Conservatives have failed Donald Trump's supporters

theweek.com ^ | February 16, 2016 | Michael Brendan Dougherty

[Trumpinator]

"Get a job, you racists, and stop playing the victim! Don't you remember the '80s?"

Does that sound like a successful political program to you? Does it sound like an adequate response when perhaps one-fourth or more of your party's voters are staging a minor revolt? Of course not. And yet, that is effectively the message the Republican elite is delivering to Donald Trump's disaffected white working-class supporters.

I recently suggested that the Republican Party, and the conservative movement, offer next to nothing to working-class Trump supporters. There are no obvious conservative policies that will generate the sort of growth needed to raise the standard of living for these working-class voters. Instead, the GOP's Powers That Be make a great show of obedience and deference to the center-right donor class, even when that donor class' preferred policies — endless war, unlimited immigration, and slashing tax burdens on the wealthy — have almost no relation to conservative ideas or even popular opinion.

Several columnists have responded critically to my original piece. They claimed to argue with me. Instead, they confirmed my thesis.

[Bidimus1]

I see you are following in the footsteps of your great and glorious leader seeing conspiracies and fantasies behind every comment and query. In there anyone who agrees with you is wonderful and perfect and juse anyone is against you is a liar and deceitful and paid off really is that the world you want live in.