Anti-Establishment Does Not Mean Pro-Conservative

Townhall.com ^ | January 27, 2016 | Ben Shapiro

[Kaslin]

Donald Trump will change everything.

This seems to be the consensus among anti-establishment Republicans. According to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, Trump leads among anti-establishment primary voters with an actual majority of 51 percent. And a full 51 percent of Republicans think Trump is "the best choice to bring needed change to Washington, perhaps the single most crucial attribute to leaned Republicans."

Trump makes this case, too. He's said that he's the establishment's worst nightmare. He says he's too rich too be bought, too independent to care about what his enemies say, too powerful to be stopped. He'll stand up for the American people by standing against the powers-that-be.

Then he turns around and says he'll make deals. "I think the [establishment is] warming up," Trump said this week. "I want to be honest, I have received so many phone calls from people that you would call establishment, from people -- generally speaking ... conservatives, Republicans -- that want to come onto our team. We are getting calls from everybody that it's actually amazing. I'm actually surprised."

Why? Because, says Trump, unlike his chief rival, Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, he'll make deals. He's a deal-maker! "Guys like Ted Cruz will never make a deal because he's a strident guy," Trump said. "That's what the country's about really, isn't it?"

And Trump will make deals. He isn't lying. He's friendly with everybody on the Democratic side of the aisle. Here's Trump on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.: "I think I'm going to be able to get along with Pelosi -- I've always had a good relationship with Nancy Pelosi." Here's Trump on Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.: He "always treated me nicely. We need that in Washington." Here's Trump on Senator Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., godfather of amnesty: "I think I'll be able to get along well with Schumer, Chuck Schumer. I was always very good with Schumer. I was close to Schumer in many ways."

For that matter, here's Trump on Hillary Clinton circa 2012: "Hillary Clinton I think is a terrific woman." Here's Trump on President Obama circa 2009: "I think he's doing a really good job. ... He's really a champion."

It's not that Trump represents the establishment. He's still anti-establishment because he's not taking cues from them. He's running his own campaign, and he's following his own advice. But just because you oppose the establishment doesn't mean that you're a conservative. Trump opposes the establishment because he thinks of himself as a political outsider. The base opposes the establishment because they don't want Republicans in the establishment cutting bad deals with Democrats. Which means that Trump's anti-establishment viewpoint doesn't match up with that of the conservative base.

Trump may change Washington, D.C., but not in a way conservatives will like. He could be a Republican Barack Obama, but he won't be a conservative one. And another egomaniac without Constitutional strictures is the last thing we need.

[Luircin]

Hmm. In my case, it went the opposite way. I started by supporting Cruz 100%, and slowly my support degraded until he was moved to my #2 slot.

But I accept that you have differing views and opinions than I do, and probably saw different things than I did. And I saw and appreciated different things than you.

If nothing else, at least we share the same goals, even if we’re pretty much locking horns on the best way to accomplish them, right?

At least I hope that’s the case.

[little jeremiah]

Actually I stopped calling myself a conservative quite a few years ago and decided “constitutionalist” was more accurate. Of course many people have funny ideas what the Constitution actually means.

But “conservative” means “whatever anyone wants it to mean” at this point.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

The word ‘conservatism’ will be vindicted.

But the word ‘patriotism’ — a word that unites.

Once they vote for him, then low info patriots will keep feeling better and better about why they did. Free market forces, law-and-order on the border, strong defense, strong counter-terrorism, etc.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Oh. Didn’t mean to duck your question.

Conservatism —

[BTW ... a conservative can arguably be ‘open-borders’, which is why we are in such a mess right now. Patriotism trumps any threat to our nation, even if based on a conservative ideal.]

1. Limited government and maximum freedom [such as freedom of religion, gun rights, and banning slavery]

[And BTW — patriotism objects that not all religions are equal — Islam is barbaric, inferior, and a threat to public safety.]

2. A government founded on colonial British Common Law. [Such as states empowered to make abortion illegal.]

3. Strong defense.

4. America First.

5. Harshness toward crime and corruption.

6. Minimum litigiousness.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

You really got me thinking with your question. Well done.

‘Tellin’ ‘aint sellin’. Askin’ is.

Conservatives have refused to change with the times.

Wow!

I’ve tried to help veer conservatism more toward patriotism, but we failed.