A Response to My Conservative Critics About Trump

[Right_in_Virginia]

A Response to My Conservative Critics About Trump
Townhall, Jun 6, 2017, Dennis Prager

[Excerpt]

Writers never know when something they write will strike a nerve -- or, in the common phrase of the internet, "go viral."

Yet my last column, "Why Conservatives Still Attack Trump" did both.

Whatever the reason, I feel compelled to respond to some of the disagreements.

After reading the responses, I feel confident in saying that they confirmed my primary thesis: Anti-Trump conservatives do not believe that Americans are fighting what I call the Second Civil War, while pro-Trump conservatives do.

Indeed, Jonah Goldberg in National Review said as much. He denied that we are in the midst of a civil war on two grounds: One is that it is not violent, and the other is that we are fighting a "culture war," not a civil war.

Whenever I write about the subject, I almost always note that this Second Civil War is not violent. I never thought that the word "war" must always include violence. The word is frequently used in nonviolent contexts: the war against cancer, the war between the sexes, the war against tobacco, the Cold War and myriad other nonviolent wars.

More:  https://townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/2017/06/06/a-response-to-my-conservative-critics-about-trump-n2336887

[INVAR]

Trump's character is less morally significant than defeating the left.

"Defeating the Left" is achieved by using a lifelong NYC Liberal Democrat whom funded, endorsed and campaigned for self-avowed Communist Bill DeBlasio and declared at his inauguration that Hillary and Bill Clinton were "good people"????????

Can Satan cast out Satan?

"And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges". - Matthew 12:27

[Night Hides Not]

Heads up to our friendly moderator: @Machiavelli

Prager's gone over to the dark side. Unsurprising, considering he is employed by Salem Media, the "All Trump, All the Time" network. He was the last hold out.

If past is prologue, this thread will have some pretty good discussion for the first 2-3 pages, then devolve into personal attacks until the mod closes the thread.

[Cripplecreek]

I just see the name Prager and LOL

[Frank Cannon]

"Defeating the Left" is achieved by using a lifelong NYC Liberal Democrat whom funded, endorsed and campaigned for self-avowed Communist Bill DeBlasio and declared at his inauguration that Hillary and Bill Clinton were "good people"????????

Can Satan cast out Satan?

"And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges". - Matthew 12:27

And the people you rely on to buttress your argument like Goldberg, Krauthammer et al were born in NYC, went to school in the Ivy League and spent their entire lives in either NYC or DC. These people have no basis in reality anymore because they don't live in it. That is why they waste vats of electronic ink discussing minutia about Donny and do not see that the fly overs find them irrelevant to the situation on the ground.

[Night Hides Not]

And the people you rely on to buttress your argument like Goldberg, Krauthammer et al were born in NYC, went to school in the Ivy League and spent their entire lives in either NYC or DC. These people have no basis in reality anymore because they don't live in it. That is why they waste vats of electronic ink discussing minutia about Donny and do not see that the fly overs find them irrelevant to the situation on the ground.

 

The NHN household has pretty much turned off the noise. We put our faith in too many people who have let us down, so politically we've gone Galt.

However, we are reaching out to our state rep Matt Rinaldi, in the hope that he will eventually run for the Congress seat in our district.

[Cripplecreek]

The NHN household has pretty much turned off the noise. We put our faith in too many people who have let us down, so politically we've gone Galt.

However, we are reaching out to our state rep Matt Rinaldi, in the hope that he will eventually run for the Congress seat in our district.

The years have proven that they noisemakers are all in it for the money with zero principles.

[Night Hides Not]

The years have proven that they noisemakers are all in it for the money with zero principles.

Without naming names, the most recent examples can be found in the category of "TEA Party leaders", who used that as their path to fame and fortune.

[andy58-in-nh]

Even if we are fighting a civil war - and it is an arguable proposition that we are in the early stages of one - there is nothing to recommend Donald Trump as the commander of the conservative "side".

He has demonstrated no knowledge of conservative ideas or history and appears also to lack any sense of priority, restraint, or focus. He is temperamentally unsuited to the task.

