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So Conservatives, What Have We Learned From This Trump Thing?
Townhall.com ^ | August 1, 2016 | Kurt Schlichter

Posted on 08/01/2016 4:39:18 AM PDT by Kaslin

The primaries are over and Trump is the nominee, and instead of whining about it like a Millennial faced with having to get a job we need to step back and ask ourselves if we have learned anything from this bizarre turn of events. The GOP – our GOP – has nominated someone who is not a traditional conservative. He’s not even an untraditional conservative. Hell, there’s probably not even a “c” or a “v” in whatever he is. So we can either try to figure out what happened or keep rending our clothes and gnashing our teeth about how our own voter base took one look at us and rejected us like any sober, sighted guy in a bar at 7 p.m. would reject Lena Dunham.

What have we learned from this? We can’t answer that unless we get beyond the natural tendency to assume that the problem is that everyone else is wrong: “Gosh, if the voters weren’t so stupid they would have totally fallen in line with our commands and right now we’d be watching Jeb Bush being fitted for a gimp suit by Hillary instead of seeing Trump [checks current polls] uh, cleaning her clock. Wait, what?”

Did we ever actually listen to our people? I mean all our people, not just the people who went to the same colleges as us and who hang with us at the same awesome restaurants and read National Review. I mean the actual voters out there in wherever actual GOP voters live. Did we pay attention to them and their concerns? Did we listen to them about illegal immigration, about the impact of free trade, about the wars we supported? And did we fight? I don’t mean just give lip service to how bad and unwashed liberals are, but really get in there and stand up to these flag-hating, gender-inventing, God-booing jerks? Or did we look down on the very people we were depending on at election time?

In short, did we completely screw up? Nah, it’s clearly everyone else who’s wrong. They’re just too stupid to understand that they need to obediently fall in line. After all, their real interests are actually – and super conveniently – our interests.

Seriously – is that where we are at? Because I’m hearing a lot of such nonsense from people horrified at Trump and, by extension, the GOP voters who nominated him fair and square. Can we really blame them for voting for the one guy who actually paid attention to what they were saying?

Did we listen about illegal immigration? Heck, illegal immigration is just wonderful for us. We get cheaper restaurant food, cheaper houses, cheaper maids, and if we own companies we get cheaper workers. So what’s not to love, right? Except maybe you didn’t go to a university and wanted to work with your hands and found that you can’t get a job because all the companies are hiring cheap illegal alien workers. Or your truck got hit by an uninsured illegal. Or your daughter got killed by an illegal who should have been deported. Well, if you have concerns about these things, clearly you’re a racist.

And our response to their massive law breaking is “Well, we can’t possibly enforce the law! [clutches pearls tightly] Why, that would be mean!” Do you think that when some red state Republican voter breaks the law he gets a pass? You think the IRS isn’t going to empty his bank account to pay overdue taxes because he carries a sign reading “I didn’t cross the tax code; the tax code crossed me!” We can’t deport an illegal because his family, that shouldn’t even be here, might be sad, but do you think anyone working for Uncle Sucker gives a half damn about an American’s family if he steps out of line? Our response to the legitimate grievances of the people we counted on in this election was to call them stupid and racist and people are surprised they flocked to the one guy who listened to them?

We love fair trade. But what about the guy whose job that he support his family with gets outsourced because of NAFTA? What are we supposed to tell him? That in aggregate fair trade is beneficial? Yeah, but what if you’re not in the aggregate? I don’t know the answer, but I do know that so far we've been telling him “Suck it up cuz you’re obsolete. Go retrain on computers, dummy.” Yet we’re stunned that our voters have failed to embrace our innovative two-prong approach of ignoring their grievances while heaping abuse upon them?

And let's talk about wars. Generally, it’s our base that fights wars and we haven’t won one on the ground since Desert Storm. Our base doesn’t mind fighting for a cause, but if we're not as dedicated as they are, if we can't even commit to win when they commit to doing the dying, why are we shocked when instead of answering the call for the umpteenth time they let it go to voicemail? And the stuff about NATO and Trump – you know, our voters are not blind. If our allies were doing their fair share, his criticisms wouldn't resonate.

