Michael Gerson: Is it time all conservatives made peace with Trump?

[TomSea]

Michael Gerson: Is it time all conservatives made peace with Trump?
The Washington Post
Michael Gerson

Is it time for anti-Trump conservatives to recognize that they have lost the political and policy battle within the GOP and to accommodate themselves as best they can to an uncomfortable reality?

This is the argument of the Ethics and Public Policy Center’s Henry Olsen, one of the most thoughtful political analysts on the right. On issues such as trade, immigration, and the Muslim travel ban, he argues, Republican critics of Donald Trump are dramatically “out of step with conservatives.” And the possible options are limited. A primary challenge to Trump is “doomed to failure.” The creation of a third party is a pipe dream, since “there simply aren’t enough dissatisfied conservatives.”

This leaves anti-Trump conservatives, in Olsen’s view, with one viable choice — to make peace with a Trump-dominated movement. “If they are willing to work with other conservative-movement types on immigration and trade to reach common ground,” he contends, “they might find other longtime conservatives are willing to work with them.” Olsen’s historical model is conservative “fusionism” — a theory associated with conservative thinker Frank Meyer that asserted common political and intellectual ground between social conservatives and libertarians in the middle of the last century.

Read more at: http://tucson.com/opinion/national/michael-gerson-is-it-time-all-conservatives-made-peace-with/article_a65679d2-64d9-5315-b2be-a43948afb72e.html

[TomSea]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Gerson

Author by his wikipedia bio, advocate of Neo-Conservatism and Nation Building, definitely out of the vogue now, and we saw at the polls, how Bush-ism was largely rejected in the last primary campaign 2016.

[skeeter]

IMO all conservative voters should support Trump now because, if for no other reason, of his fight against our insane immigration policies.

Leaving them as they are will result in the utter extinction of the party in another decade. And if that happens we lose everything.

Leave all the other intra-party policy fights, and there are many significant ones, until this big one has been settled.

[jmyrlefuller]

As for me, I will treat him as the enemy of my enemy: not necessarily my friend, but a useful ally if necessary.

[TomSea]

IMO all conservative voters should support Trump now because, if for no other reason, of his fight against our insane immigration policies.

Leaving them as they are will result in the utter extinction of the party in another decade. And if that happens we lose everything.

Leave all the other intra-party policy fights, and there are many significant ones, until this big one has been settled.

 

Great comment, even Sean Hannity was saying, he didn't like that huge infrastructure deal being proposed.

We get it.  I supported Bush, I defended him 7 or 8 years into the Obama administration. IMHO, people have a full right to their views and opinions and that being respected but as for me, I'll try to do best for the country in general.

And I'm serious, Bush supporters should really like it that Trump has largely "rolled back" ISIS, ISIS rose mainly because Obama pulled us out of Iraq. ISIS was unspeakable evil.

[Concerned]

I’m a fiscal conservative.  I’ll gladly make “peace” with anyone who shares my fiscal conservative values.  Similarly, I’ll gladly go to “war” with (by disagreeing with) anyone who continues deficit spending and who adds trillions to the debt.

[goatprairie]

While I'm not sorry I voted for Trump to avoid Hillary, we could have done better. That will always gnaw at me. Much of  the stuff Trump is accomplishing is simply from rolling back Obama's socialist policies. But, I'll give him credit for that. Jeb Bush would be grinning while letting in several hundred million more "undocument immigrants."  Of course, Trump's stand on illegal aliens is what got him nominated and elected.
But now he's signed the budget boondoggle (which he didn't have to do) and is following through on his tariff nonsense. Plus, he refuses to give up the inane twitter responses to ankle-biters and sundry. The White House comings and goings is looking like a chinese fire drill.  That vexes me sorely.
The big question: how will this all affect the future of the Republican Party as a vehicle to extend and support conservatism? What is more importan: populism or conservatism? For me it's the latter.

[musiclady]

How about if Trump does something to make peace with Conservatives, by actually DOING something conservative?

Why do we always have to compromise??  How about having the liberals compromise instead?

[ABX]

They ask for this just as he:

Lies about starting the wall
Enacts Woodrow Wilson level tariffs
Signs a budget bigger than Obama's
Signs a bill that wipes out data privacy (and the 4th Amendment)
Expands his infrastructure plan to dwarf Obama's porkulus
Doubles Planned Parenthood's annual funding



Allrighty then.

[roamer_1]

Not a single chance. He's a freakin tar baby. You get that crap on ya, it don't rub off.
Not my circus, never my clown.

[Frank Cannon]

Trump is God!!!! Learn it. Live it. Love it.

[Silver Pines]

I don't do "movements".  Trump is president, and most people decided long ago to judge his accomplishments or screw-ups as they come.  I can do that and still not like him as a person.

In view of that, there's nothing to "accommodate" myself to. 

[Silver Pines]

How about if Trump does something to make peace with Conservatives, by actually DOING something conservative?

Why do we always have to compromise??  How about having the liberals compromise instead?

@musiclady

I'm done compromising. 

This is what I don't understand, though.  These entreaties to support Trump make no sense to me.  The support he needed from voters has already been given, and it propelled him into the White House.  Isn't it up to HIM to produce results now?

What kind of support are we supposed to give?  Stop posting criticism on internet forums? 

[Oceander]

No

[Victoria33]

@musiclady
I'm done compromising.  This is what I don't understand, though.  These entreaties to support Trump make no sense to me.  The support he needed from voters has already been given, and it propelled him into the White House.  Isn't it up to HIM to produce results now?  What kind of support are we supposed to give?  Stop posting criticism on internet forums?

@CatherineofAmazon

He takes away our pain medicine, Jan. 1, 2019.  I hope he goes to hell, if there is one, witch the Pope appears to think maybe hell doesn't exist. 

[Formerly Once-Ler]

IMO all conservative voters should support Trump now because, if for no other reason, of his fight against our insane immigration policies.

Leaving them as they are will result in the utter extinction of the party in another decade. And if that happens we lose everything.

I have rejected the GOP after a long love of 30 years.  The GOP has already lost everything I held dear.  The only thing they hold is a hatred for the other tribe.

Leave all the other intra-party policy fights, and there are many significant ones, until this big one has been settled.

Enjoy the President's success on the immigration issue.     One tweet at a time.

[TomSea]

I commend Trump voters, knocked down ISIS, has done as well as can be expected with North Korea, threatening the whole world with Nukes, giving states back some rights, including religious and pro-life issues,  highest consumer confidence in 18 years, historic rates of employment for minorities. Nobody is going to ride in on their high horse and make it sound like their cynicism is the way to go. You did nothing about this. Have it your way but cut the arrogance crap. Let the truth be seen, not just those who have tunnel vision to lash out at Trump wherever they can.  Some conservatives, they expect a primrose path, they can enjoy their .0014% national vote for the Constitution party, they are showing us.

[INVAR]

I don't care a whit about Trump - and I turn his face off every single time it shows up on TV or a video imbed on a site I'm reading.  He nauseates me as much as Obama did - in a different way.

So I have the same disdain and dismissal of him as I did Obama - and for kindred reasons.

I have no plans to 'make peace' with anyone who is in public office at any time, or from any party whatsoever from this point forward.

My duty is to watch them like a hawk, and suspect them all of having nothing but evil intentions towards our liberties and to squawk endlessly when they demonstrate all the attributes of someone deserving of contempt, distrust and scorn based on what they say and do.

If Americans had done that instead of rooting for their party like a sports team and candidates as political messiahs - we might have retained more than we lost.