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Don’t Let Trump Define Conservatism in His Image
National Review ^ | January 21, 2016 | Erick Erickson

Posted on 01/21/2016 9:10:18 PM PST by Isara

I would vote for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton. Many of the Republicans who have declared that they would never vote for Trump gave carte blanche to politicians who have been complicit in the growth of the government leviathan. These Republicans have ignored conservatism in the name of party politics, and their broken promises gave rise to Donald Trump's candidacy.

Nonetheless, I will not be voting for Donald Trump in the primary. I take my conservatism seriously, and I also take Saint Paul seriously. In setting out the qualifications for overseers, or bishops, Saint Paul admonished Timothy, "If anyone aspires to the office of overseer . . . he must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil" (1 Timothy 3:1,6).

I think this is also true of political leaders, including those within the conservative movement. In October 2011, when many of the other Republican candidates were fighting Barack Obama, Donald Trump told Sean Hannity, "I was [Obama's] biggest cheerleader." Trump donated to both the Clinton Foundation and Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign, as well to Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, and other Democrats. In 2011, according to the website OpenSecrets.org, "the largest recipient [of Donald Trump's political spending] has been the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee with $116,000."

In a 60 Minutes interview with Scott Pelly, Trump aggressively supported universal health-care, saying, "This is an un-Republican thing for me to say. . . . I'm going to take care of everybody. . . . The government's gonna pay for it." He supported the prosecution of hate crimes. He favored wealth-confiscation policies. He supported abortion rights. On all these things, Donald Trump now says he has changed his mind. Like the angels in heaven who rejoice for every new believer, we should rejoice for Donald Trump's conversion to conservatism.

But we should not put a new conservative in charge of conservatism or the country, so that he does not become puffed up with conceit and fall into condemnation. Republicans have wandered in the wilderness already by letting leaders define conservatism in their own image. Donald Trump needs more time and more testing of his new conservative convictions.

- Erick Erickson is the editor of The Resurgent and an Atlanta-based talk-radio host.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: New York
KEYWORDS: 2016election; cnsrvtvtreehouse; demagogicparty; election2016; erickerickson; glennbeck; marklevin; memebuilding; nationalreview; newyork; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; pinkstain; redstain; redstate; sundance; trump
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1 posted on 01/21/2016 9:10:18 PM PST by Isara
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To: Isara

Cruz isn’t a NBC as defined by our framers.

Where that articl?


2 posted on 01/21/2016 9:11:51 PM PST by TigerClaws
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To: Isara
I love and respect the Trump FReepers but:

Trump is NOT a Conservative!

3 posted on 01/21/2016 9:12:01 PM PST by PROCON (Proud CRUZader!)
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To: PROCON

If Trump isn’t , then Cruz surely isn’t


4 posted on 01/21/2016 9:13:23 PM PST by Neu Pragmatist (Trump is the only one who can win the general election . With Cruz we lose)
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To: Isara
Donald Trump needs more time and more testing of his new conservative convictions.

The country doesn't have the time.

Trump or Cruz or we all lose.

5 posted on 01/21/2016 9:14:03 PM PST by The Iceman Cometh (Trumpbots Vs. Cruznadians - the struggle is real.)
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To: Isara

He’s not defining conservatism. It’s not even about conservatism. It’s about the very survival of our nation.


6 posted on 01/21/2016 9:15:34 PM PST by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to to God!)
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To: PROCON

Trump is the only true conservative candidate in the race.

Erick is angry because Trump tweeted that he was fired like a dog.


7 posted on 01/21/2016 9:17:20 PM PST by Helicondelta
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To: Isara

Erickson is a fat faced fraud.
Nothing more.


8 posted on 01/21/2016 9:17:52 PM PST by tennmountainman ("Prophet Mountainman" Predicter Of All Things RINO...for a small pittancez)
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To: Jim Robinson

Yup! And these a-hole pundits still don’t get it.


9 posted on 01/21/2016 9:18:02 PM PST by Randall_S (Let's sink some ships.)
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To: Jim Robinson

Amen....


10 posted on 01/21/2016 9:19:21 PM PST by ripnbang ("An armed man is a citizen, an unarmed man a subject")
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To: PROCON

11 posted on 01/21/2016 9:20:22 PM PST by The Iceman Cometh (Trumpbots Vs. Cruznadians - the struggle is real.)
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To: Jim Robinson

We can’t survive with another RINO Jim...


12 posted on 01/21/2016 9:21:32 PM PST by pollywog ( " O thou who changest not....ABIDE with me")
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To: Isara

Conservative? I have yet to hear Trump even use the term.


13 posted on 01/21/2016 9:21:39 PM PST by Hoodat (Article 4, Section 4)
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To: PROCON

If these guys are conservatives, the you are right! Neither Donald Trump nor I are conservative. We are American Patriots!


14 posted on 01/21/2016 9:23:51 PM PST by SubMareener (Save us from Quarterly Freepathons! Become a MONTHLY DONOR!)
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To: Jim Robinson
It's about the very survival of our nation.

Which is why I vehemently oppose electing a liberal like Trump. The last thing we need is another narcissist in the White House.

15 posted on 01/21/2016 9:24:23 PM PST by Hoodat (Article 4, Section 4)
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To: pollywog

We’ve got to get someone elected first. If it’s going to be Cruz, he’d best get cracking.


16 posted on 01/21/2016 9:24:38 PM PST by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to to God!)
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To: Neu Pragmatist; Helicondelta
My definition of Conservatism is Reagan Conservatism.

Trump does not match up to Reagan's conservatism in any way.

You either do not understand Ronald Reagan's legacy or are too young to appreciate it.

17 posted on 01/21/2016 9:25:07 PM PST by PROCON (Proud CRUZader!)
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To: PROCON

“Trump does not match up to Reagan’s conservatism in any way.”

What was Reagan’s position on ethanol?


18 posted on 01/21/2016 9:26:51 PM PST by proust (Texan for Trump! Born in the USA!)
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To: Isara

Trump isn’t running as a conservative ideologue, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. That’s Cruz’s strategy, and it’s failing.

Trump is redefining how to make American great again, and that’s why he is winning.


19 posted on 01/21/2016 9:27:06 PM PST by bigbob ("Victorious warriors win first ande then go to war" Sun Tzu.)
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To: Neu Pragmatist
No,.... Trump is redefining and manipulating Conservatism.....He most certainly is not Conservative himself.....he has no loyalty to any except ‘Trump-ism’.....he's role playing because that will get him what he seeks, the position and power he covets.

Do not loose sight that the man is remarkably 'an open book' narcissist....and one who has not learned to control the inner earmarks of this type of personality .... rather he uses them to create and cause fear and uncertainty to those who either oppose him or get in his way.

Many things are not reported about Trump because of his threats......a journalist wrote a story about him who was promptly warned to go no further via one of his staff with this message...

"I'm warning you, tread very f**king lightly, because what I'm going to do to you is going to be f**king disgusting... You understand me?"

It would be a terrible thing to give this man the power of the Presidency.....

20 posted on 01/21/2016 9:27:49 PM PST by caww
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