That Donald Trump is a liberal mole. I know, I know. I'm half joking. But there are times when he does things that seem 100% to do no good for conservatives, to play into leftwing stereotypes and hysterics about conservatives, and goes a long way toward undercutting conservative concerns about the emergent Left.
So news headlines exploded that Trump came out and said the election was so corrupt and illegal, it's time to ditch the Constitution. Now there have been radicals wanting to abolish the Constitution since I was in school. In recent years, the 'Constitution as racist slave doc' has picked up steam thanks to BLM and similar activism. On Memorial Day in 2021, ABC News reported on a survey that found over 40% of Americans believe it's time to burn the old thing and start anew. And this doesn't count those calling for parts of it, particularly certain Amendments to the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, to be rewritten, reimagined, or done away with.
Conservatives are rightly incensed by this development. Not because they think the Constitution is holy Scripture, or God, or Gospel - a charge often leveled at them by those on the Left. But because, just like those who say this non-heavenly planet is important in terms of climate change, how we order society is also important, even if society isn't Heaven. And in the history of the human race, our Constitution is about as good as you get. So the strong case for preserving it can be made.
Then lo, along comes Donald J. Trump and, according to media reports, says 'burn it, burn it now.' Well conservatives just received another stone in their shoe when it comes to stopping this. Oh, they can condemn Trump's statements, but it just gave those who want the Constitution burned an extra name to drop, and it gives the Left in general the chance to rise up and be bold defenders of our founding documents!
As a bonus, Trump did this just as the first Twitter dump occurred. The dump suggested strongly that not only was Twitter purposefully targeting conservative accounts, but Democrats may have been party to the tactics. This was a first in Elon Musk's grand restructuring and revealing of Twitter and its policies. It should have been headline news. But thanks be to Trump, most MSM outlets played an easy misdirection by plastering across the headlines that Trump was calling for an end to the Constitution. The Musk and Twitter story being relegated to page fourteen behind the grocery ads.
I get that Trump did some good things. The Supreme Court likely being the best. But there are times when he seems to go out of his way to harm the conservative brand as much as possible, to affirm leftwing stereotypes about conservatives, and undercut whatever opponents of the Left are trying to accomplish. So while I wouldn't say I'm really 14% convinced he's a leftwing mole, I would put it around 4%.
He's very obviously a late-life convert. Like more than a few pointed out, he was once good friends with Bill Clinton. Heck name exactly how different he was from Clinton's presidency is a fun trivia game.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Sarah did a good job pointing out the obvious here as well as posting Trump's clarification followup. Did you see anything posting his followup?
I saw plenty of clarification, but filed that under 'damage done.' It gave the press the out it needed. Oh the press mentioned the Twitter dump, but the headline top of the hour stories included Trump's initial statement and the conservative reactions against it. Part of Trump's problem is the same problem every president since Reagan has had: No clearly thought out, consistent and encompassing world view.
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ReplyDeleteThe best thing Trump did was prevent Hillary Clinton from becoming president. Imagine that horror every time you wince at Trump.
The GOP will not get rid of Trump without enthusiastically embracing the good ideas he embraced and ran with successfully: locking down the border, bringing good blue-collar work back to the US, originalism in the courts, and support for parents vs the ed-woke. If they stick with just making Wall Street happy and sneering George Will- fashion at the old working class, he'll hang around.
Yeah, I had heard from Mollie Hemingway that Trump is actually happy to be out of politics, but feels - like you point out - that nobody has learned the lessons he tried to impart so he's feeling "called back to the line of duty."
DeleteKeeping Hillary out did a lot of good, since it was easy to see where things were going. Obama had already received praise for his 'phone and pen' bypassing of congress, I have no doubt Hillary would have continued.
DeleteYou're right about the ideas. The problem is that Trump was right about things, and he fought as opposed to surrender. Until the GOP embraces the best in Trump it will go nowhere, and deserve to get there in fast order.
"Conservatives are rightly incensed by this development."
ReplyDeleteYou know, ..I cannot agree.
Oh, it's no question that the comment was idiotic. Frankly though, ...when has any other prominent conservative voice had the moxie to confront the Left?? I didn't like everything he did. I DID like his willingness to pound mercilessly against any opposition. Given how conservatives have surrendered so many times about key principles, how little they've fought for control of political intent, I can't agree they have any cause to be incensed.
They really ought be looking at using some of his energy and passion to provoke the nation to understand the madness of the Democrat intent.
Trump's willingness to stand up to the Left - including the press - was what brought much of the support he received. Not since Reagan as a prominent Republican did more than offer to carry the Left's water.
DeleteI agree about his energy and passion. What they need is a non-Trump Republican to channel the best of Trump, while certainly avoding Trump's problems that were quite frankly problems.
To be a bit more clear about it: Why are we so concerned that Trump--or anyone else--should be worried about fulfilling ugly stereotypes about conservatives? Why are we not forcing progressives to be accountable for the stupidity of their worst stereotypes instead?
ReplyDeleteWell, if an opposing party makes a claim that Republicans are thus and such, it does no good to act as if the claim is correct. Especially if it's a valid claim. Conservatives point out that the majority of Americans calling hellfire down on the Constitution are liberals. Liberals maintain that Republicans, by virtue of not being liberal, are threats to the Constitution. So when Trump says this, it plays straight into the stereotype that Republicans are a threat to the constitution. As a bonus, it allowed Democrats to come out and bravely defend the document that so many of their own side of the aisle want rewritten if not outright abolished. That's a win for the Democrats no matter how I twist and turn it.
DeleteThat's true IF we assume the Democrats legitimately define terms of engagement. Trump wasn't perfect; we knew that. ...Neither was Reagan. Republicans need to worry much less about fulfilling liberal stereotypes, focus much more on confronting liberals' flaws. There are many. They COULD raise the points you mention, highlight the intense hypocrisy of Democrats defending the Constitution. We would have a very different situation if that occurred.
DeleteMy experience is that most stereotypes are floated in order to make a group of people look bad. Living up to such stereotypes just doesn't seem like a good idea. But beyond that, then let's say don't help the other side win. Don't do things that torpedo your own side's desperate plight. And quite frankly, with news breaking that Trump just hosted a big Log Cabin Republican gala, it makes you wonder at what point is it doing traditional believers any good in the first place to continue the rocky alliance at all.
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