Congratulations, National Review! You Got Your Wish!

[mystery-ak]

Congratulations, National Review! You Got Your Wish!

It was all worth it, these principled conservatives will tell you, because conservatism had to be destroyed in order to save it from Trump.

By George S. Bardmesser
December 19, 2020

The biological entity known as Joseph R. Biden will be inaugurated on January 20. Success has a thousand fathers—and one of them is a conservative publication where many principled conservatives spend their days tearing down the most conservative president in generations.

I therefore would like to congratulate National Review and its principled conservers of conservatism on a job well done. At long last, your efforts to undermine Donald Trump and make yourselves irrelevant have borne fruit. For National Review this has always been less about policy and more about “personal and moral character.” With Joe Biden, National Review can finally have a man of real character in the Oval Office. Mission accomplished, guys.

In the run-up to November 3, the leading lights who conserve conservatism at that magazine thundered against Trump. The theme was always the same: character. Trump’s—unlike his opponent’s—was so lacking, so threadbare, so inadequate to the task, that nothing Trump ever did or would do could make up for the deficit.

Take Kevin Williamson. Williamson, who was booted from the Atlantic a few years ago because his pro-life views were said to be incompatible with “journalism,” reserves special contempt for President Trump. In case anyone doubted where Williamson stands, he wrote a piece shortly before the election, dripping with sarcasm and denigrating Trump’s accomplishments. That Trump was able to achieve anything at all in the face of four years of non-stop sabotage of his presidency is itself remarkable—but Trump’s lack of character trumped all.

So I want to congratulate Kevin Williamson on the election of Joe Biden. There are many reasons for the hardcore Left and the harder-core Left to celebrate, but for those National Review conservatives conserving conservatism, certainly character is first and foremost. Take abortion—Biden has been lying about his “opposition” to abortion for decades. For that matter, he’s been lying about his religion for decades—he is no more a Catholic than I am a Rastafarian.

more
https://amgreatness.com/2020/12/19/congratulations-national-review-you-got-your-wish/

[bigheadfred]

ouch

[catfish1957]

National Review has big Lincoln Project faction, I guess.

But to be honest, it wouldn't have mattered if every conservative would have voted for Trump, as long as there is marionette string pulling hack adjusting the results.  They would have just generated another 2M votes if needed

From another thread, and bears repeating...
 
"When you win a record low 17% of counties, lose Black & Hispanic support, lose 18/19 Bellwether Counties, lose Ohio, Florida, & Iowa -- and lose 27/27 House "Toss-Ups" -- but you shatter the popular vote record"

[andy58-in-nh]

The fact that Donald Trump is a man of flawed character who has nonetheless successfully advanced conservative policies and causes seems to utterly evade the self-appointed intellectual classes of Conservatism.

Likewise, the fact that Joe Biden is himself a man of compromised character, and one who has consistently supported left-wing policies, seemed to matter not to the Never-Trump crowd.

Amidst all of the pearl-clutching and hand-wringing about Donald Trump's Tweets and misstatements, I do not recall any similar interest in Joe Biden's documented history of plagiarism, influence-peddling, and standing a little too close, hands on, to every woman not named Jill Biden (excuse me, Dr.Jill Biden).

Accordingly, I think that George Will, Bill Kristol, Jonah Goldberg and others have a lot to answer for, having assisted in the election of a man who will seek to implement the very policies that they claim to abhor.
   

[skeeter]

I considered them our bulwark against the left for decades, but the past four years has taught me to despise these phonies.

It was always about Trump encroaching upon their franchise.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

NR and Drudge have been the biggest disappointments to conservatives in the past 4 years.

I never visit either one.

[catfish1957]

I considered them our bulwark against the left for decades, but the past four years has taught me to despise these phonies.

It was always about Trump encroaching upon their franchise.

I have had a number of debates with folks on how founder WF Buckley would have responded to the Trump phenomenom.  Would he have tended Limbaugh's way or George Will?

IMO, the purist he was would have given DJT plenty of grief, by OTOH, would have supported him knowing how far left the competiton would have taken the country.

[skeeter]

I have had a number of debates with folks on how founder WF Buckley would have responded to the Trump phenomenom.  Would he have tended Limbaugh's way or George Will?

IMO, the purist he was would have given DJT plenty of grief, by OTOH, would have supported him knowing how far left the competiton would have taken the country.

I don't know how Buckley related to George Will (Will wasn't quite the squish when WFB was alive he is now), but he seemed to like Limbaugh fine. I tend to agree he would've repeatedly dinged Trump on style but he was an honest man, and he would've acknowledged the president's patriotism and commitment to the Constitution.

[Fishrrman]

catfish wrote:
"National Review has big Lincoln Project faction, I guess."

Never cared one whit for William F. Buckley and his literary creation (NR).

Quite frankly, I preferred the old "troglodyte" conservatives that Mr. Buckley tried to drive out of the party...

[roamer_1]

The National Review has not represented Principled Conservatism in a very long time - If it ever has.

[Absalom]

The National Review has not represented Principled Conservatism in a very long time - If it ever has.

---------------------------
Roamer, a strong demurral.
William Buckley, Russell Kirk, James Burnham, Frank Meyer and William Rusher;
the Founding Fathers of National Review, each of whom I knew, were
Principled Conservatives in the mold of John Locke and Edmund Burke.

[roamer_1]

---------------------------
Roamer, a strong demurral.
William Buckley, Russell Kirk, James Burnham, Frank Meyer and William Rusher;
the Founding Fathers of National Review, each of whom I knew, were
Principled Conservatives in the mold of John Locke and Edmund Burke.

Agreed, but only to the point that politics intersect...