOP from Trump and his supporters. The GOPe would then be a rump club.
Will is a conservative the way British Conservatives are conservative. He is, rather, a Tory.
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