As a moderate conservative, I am very disappointed in the success of Donald Trump in his election bid, and mourn the fact that a more moderate voice like John Kasich did not win the GOP primaries. Now I am stuck with the most unenviable of choices – Clinton or Trump; the intelligent, articulate career criminal or the capricious megalomaniac.
My friends are amazed that me, a somewhat thoughtful person, would even consider voting for Trump. And with nausea, I am considering it. One friend fretted this way:
I am scared that you are even willing to contemplate a Trump presidency. It’s a terrible choice for you, the one Democratic candidate you hate most, or a horrifically unprepared, unethical, lying, chaotic, dangerously reactive madman.
Why would a conservative consider Trump?
He’s not a true conservative in any sense. And he has obvious character flaws that could damage our nation as much as or more than a sexual dalliance, soft-pedaling Islam, or entering into a war with Iraq.
Here’s what I think are the main reasons to consider voting for Donald Trump:
- Pro-life: He might put a pro-life judge or two on the SCOTUS. For those of us concerned about the nearly 3000 children murdered daily in the US, that plays big. There is no way in hell that Hillary is going to even consider a pro-life judge. We are as concerned about the unborn as abolitionists were about slaves. It’s a priority.
- Political Dynasties: We saw two Presidents from the Bush family. As Americans, we don’t like this concentration of power. Who wants another Clinton, especially a more liberal one?
- Sending a Message: Like it or not, people are tired of politics as usual, and are now sending a bull into the China shop.
The Union can survive a Trump presidency
Despite the capriciousness and risk of Trump in power, people believe that our Union, which has survived the Civil War and Iraq, and all the wars in between, including the cold war, can survive a Trump Presidency. And they are willing to take the chance, even the probability, that Trump will break stuff (apologies to Limp Bizkit, WARNING: explicit)
But what has pushed people to vote for Trump despite his enormous flaws?
Executive Summary: Because of the political arrogance of the passage of the ACA, and murderous ignorance on abortion of the left, and the ineptness of our own GOP candidates.
As I have shown with Pew reports in the past, leftists have moved farther to the left than the right wing (who have also moved towards the pole), and their proclamations that they are essentially the new center (imagine a self-proclaimed Euro socialist running in an American election!) have fueled an anger that cannot be quenched by the half lies of Hillary pretending to be centrist.
I tried to support a moderate right candidate (John Kasich), but it seems that the time for that has passed, since the oversteps of the left have enraged the non liberal public.
The Cumulative Effect of Liberal Movements
It’s not just Obamacare, it’s a cumulative effect of many issues; abortion, the reverse racism of affirmative action, the racism of black lives matter (real and perceived) and anti police sentiments, attacks on freedom of conscience with respect to bakeries and other service organizations, forcing nuns to pay for contraception, the absurdity of trangenders in bathrooms, and the list can go on.
None of us will forget the great symbol of the occupy movement, a man defecating on a police car. Juvenile? Yes. Representative of the movement? Unfortunately, yes. And this rejection of respect for law is a thread throughout liberal social agendas, all in the name of justice. It’s unbalanced. It’s scary. It’s clumsy and divisive.
There are valid human rights and justice issues in that list, but the heavy handed, demonizing, and unbalanced (and sometimes equally unjust) way in which the left has pushed its agenda while in power has, in my mind, poisoned public policy.
The time for reason may be past
You didn’t listen to reason. Now we send unreason. Is that a stupid and desperate response? Yes. Would I do it? I tried to avoid it. But now, you reap what you sow. Greater than what you sowed. That’s how it works.
If you sow powerplays (see Obamacare in graphic to right), abuse of power (IRS punishing conservative organizations) and insults (guns and religion, anyone?), you get the same in spades – you get Trumped, as it were. (BTW, I see the anger of people against the police as a consequence of the abuse of power also, so this goes both ways.)
I regret that through excusing our own extremism, we have now invited a bull into the China shop. But we have.
And some believe it will do more good than harm. Enough of that he-said she-said bullsh*t, I suspect.