Posted on 03/19/2019 3:19:33 AM PDT by Kaslin
The “#NeverTrump” movement is going through its death throes, sustained only by a dwindling remnant of followers who are too greatly afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome to ever recover their senses.
Asked to comment on the condition of the movement that was once the darling of his detractors in the mainstream media, President Trump was happy to point out that opposition to him within the Republican Party is “on mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”
It’s a fair characterization. Many of their strongest writers and thinkers have seen the light, admitted they were hung up on personal animosities, and recognized Donald Trump as the incredibly effective conservative, Republican President that he is.
Take Erick Erickson, once a leading #NeverTrump-er. According to the President, “a couple weeks ago he called up and he said ‘I’m all in.’” In a column explaining his decision, Erickson argued that President Trump’s record of conservative policy victories on issues ranging from tax cuts to sovereignty to foreign policy is far more important than his personal feelings.
The President made a similar case, reiterating his frequent claim that those skeptical conservatives would be singing his praises from the rooftops if they considered his record alone. In addition to cutting taxes and regulations while rebuilding the military, President Trump pointed out that he’s also appointed more than 100 conservative judges, including two Supreme Court Justices.
All that’s left now of the movement is a tiny rump of bitter has-beens who evidently still think they can run a viable primary challenge to unseat Donald Trump and replace the MAGA coalition with a warmed-over version of George W. Bush-style “compassionate conservatism.”
Having lost their last real holdout publication, the once-venerable Weekly Standard, the final remnants of the movement migrated to “The Bulwark” in a misguided attempt to make 2005-era neoconservatism look “cool and edgy” for the kids by spicing it up with a veneer of irrational hatred of the President.
It’s not going very well. Bill Kristol’s quixotic plot to prove himself right about Donald Trump’s supposed inability to win the Presidency is actually getting less traffic than the Weekly Standard, which isn’t even publishing anymore.
Coincident with the Never Trump movement’s declining media influence is the loss of its support in Congress. Senators Rand Paul, Lindsey Graham, and Mike Lee, for instance, have all become valuable allies to President Trump despite having vociferously opposed him in 2016.
The dwindling ranks of the Never Trumpers betray the fundamental problem with their whole revolt against the Republican Party under Trump. It was never about “principles” or “country over party;” it was about distrust of Donald Trump, a New York businessman who didn’t come from the beltway world they inhabit.
That distrust was at least understandable during the primary campaign, which is the proper time to debate the merits and drawbacks of candidates. But after more than two years of President Trump leading the most consistently conservative agenda since Ronald Reagan’s, clinging to that skepticism and continuing to undermine the MAGA movement isn’t a matter of principled disagreement, it’s about personal hatred and resentment.
On judicial appointments, taxes, the right to life, national defense, and more, Donald Trump has advanced traditional conservative priorities more consistently and more effectively than any president in a generation. Most conservatives who once opposed him have recognized that by now, though there will always be a few (and getting fewer) who remain “almost deranged” by his very existence, as President Trump remarked about ex-Republican George Will.
The #NeverTrump movement really is “on mouth-to-mouth resuscitation” these days, but that’s not going to be enough to save it in the end.
Eric Thomas Bolling is a 2-time New York Times bestseller, American television personality, conservative political commentator, and financial commentator.
Senators Rand Paul, Lindsey Graham, and Mike Lee,
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Yeah?
Where the heck were they on the WALL?
Never trust a ‘Never-Trumper’ ... they are closet enemies.
Them, like the Rinos and the NRA, have become dumpster fire spreaders much like liberalism.
Ignore them, yes, to an extent we contain that trash fire to themselves
I hear CNN is hiring.
Why don’t you send your resume? You would fit perfectly
You must have misaddressed that post. If you believe otherwise, go check the record and I will graciously accept your apology.
Perhaps I did. I apologize
When Republicans appoint judges, we have absolutely no idea how they will turn out.
Many of those “100” will turn out to be David Souter or Anthony Kennedy.
On the other hand, Donald Trump is the most “Conservative” candidate who has a chance to be elected, so there is no other practical choice but Trump in 2020.
My top two issues are immigration and budget deficits, and I research both of them every day.
In my opinion, there is almost no evidence that Trump is a Conservative on immigration or deficits.
Paul/Lee NO National Emergency voters, but for the wall.
DUMBO declared 12 National Emergencies for M.E. Countries business as usual, Trump declares 1 for America....HORROR Constitutional violation!