And did we listen when our base asked the establishment to show some fighting spirit? Or are we driven to effectively vote for Hillary because somebody scandalized out tender sensibilities by using the verb “schlonged?” Our base demanded someone who wouldn’t be intimidated, who would fight. Instead, the establishment was dead set on dumping a steaming pile of Jeb on our collective lawn, the same durrwood you can watch on YouTube hanging a medal around Hillary Clinton's wrinkled neck. That pompous geebo can’t even take his own damn side in a fight; why is anyone shocked that our voters saw he would never take theirs?

So what have we learned about ourselves? Maybe that many of us are snobs. There's a lot of class warfare going on here, a lot of backroom snark, with a lot of conservatives who want to believe that the only people who could ever support Donald Trump are knuckle-dragging morons who can't cut it when it comes to anything besides digging ditches. Too many of us choose cultural solidarity with the liberals we live among over political solidarity with the people we expected to vote with us.

“Gosh,” we tell ourselves. “These people can’t even see what’s in their own best interest.” Except maybe they don’t like what they see. Maybe it’s because they decided we aren’t worth listening to. Maybe they don’t like us conservatives. And maybe we better figure out how to fix that instead of whining.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2016election; 2016gopprimary; conservatives; donaldtrump; lessons; schlichter
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To: Kaslin

He will break many, many elitist, globalist rice bowls.


21 posted on 08/01/2016 4:56:14 AM PDT by Oratam
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To: Kaslin
the establishment was dead set on dumping a steaming pile of Jeb on our collective lawn

I love this line. But he forgot the !.

22 posted on 08/01/2016 4:58:44 AM PDT by Blennos
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To: Kaslin

One thing Trump should learn is this: Keep your mouth shut when Hillery’s media baits you with an attack by someone like Khan, “bereaved father of a fallen Muslim hero.” That should have been totally ignored because that story would not have lasted all weekend if Trump had not responded.
The Dems were able to cover up the REAL story of the weekend, which was that the Obama/Democrat economy is on the verge of another RECESSION! Growing at 1.2% in the second quarter, which was half of what the “experts” were predicting, makes it the third consecutive quarter of shrinking GDP, which used to be classed as a recession.
Stop fooling around with these stupid side issues. Fasten your attention on the terrible Obama economy. This is what voters of all parties are concerned about.


23 posted on 08/01/2016 5:00:38 AM PDT by txrefugee
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To: miss marmelstein
.. am I the only one seeing a turn of events in these ‘elitist’ writers now eating some crow? ..

No.

And as long as they get on the Train we'll prepare any crow recipe they want.

24 posted on 08/01/2016 5:00:58 AM PDT by Byron_the_Aussie (Globalism = Terrorism)
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To: Kaslin

The Republican base have adopted a new definition of “conservatism”.

If you are for expelling all illegals, not allowing in people who want to destroy us, and reducing government spending and regulations, then you fit the definition. If you don’t, then we want you to GET THE F*** OUT OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!


25 posted on 08/01/2016 5:01:22 AM PDT by SauronOfMordor (Socialists want YOUR wealth redistributed, never THEIRS!)
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To: Kaslin
Two serious dudes for serious times


26 posted on 08/01/2016 5:01:26 AM PDT by spokeshave (Somewhere there is a ceiling for Trump.....Yeah, it's called The Oval Office)
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To: Kaslin
Did we pay attention to them and their concerns? Did we listen to them about illegal immigration, about the impact of free trade, about the wars we supported?

Guy didn't even mention obamadoesntcare. This is what motivated this to elect a Republican House and then a Republcan Senate. Both did nothing. This reveals that Dems and Pubs are essentially one party.

27 posted on 08/01/2016 5:01:30 AM PDT by The Truth Will Make You Free
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To: Kaslin

The American People finally woke up and realized that in the past 50-years. the GOPe, the DNC and the MSM have been quietly merging into the DC Uni-Party, in order to consolidate power and loot the country.


