Why Conservatives like Trump

Here’s WHY Conservatives Are Voting For Trump In DROVES (#NeverTrump Peeps Will HATE This)

It has been a mystery for many people who would consider themselves “rock-ribbed” conservatives why any of their Republican friends would even — for a moment — entertain any possibility of supporting a billionaire Reality TV star whose grasp of conservative values would be called “shaky” at best. (To be fair, it is a question that has bothered me from time to time.)

The Federalist’s Mytheos Holt (his real name) wrote a well-reasoned article that may shed light on the question.

The fact that it came from The Federalist is relevant. This was a piece supportive of Trump on a site where others denounce him. Had this piece come from Hannity, I’d have scrolled past it. When the Blaze releases a piece denouncing Trump, it deserves at least a grain of salt. This was neither. It looked promising, more thoughtful than the usual “talking points” pieces.

The article is far too involved to really be summed up — you can find the full article under the title The Intellectual Case for Trump II: Trump is the Culture Warrior We Need — but here are a few bullet points… the ones that caught my attention.

The Problem - The rise of the Left? Because the Institutional Right gave up on culture. We have let the Left use culture to project their “ideal society”. The “Young Fogies” problem (explained in the article)

The Left’s Methods -    With their culture ascendant, they switched strategies:  While outsiders, they decried morality being “shoved down their throats”. Now they shove theirs down ours, punishing non-compliance.   While outsiders, they cheered taboo-breaking speech.  Now, even printing taboo words is “hate speech”.

Hijacking Capitalism - Marketing tactics were adapted to politics.  Voters split into various targetable “tribes”. race, income, gender.  The Public develops “brand loyalty” to an idea (emotion > fact).  Example: Bill Clinton’s facts did not persuade BLM. Not interested.  The Left has actually made Hate Mongering profitable

The Right’s Necessary Response -   Must Create a Counter-culture (“stuffed shirts” will fail at this task).    Use existing narratives to persuade. Batman or House of Cards were mentioned. I would add the “Civil War” Marvel film.  Don’t be afraid to make common cause with unorthodox people… chances are, they are the people who will “get it done”.

And this brings us back to the reason some people — in many cases, intelligent people — have favored Trump as a wrecking ball over someone like Cruz with his focus on the Constitution.

It’s as easy as this: It will take boldness, willingness to make the faux pas, to step on toes, in order to smash the old boy’s club that sat on their hands for the the last culture war. To break up (in Cruzian terms) the Washington Cartel that keeps dragging out political albatrosses like McCain or Romney to lead us to uh victory? Or something?

We need to either revitalize or kill the party that has already tied a tag around its own toe. This repulsive half-dead existence cannot continue.

Regardless whether you favor the Trumpian wrecking ball, or the reclaimer of the Constitution, the author of the article is very much “on point” in saying we need to be better at engaging culture. FAR better.

In a generation that is too young to even remember Reagan, do we make a mistake in holding up a Republican hero of the Cold War as our ideal template? Maybe we need to speak of heroes people can more readily identify with? Maybe our conversation — if we want to engage them well should have less Adam Smith and more Captain America? At least it’s a start.

http://clashdaily.com/2016/04/conservatives-consider-voting-trump-nevertrump-peeps-will-hate/ utm_source=newsletter &utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=164271&utm_ keyword=major1&utm_content=22160986&utm_source=Email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=subscriber_id:22160986&utm_campaign=Here%E2%80%99s%20WHY%20Conservatives%20Are%20Voting%20For%20Trump%20In%20DROVES%20(%23NeverTrump%20Peeps%20Will%20HATE%20This)