I missed that Ericson finally figured things out, after a 3 year journey of making an ass of himself.
But overall, sadly, the NeverTrumpers still have their sugar daddies. Bill Kristol’s new rag is being funded by some French billionaire guy who’s basically aligned with Soros, and I think that National Review also has a left-wing sugar daddy (maybe the same guy).
While we may laugh at these rags for beating on Trump non-stop (although there are a couple of good writers still at NR), and say to ourselves that they’re a dying breed (which is true, of course), that is NOT their purpose. Not at all.
Their purpose is to give credibility to the totally rejected voices on the ‘right’, the NeverTrumpers, for that ‘credibility’ gets them invited on to TV and to write columns, supposedly ‘representing’ our side, so they can avoid having to put on people like Steven Bannon and the many other Trump supporters. In other words, the media choose who ‘represents’ us, and then amplifies their voices (like TrumpHater Anna Navarro), regardless of whether we laugh at them or not.
And so, because of these rags, the Trump (i.e., pro-USA) side of the arguments are never heard. Instead of hearing that there are HUGE human smuggling rings in Mexico that are now bringing millions to the border, all we hear is crap like Trump is ‘trampling the Constitution’, and, supposedly, FROM OUR SIDE.
I don’t know a solution short of our side owning some of the media, but no one who does support us, and has money, seems to want to bother with it.
Move your business to ONe America. Tell the Fox sponsors.
Support with feet and money
“In my opinion, there is almost no evidence that Trump is a Conservative on immigration or deficits.”
I agree Trump hasn’t done much on immigration (although he did have an excellent position on it when he ran), and certainly wasn’t in much of a hurry for the wall (although now he’s trying to catch up), but just who is a conservative on immigration, Drama Queen from Texas, who was about to side with the Democrats on opposing the emergency?
As to the deficit, get used to it, the country doesn’t give a crap if it means cutting back on their beloved social programs - and any Republican who tries to do something serioius about it gets BURIED politically. Trump would have been buried in 2016 if he talked about ‘reforming’ entitlements - that likely has, maybe, 30% approval these days. Americans are simply TOO STUPID to understand what happens once the balloon pops with $25T in debt.
As to the judges, other than getting a list from David Duke, it’s difficult to see how he could get a more reliable bunch...it’s the judges themselves that suck, as you do point out. But we’re stuck.
“Take Erick Erickson, once a leading #NeverTrump-er. According to the President, “a couple weeks ago he called up and he said ‘I’m all in.’”
Screw EE. He’s dead to me now.
L
Most of Fox is NeverTrump.
So at their core nevertrumpers are just a bunch of whiny little pajama boys.
Never trust a ‘Never-Trumper’ ... they are closet enemies.
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They were there with Reagan as well. This time they are the Establishment, Corrupt Business as Usual, Deep State RINOs waiting out Trump. Let’s hope POTUS will not be just a reprieve like the past. Let’s hope the Deep State gets purged this time around.
In my opinion, there is almost no evidence that Trump is a Conservative on immigration or deficitsPlease define "conservative on immigration" and where he's failed that wasn't the fault of judges or congress blocking him.
Deficits can be handled with increased cash flow. Which he has accomplished
It sounds to me like you're trying to making excuses for your never-trumper ways. Or just not paying attention to reality.
Let’s drop vague terms like conservative and talk about those who believe in the original intent of the constitution. My own opinion which, combined with a ten dollar bill, will buy a cup of coffee almost anywhere in America is that only a very tiny percentage of Americans would support the original intent of the constitution. It would mean open carry of weapons, no tax on wages, only men who owned property and paid taxes could vote, a huge portion of the federal government, certainly well over half of it anyway, would disappear. There would be no federal taxes sent to Washington to be redistributed to the states, no department of education, no homeland security, no social security, no medicare, the list goes on and on. Personally I think we would have been better off to stick with original intent but I cannot imagine any way now to go back to it. What is the point of all this rambling? It is to say that if “conservative” means someone who wants to stick with the status quo then we don’t need conservatism, we need activism but the exact opposite of the activism championed by fruitcakes and snowflakes on the left. We as a nation will never consider voting for what we really need which is to return to what made America great originally and it bears no resemblance to anything that is being proposed on the right, let alone the left. I was born five days before D-Day and I don’t recognize this country now, I may as well have been abducted by aliens and transported to the planet Dummkopf. Thirty years ago I would have loved to be able to drop twenty years of age but now I have no desire to be even one day younger.
You are on the money, I just wish that what you say was not so true.
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