28 posted on 08/01/2016 5:01:48 AM PDT by Redleg Duke (Remember...after the primaries, we better still be on the same team!)
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To: Kaslin
Roosh ‏@rooshv Jul 29

Leaked photo of first meeting between Trump and Putin.


29 posted on 08/01/2016 5:01:53 AM PDT by Byron_the_Aussie (Globalism = Terrorism)
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To: Kaslin

Trump=TRUTH


30 posted on 08/01/2016 5:03:30 AM PDT by maddogtiger
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To: Byron_the_Aussie

But their crow won’t translate into a vote. They’re going for Hillary. Krauthammer basically admitted that. But then he once voted for Obama.


31 posted on 08/01/2016 5:06:10 AM PDT by miss marmelstein (Richard the Third: With my own people alone I should like to drive away the Muslims)
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To: Kaslin

Donald Trump is our modern day Winston Churchill. God is giving us one last chance to return to our United States Constitution.

God will not be mocked.


32 posted on 08/01/2016 5:07:17 AM PDT by abclily
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To: Kaslin

Mitch, Ryan and Boner created Trump,if they did what they said they would do Bush would be the Nominee right now


33 posted on 08/01/2016 5:09:48 AM PDT by Donglalinger
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To: D Rider

You are correct. We are not turning our back on conservatives; we are turning our back on members of the ruling class who pretend to be conservative.


34 posted on 08/01/2016 5:10:42 AM PDT by rcofdayton (.)
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To: Kaslin

Maybe with Trump we finally have a chance at fixing some things like the out of control government debt. Hillary is same old same old and would add trillions to the debt just like Obama. And the GOP-E work on the debt problem? Give me a break!


35 posted on 08/01/2016 5:12:13 AM PDT by MulberryDraw
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To: 4rcane
They hate conflict and fighting for their belief if its not done in gentleman fashion

Very true. The other side has no such qualms. The hell of it is, the 'Rats keep on kicking us in the nuts and the "gentlemen" on our side demand that we just smile and take it, as if that will gain us points with the other side and their media allies. Well, cripes, this isn't Sunday School or an encounter group, its politics, probably the nastiest thing out there short of armed conflict. Well, even the meekest dog and most mild-mannered person will reach their breaking point. I for one and damned sick and tired of being told, by many on both sides, that I am the problem, the reason for all the ills of society, when all I have done my entire life is follow the rules, pay my debts, obey the law, and treat others with kindness and respect. I'm ready to vote for someone who will tell those people to go straight to hell.

36 posted on 08/01/2016 5:13:56 AM PDT by chimera
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To: Kaslin

So how is it that these guys are still picking around the periphery and haven’t gotten to the part of how they are destroying the country we all live in, with us and everyone we love still in it, part?

That this is not a case of wanting to retain the relationship of “elite” and “subject/client” because they chased out everyone who was not a “true believer” in their claptrap. Heaven help Trump. What pool will he be able to hire from?


37 posted on 08/01/2016 5:14:25 AM PDT by BlackAdderess (Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.)
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To: Kaslin

This election isn’t about Conservative vs Liberal.

It is Nationalist vs Globalist.


38 posted on 08/01/2016 5:14:58 AM PDT by baltimorepoet
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To: Kaslin

This is the most perceptive NR article in the past five years.


39 posted on 08/01/2016 5:21:21 AM PDT by Interesting Times (WinterSoldier.com. SwiftVets.com. ToSetTheRecordStraight.com.)
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To: Kaslin
Well, for one thing, we learned that we actual Conservatives have been sold down the river by pseudo conservatives, a/l/a George Will, etal. and the Republican Party. For another thing, we have gone from thinking to believing to knowing that the Republican and Democrat Parties were two wings of the same Party, Socialists.

We should have learned by now that it is only US, the American Patriots and Donald Trump against both political parties and their propaganda arm, the media. And that we are on our own.

40 posted on 08/01/2016 5:22:47 AM PDT by sport
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