And please, don't give me the "but he's the leader we have" nonsense.  Yes, he is our President, and I will support him wherever I can, but he is clearly not the man to defeat the Progressive menace. 

[Oceander]

Even if we are fighting a civil war - and it is an arguable proposition that we are in the early stages of one - there is nothing to recommend Donald Trump as the commander of the conservative "side".

He has demonstrated no knowledge of conservative ideas or history and appears also to lack any sense of priority, restraint, or focus. He is temperamentally unsuited to the task.

And please, don't give me the "but he's the leader we have" nonsense.  Yes, he is our President, and I will support him wherever I can, but he is clearly not the man to defeat the Progressive menace. 

[Right_in_Virginia]

He has demonstrated no knowledge of conservative ideas or history and appears also to lack any sense of priority, restraint, or focus. He is temperamentally unsuited to the task. 

And many "conservatives" have shown no ability to strategize, unify and fight to win. 

In wartime, it is best to go with the fighter, not the talker.

[Bigun]

Even if we are fighting a civil war - and it is an arguable proposition that we are in the early stages of one - there is nothing to recommend Donald Trump as the commander of the conservative "side".

He has demonstrated no knowledge of conservative ideas or history and appears also to lack any sense of priority, restraint, or focus. He is temperamentally unsuited to the task.

And please, don't give me the "but he's the leader we have" nonsense.  Yes, he is our President, and I will support him wherever I can, but he is clearly not the man to defeat the Progressive menace.

Except for the fact that you fight wars with the army you have and not the one you wish you had!

[Cripplecreek]

Without naming names, the most recent examples can be found in the category of "TEA Party leaders", who used that as their path to fame and fortune.

The tea party in its purest form was in the early days when it rejected politician speakers at events. Along comes the TP Express traveling hope and salvation show with a roaster of politicians to endorse and it was over.

However at the end of the day its not their fault. As with the media, its really our own fault because Americans have abandoned principles and ethics in favor of the excitement of the big show. Given the utter collapse of conservatism in this recent election I don't have much hope that America can be saved.

[Frank Cannon]

Even if we are fighting a civil war - and it is an arguable proposition that we are in the early stages of one - there is nothing to recommend Donald Trump as the commander of the conservative "side".

He has demonstrated no knowledge of conservative ideas or history and appears also to lack any sense of priority, restraint, or focus. He is temperamentally unsuited to the task.

And please, don't give me the "but he's the leader we have" nonsense.  Yes, he is our President, and I will support him wherever I can, but he is clearly not the man to defeat the Progressive menace.

We haven't had anything resembling Conservatism in govt' since 1988. That was 30 years ago. The country doesn't look anything close to that now. Since then the only 2 GOP Presidents we have had were Progressive hacks. Bush 1 was bad and Bush 2 was way way worse. Now all of a sudden you are pretending like we didn't have a ultra big govt' nightmare in the WH for the last 16 years.

Donny isn't a Conservative, but he is giving me more tangible Conservative policies than the Compassionate Conservative did.

[INVAR]

there is nothing to recommend Donald Trump as the commander of the conservative "side".

It would be the equivalent of putting Keith Ellison in charge of DHS and naming him the Commander and chairman of fighting Islamic Terrorism.

Or putting Hillary in charge of Cyber Security for the banking system.

Donny isn't a Conservative, but he is giving me more tangible Conservative policies than the Compassionate Conservative did.

I think he grades at about the same level as Bush II thusfar IMO.

[Oceander]

We haven't had anything resembling Conservatism in govt' since 1988. That was 30 years ago. The country doesn't look anything close to that now. Since then the only 2 GOP Presidents we have had were Progressive hacks. Bush 1 was bad and Bush 2 was way way worse. Now all of a sudden you are pretending like we didn't have a ultra big govt' nightmare in the WH for the last 16 years.

Donny isn't a Conservative, but he is giving me more tangible Conservative policies than the Compassionate Conservative did.

