Holding Trump's Feet to the Fire

[EasyAce]

By Ben Shapiro
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/443021/conservatives-uniting-behind-trump-are-delusional

On Tuesday, Newt Gingrich unveiled his newest speech, “The Principles of Trumpism,” at the Heritage Foundation. Gingrich,
who used to provide intellectual heft to conservative ideas, now lends his brains to providing an ad hoc political movement with the
veneer of philosophy — at an elevated speaking cost, of course.

So, what are the principles of Trumpism? Opposing political correctness, saying “Merry Christmas,” and protectionism, among others.
But mainly, the Principles of Trumpism are the Attitudes of Trumpism: populist rabble-rousing, “in the tradition of Washington,
Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, FDR, and Ronald Reagan,” Gingrich said. “And by that I mean, in every case, they
believed in the American people, they aroused the American people, and they led the American people to victory over entrenched
powerful interests.”

Gingrich never bothered to mention that Jackson was an ambitious demagogue who cared little about legal restrictions on his power
and used the spoils system to punish his enemies and reward his friends; Teddy Roosevelt was a progressive who massively expanded
the reach and power of the federal government; FDR destroyed the very notion of limited government in the United States and ruled
from on high using the might of the federal government. If we are to take Gingrich seriously, the main Principle of Trumpism is this:
Say whatever you can to win popularity, then use whatever power you have to do what you want.

And Republicans defend all this.

The supposed conservative “thought leaders” — who, we were told, would hem Trump in — have instead knelt before him. Vice President–
elect Mike Pence, the man we were promised would limit Trump’s anti-conservative heresies, now says, “The free market has been sorting
it out and America’s been losing.” (Trump’s reply: “Every time, every time.”) Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, asked about Trump’s potential
business conflicts, simply brushed off such concerns: “This is not what I’m concerned about in Congress.” Ryan has also endorsed Trump’s
controversial pick of pro-Russian Rex Tillerson as the potential secretary of state, and he has dismissed questions about Trump’s bizarre
insistence that 3 million people voted fraudulently for Hillary Clinton. Senator Ted Cruz, who spent the primaries railing against cronyism,
now says that the Carrier deal — a textbook example of cronyism — is great politics: “I think the American people are gratified to have
an incoming president, an incoming administration, that will fight to keep jobs here in America.”

All of this has an impact. As I wrote at the Daily Wire last week:

Fully 57 percent of Republicans answered “agree” to the statement, “The free market has been
sorting [the economy] out and America’s been losing.” 69 percent of Republicans say that it is
acceptable for the president and vice president to “directly negotiate with private businesses,”
which is definitional economic corporatism; 78 percent say they’re fine with Trump and Pence
offering “tax breaks or incentives to individual companies to keep jobs in the U.S.” — still more
crony corporatism; 71 percent signed off on Trump and Pence offering government contracts
to individual companies to keep jobs in the U.S., which is Obama-esque stimulus; 75 percent
said they were fine with Trump and Pence negotiating with individual private companies on
a case-by-case basis.

Meanwhile, Republican after Republican has signaled willingness to go along with Trumpian foreign policy, which seems heavily reliant
on trust in Vladimir Putin. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who once called Putin an “adversary,” now says he’ll support
Tillerson. Sean Hannity rails against anyone who would dare question Putin-backed hacks of the Democratic National Committee, stating
that such questions show insufficient loyalty to Trump.

What’s the point of all of this?

During the election cycle, one could make the argument — I heard it frequently enough — that all criticism of Trump had to be silenced
in order to prevent Hillary’s election. A single word critical of Trump could turn a vote; that vote could prevent Trump from being elected.
I didn’t buy that logic because my job wasn’t to get Trump elected; it was to call events and facts according to the dictates of conservatism.
If Trump didn’t want my criticism, he had an easy solution: He could stop saying anti-conservative things.

But at least there was a utilitarian argument for “Shut up, cuck.”

Now there isn’t. Trump is the president-elect. Hillary Clinton is off wandering through the woods like Sasquatch. Now would be the time
to call out Trump’s heresies, if conservatives weren’t lying when they said they’d hold his feet to the fire.

And yet that’s not what’s happening.

There are two possible explanations for conservatives falling in line behind Trump’s bad ideas. First, we could be in the postcoital glow:
Trump’s victory has created a halo effect that makes it easier to simply shout “MAGA!” in ecstasy instead of looking at policy. Criticism
seems like a damp blanket during a time of celebration — nobody likes a Republican party-pooper.

Second, we could be seeing a tactical attempt by many Republican leaders to flatter Trump into conservatism. That seems to be Paul
Ryan’s tactic: Praise Trump to the skies and hope he treats Ryan the same way he treats Putin. This tactic is bound to fail, however:
Trump lets flattery work on him only if he has an underlying kinship with the flatterer. Otherwise, he treats flattery as weakness. Mitt
Romney tried to flatter Trump, and Trump instead treated him as a penitent Ned Stark, chopping off his head to the delight of the
passengers on the Joffrey Train. Ted Cruz did the same, and he got left out in the cold. Trump is fine with Putin’s flattery because he
admires Putin’s stronk-like-bool style; he’s not so hot on Chris Christie’s flattery, instead sending Christie back to New Jersey to fetch
burgers. If Paul Ryan is delusional enough to believe that his generosity with Trump will earn Trump’s support on entitlement reform,
he’s about to be rudely awakened.

Meanwhile, the illusion of conservative unity behind Trump will help Trump effect a soul-suck of the movement itself: Trump will
consolidate his gains, then do what he wants. After all, that’s the actual Principle of Trumpism: What’s best for Trump is principal.

— Ben Shapiro is the editor in chief of the Daily Wire.

[Cripplecreek]

we could be in the postcoital glow

Generally not something experienced after rape.

[LMAO]

Trump's admiration for not only Putin, but other  strongmen like Kim Jong Il and the Chinese governments crackdown on the Tienanmen(sp) Square protesters is disturbing.

It is a hint into his philosophy. He will not take kindly to being told no by Congress.

[EasyAce]

Trump's admiration for not only Putin, but other  strongmen like Kim Jong Il and the Chinese governments crackdown on the Tienanmen(sp) Square protesters is disturbing.

It is a hint into his philosophy. He will not take kindly to being told no by Congress.

Extremely few presidents in my lifetime took kindly to being told "no" by Congress. But in all fairness
we deal now with a man who could prove himself the most thin-skinned American president since
Richard Nixon.

[Cripplecreek]

Trump's admiration for not only Putin, but other  strongmen like Kim Jong Il and the Chinese governments crackdown on the Tienanmen(sp) Square protesters is disturbing.

It is a hint into his philosophy. He will not take kindly to being told no by Congress.

When he was asked about allegations of Putin killing journalists, Trump said "At least he's a leader".