Posted on 01/20/2016 12:24:45 PM PST by conservativejoy
2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's endorsement of Donald Trump has dominated the news cycle, and rightly so: it's a shocking turnabout from the grassroots conservative darling who slams the Republican establishment. Donald Trump, you see, is far closer to the Republican establishment than he is to conservatism - he's a populist with big money and government ties, a man who routinely gave money to Democrats, a guy who switched in time for the 2016 election on issues ranging from immigration to abortion.
And Palin just endorsed him.
Why did she do it? There are two possibilities, one more cynical and one less. The more cynical possibility is that Palin hopes her endorsement of Trump will stave off a challenge from Cruz for leadership of the grassroots Tea Party movement - if Cruz wins the nomination, he takes de facto control of the Tea Party. If Trump wins, with Palin as kingmaker, she maintains control.
Then there's the less cynical and more probable explanation: she buys into Trump's populist appeal and identifies with him as a candidate because Trump's enemies are the same folks who generally attack her. In other words, she let her quest for vengeance against the establishment trump her conservative ideals.
In any case, here are four reasons why Palin's endorsement betrays her conservatism:
Trump Is The Ultimate Crony Capitalist. There was something extraordinarily odd in Palin decrying crony capitalism while standing next to Trump. Here's what she said about illegal immigration, for example:
The permanent political class has been doing the bidding of their campaign donor class and that's why you see that the borders are kept open. For them, for their cheap labor that they want to come in. That's why they've been bloating budgets. It's for crony capitalists to be able to suck off of them.
Speaking of crony capitalists sucking off illegal immigration, Trump allegedly built the original Trump Tower with illegal Polish labor. And Trump has endorsed the seizure of private property from the government for redistribution to other private parties - in fact, he's used eminent domain to build his empire. He brags openly about hijacking the political process for his own benefit. And he endorsed the ethanol boondoggle - on the same day Palin ripped crony capitalism. Yet Palin said that Trump didn’t get his high off of "opium" or rather "OPM, other people's money."
The Establishment Supports Trump Over Ted Cruz. Palin said yesterday, "I want you guys to understand more and more how the system, the establishment, works and has gotten us into the troubles that we are in - in America." But the establishment despises Cruz. They are merely deeply uncomfortable with Trump, as I pointed out yesterday. Trump himself said yesterday that establishment figures are centralizing around him to stop Cruz. The Hill reported this morning that "Republican donors are quietly coming around to the idea that Donald Trump could be their party's nominee for president." National Review reported last week that House Republicans prefer Trump to Cruz because they feel they can control Trump. Trump actually mirrors the establishment on the issues far more than the limited government, Constitutional conservative Cruz.
Trump Won't Defund The Left. Yesterday, Palin blasted "GOP majorities handing over a blank check to fund Obamacare and Planned Parenthood and illegal immigration that competes for your jobs and turning safety nets into hammocks." Donald Trump says he'll repeal Obamacare, but has endorsed nationalized healthcare occasionally; he said he wouldn't defund Planned Parenthood before swiveling on a dime; and he says he won't touch Medicare or Social Security. But Palin says he's the agent of change?
She Says Trump's Not An Elitist. Yeah, Right. Trump is supposedly blue-collar, but he's never gotten his hands dirty other than with dirty money. Palin says, "He's a multi-billionaire...He's not an elitist." Really? He said he paid the Clinton Foundation to get the Clintons to come to his wedding. He's given to all the major Democratic politicians in his state. He has cited his New York upbringing as his original reason for supporting partial-birth abortion. When Palin says that Trump has "spent his life with the workin' man," some evidence would be nice.
Palin's endorsement of Trump is a sell-out of conservatism, but so too is support of Trump generally. Just because the establishment stinks doesn't mean that replacing the establishment with a man who reflects their values is a win for conservatives. More importantly, the celebration of the establishment over Palin's endorsement springs from their incorrect belief that the Tea Party will embrace populism over conservatism. There's no evidence of that yet. But Palin opened the door to such speculation, and that's a disservice to the grassroots conservatives who have supported her.
Anti-Trump hit piece #12,942.
Duly noted.
Glenn Beck endorses Ted Cruz. Open border types gotta stick together.
Bless your heart....and your bumhurt.
No Palin just gave voice to what many rank and file Conservatives have discovered.
Conservatives are the Blacks on the GOP plantation.
For decades we have shook our heads wondering why blacks line up to vote for the Dims decade after decade despite the utter destruction the Dims have brought to their community.
Trump has made many of them realize Conservatives are the Blacks of the GOP plantation. We line up year after year, sacrifice our time and money, and what do we get? A GOP political machine this is virtually identical to the Dims who comes around every 2 years saying “If you just give us this, everything will be awesome.â€
Ask yourself this. Despite giving the entire Government to the GOP under Bush, was any item on the Conservative agenda advanced?
Sadly the answer is NO. And what many of us are realizing is the tools of the Conservative establishment i.e. Town-hall, Heritage Foundation, Club for Growth, NRO, etc are the GOP equivalents of the “Civil Rights Leaders†that keep blacks on the Democrat’s plantation
As if things could not get worse for CRuz....he allows Beck to go on tour with him. Yikes.
i think the opposite, it is gonna hurt trump.
This is based of personal experience.
My idiot liberal union supporting drone of a brother LOVES Donald Trump and has an irrational hatred of Sarah Palin.
I fear his love for Trump will go downward after the Palin Endorsement.
What a bunch of hockey tock. Palin endorsed Trump because she thinks he can win. And he probably offered her Energy Secretary which is fine by me. One thing that woman knows about is energy.
Trump can actually win. And appoint Cruz and a couple other conservatives to SCOTUS.
So how does that hurt conservatives?
Stopping illegal immigration.
Stopping Muslims from invading our country.
Building a wall.
Dems won’t vote for Cruz. Undecided, alienated voters, independents going to vote for Cruz? Unlikely.
Trump can win. Winning is good.
Many here seem to envision a Libertarian-style Republican party: Ideologically sounds but never winning any elections.
No thanks!
I’m not butt hurt. Palin is the person who sold out her supporters and the Conservative movement for a cabinet post.
These people are slowly circling the drain.
There is disappointment, and then there are retarded zealots having a meltdown, while thinking that it isnt making Cruz and his supporters look like pathetic losers.
Another in a long line of foaming at the mouth personal attack pieces without a shred of evidence to back up the accusations. Just keep screaming the accusations hopping against hope that today's screed will accomplish what yesterday's failed to do.
Odd how the “Conservative” media sounds JUST like their Leftist counterparts these days. Full of bile and hysterics, void of any articulate, rational points.
...But boring.
Bwahahaha.
Sure, Jan.
What I don’t understand it why these folks keep putting themselves out in front of the Trump Train? How many time do they have to be run over to learn their lesson: Trump is much better a all of this politics stuff than any politician ever was.
Excellent assessment.
I’ll take Trump (and Palin) over any member of the uniparty.
Stupid post.
bttt
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