[Frank Cannon]

I see. Another fan of Tarp, GM bailout, TSA, NSA, Medicare expansion, Harriette Myers, Ted Kennedy's education bill, campaign finance reform, prescription drug bill, never ending wars.

Boy, I'm sure we all are with you longing for solid Conservative stuff like that. Donny needs to do more of more of your brand of Conservatism right?

[andy58-in-nh]

We haven't had anything resembling Conservatism in govt' since 1988. That was 30 years ago. The country doesn't look anything close to that now. Since then the only 2 GOP Presidents we have had were Progressive hacks. Bush 1 was bad and Bush 2 was way way worse. Now all of a sudden you are pretending like we didn't have a ultra big govt' nightmare in the WH for the last 16 years.

Donny isn't a Conservative, but he is giving me more tangible Conservative policies than the Compassionate Conservative did.

I'm not going to argue that the last couple of Republican Presidents did anything to slow the growth of government, but neither has this one, so far.

Except for the fact that you fight wars with the army you have and not the one you wish you had!

On the positive side: Good job on the Supreme Court. Kudos for pulling out of the dumbass Paris Accords. It's nice to have a President willing to call Islamic terrorism "Islamic terrorism". On the negative side: he can't seem to keep his diminutive fingers of the keyboard long enough to focus, organize, and prioritize on more lasting goals.   

[Taxcontrol]

Times like these remind me of the country song "A country boy can survive" by Hank Williams Jr

[INVAR]

On the positive side: Good job on the Supreme Court. Kudos for pulling out of the dumbass Paris Accords. It's nice to have a President willing to call Islamic terrorism "Islamic terrorism". On the negative side: he can't seem to keep his diminutive fingers of the keyboard long enough to focus, organize, and prioritize on more lasting goals.   

Dittos.

Of more nefarious concerns is what the Republicans in Congress are capitulating and promoting.

It is as if that sickening Newsweek cover was prophetic.

[Silver Pines]

Prager says that he has never advocated electing moral politicians, and that Trump's moral character is insignificant.  Why, then, does he feel the need to compare him to King David?

The problem with comparisons between Trump and certain Biblical prophets falls flat when we remember that those men experienced huge conversions to the faith/Damascus road incidents and were repentant of their sins. 

[Cripplecreek]

Prager says that he has never advocated electing moral politicians, and that Trump's moral character is insignificant.  Why, then, does he feel the need to compare him to King David?

The problem with comparisons between Trump and certain Biblical prophets falls flat when we remember that those men experienced huge conversions to the faith/Damascus road incidents and were repentant of their sins.

Ohmagosh Ohmagosh Ohmagosh He's like Jesus in the temple with the money changers!!!!!!! 

[Machiavelli]

I just see the name Prager and LOL

I think Dennis Prager is the best of the talk show hosts. Oh, sure, he can be vainglorious, pompous, and overly effusive at times, and his attempts at humor frequently fall flat. However, he is honest, intelligent, and insightful.

He's a mensch.

[Night Hides Not]

Ohmagosh Ohmagosh Ohmagosh He's like Jesus in the temple with the money changers!!!!!!! 

One thing's for sure: every prayer in the Trump Book of Psalms would be 140 characters or less.

[goatprairie]

Even if we are fighting a civil war - and it is an arguable proposition that we are in the early stages of one - there is nothing to recommend Donald Trump as the commander of the conservative "side".

He has demonstrated no knowledge of conservative ideas or history and appears also to lack any sense of priority, restraint, or focus. He is temperamentally unsuited to the task.

And please, don't give me the "but he's the leader we have" nonsense.  Yes, he is our President, and I will support him wherever I can, but he is clearly not the man to defeat the Progressive menace.

I voted for Trump to avoid Hillary. But he is not nearly as smart as he thinks he is.  That is worse than knowing you're not up to the task so you defer to others.   And his temperament is awful for a prez.  He acts like some thin-skinned, teenage dweeb with his stupid tweets.
Yes, we have to support him when he's right....and he has done some good things.
But we could have done a lot better.  Too late now.