Would Conservatives Have Formed a #ForeverTrump Movement If He Were a Less Crazy Strongman?
There is little fundamental policy disagreement between him and various conservative factions
Could there possibly be any silver lining to Drumpf? Even after he has long gone from the scene, he will have set a
new (low) baseline for political discussions on any number of topics. Ted Cruz is already out-sinking him on immigration and general anti-Mussalman saber rattling.
Still, I note in my column at The Week, Trump is the best kind of demagogue America could have hoped for. Why?
He is offering America a rare thing: truth in advertising. It isn't often that ugly ideas come packaged in an ugly wrapping. But when it happens, it's easier to repel them.
Imagine what might have happened if Trump had been a more attractive and sophisticated spokesman for his witch's brew of nativism, protectionism, authoritarianism, and bare-knuckles foreign policy. Instead of driving varied conservative factions to band together in a #NeverTrump movement against him, he might well have led them in a #ForeverTrump movement for him.
Go here to read the whole thing.