Sunday, November 20, 2016

So What Does NeverTrump Do Next?

NeverTrump is over.
I don’t mean the idea was invalid or has been discredited. Certainly not by the election results, partly because it’s clear Donald Trump squeaked by without a majority against a particularly unpopular and unloved opponent. Heck, he didn’t even get a plurality, since Hillary Clinton edged him out slightly in the popular vote. But NeverTrump was never about whether Trump could win the election, it was about whether he deserved our support.
That is no longer the question. Trump is no longer the nominee but is now the president-elect, whether we like it or not. Unlike the febrile children on the Left, we’re not going to protest the outcome. The whole point of being NeverTrump is a desire to preserve the rule of law, which includes accepting the decision of the voters (and the Electoral College).
The question now is what to do when Trump is sworn in as president. I suggest skipping the five stages of grief and going straight to the five stages of NeverTrump.
[...]
... 3) Don’t Make Partisan Excuses for Trump
Trump is going to be attacked unremittingly by the Left, often for stupid, made-up reasons. As a result, people on the Right are going to develop a natural reflex to defend him and to assume that all such attacks are invalid.
Actually, I shouldn’t put that in the future tense. This is what made his victory possible in the first place, both in the primaries and in the general election. Whenever Trump did or said something that was truly, legitimately awful, many on the Right would refuse to acknowledge it because it was reported in the media and “the media lies.” So they would claim that this wasn’t what he said “in context” and go on to explain to me what Trump “really” meant, just in case I happened to believe my lying ears.
I’m already seeing this particular disease spreading, and NeverTrump alumni should make it our job to resist it. We need to keep reminding everyone that winning the latest 24-hour news cycle is not worth losing sight of what you stand for.
We will need to repeat this especially loudly because we can expect the Trump White House to be obsessed with winning the latest news cycle at all costs.
4) Be the Loyal Opposition
At some point, Trump is going to do something or propose something that is truly awful. It’s not a matter of “if,” it’s a matter of when. Take your pick: restrictive new libel laws, draconian restrictions on international trade, an alliance with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, single-payer health care. These are all things Trump has thought were good ideas in the past. Or maybe it will be some totally new awful idea that hasn’t even popped into his head yet.
When that happens, we need to be prepared to be the “loyal opposition” to our own party leadership. Let me explain what I mean here by the word “loyal.” It’s not about being loyal to a party or to a temporary political leader. It’s about being loyal to our country and its interests, even if that means opposing our current party leadership.
None of this should be a stretch for us. For all the big talk about Trump being the “anti-establishment” candidate, most of the NeverTrumpers I know have actual records of opposing the establishment. We’re the ones who cheered, for example, when frustrated primary voters put the skids under Eric Cantor. Holding Trump to account will come naturally. ...
Read the full op-ed HERE.

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2 comments:

cimbri said...

They should have a last supper, disband the group, say their farewells, that sort of thing.

RomneyMan said...

Get a life perhaps?