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dmc/chucho, tsa, chris, clippernation, hater, darrins in a nuts
If Liberals Hate Him, Then Trump Must Be Doing Something Right
1153
MARK PERNICE
By CHARLES J. SYKES
MAY 12, 2017
If there was one principle that used to unite conservatives, it was respect for the rule of law. Not long ago, conservatives would have been horrified at wholesale violations of the norms and traditions of our political system, and would have been appalled by a president who showed overt contempt for the separation of powers.
But this week, as if on cue, most of the conservative media fell into line, celebrating President Trump’s abrupt dismissal of the F.B.I. director, James Comey, and dismissing the fact that Mr. Comey was leading an investigation into the Trump campaign and its ties to Russia. “Dems in Meltdown Over Comey Firing,” declared a headline on Fox News, as Tucker Carlson gleefully replayed clips of Democrats denouncing the move. “It’s just insane actually,” he said, referring to their reactions. On Fox and talk radio, the message was the same, with only a few conservatives willing to sound a discordant or even cautious note.
The talk-show host Rush Limbaugh was positively giddy, opening his monologue on Wednesday by praising Mr. Trump for what he called his “epic trolling” of liberals. “This is great,” Mr. Limbaugh declared. “Can we agree that Donald Trump is probably enjoying this more than anybody wants to admit or that anybody knows? So he fires Comey yesterday. Who’s he meet with today? He’s meeting with the Soviet, the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov! I mean, what an epic troll this is.”
Given the enthusiasm of the president’s apologists, it is likely that much of Mr. Trump’s base will similarly rally to him as it has in the past.
But perhaps most important, we saw once again how conservatism, with its belief in ordered liberty, is being eclipsed by something different: Loathing those who loathe the president. Rabid anti-anti-Trumpism.
In a lamentably overlooked monologue this month, Mr. Limbaugh embraced the new reality in which conservative ideas and principles had been displaced by anti-liberalism. For years, Mr. Limbaugh ran what he called the “Ins ute for Advanced Conservative Studies.” But in the Trump era, he told his audience, he has changed that to the “Ins ute for Advanced Anti-Leftist Studies.”
With Mr. Trump in the White House, conservative principles were no longer the point. “How many times during the campaign did I warn everybody Trump is not a conservative? Multiple times a day,” Mr. Limbaugh said. “How many times have I told you: ‘Do not expect Trump to be a conservative? He isn’t one.’ ”
He went on to emphasize that the campaign was not about conservatism, because that’s not what Mr. Trump is about.
That was a remarkable admission, but it is also a key to understanding what is happening on the right. While there are those like Sean Hannity who are reliable cheerleaders for all things President Trump, much of the conservative news media is now less pro-Trump than it is anti-anti-Trump. The distinction is important, because anti-anti-Trumpism has become the new safe space for the right.
Here is how it works: Rather than defend President Trump’s specific actions, his conservative champions change the subject to (1) the biased “fake news” media, (2) over-the-top liberals, (3) hypocrites on the left, (4) anyone else victimizing Mr. Trump or his supporters and (5) whataboutism, as in “What about Obama?” “What about Clinton?”
For the anti-anti-Trump pundit, whatever the allegation against Mr. Trump, whatever his blunders or foibles, the other side is always worse.
But the real heart of anti-anti-Trumpism is the delight in the frustration and anger of his opponents. Mr. Trump’s base is unlikely to hold him either to promises or tangible achievements, because conservative politics is now less about ideas or accomplishments than it is about making the right enemies cry out in anguish.
Mr. Trump’s most vocal supporters don’t have to defend his specific actions as long as they make liberal heads explode, or as Sarah Palin put it so memorably, “It’s really funny to me to see the splodey heads keep sploding.” If liberals hate something, the argument goes, then it must be wonderful and worthy of aggressive defense. Each controversy reinforces the divisions and the distrust, and Mr. Trump counts on that.
For many in the conservative movement, this sort of anti-anti-Trumpism is the solution to the painful conundrum posed by the Trump presidency. With a vast majority of conservative voters and listeners solidly behind Mr. Trump, conservative critics of the president find themselves isolated and under siege. But, as Damon Linker noted, anti-anti-Trumpism “allows the right to indulge its hatred of liberals and liberalism while sidestepping the need for a reckoning with the disaster of the Trump administration itself.”
This is also a much sounder business model than airing doubts about the president. Conservative media is, of course, a business that relies on ratings, and few things generate ratings more quickly than bashing liberals. In this case, it is more profitable for talk show hosts to play down Mr. Trump’s failures while piling on his enemies.
The ad hominem argument is rightly regarded as a logical fallacy because it subs utes personal attacks for a discussion of the argument someone is making. But on many talk shows, including Mr. Limbaugh’s, nearly every argument is ad hominem. Instead of offering statistics and building a case, it is easier to simply make fun of a Trump critic like Representative Maxine Waters, or shrug off a negative report because it came from the “lamestream media.”
Not surprisingly, the vast majority of airtime on conservative media is not taken up by issues or explanations of conservative approaches to markets or need to balance liberty with order. Why bother with such stuff, when there were personalities to be mocked and left-wing moonbats to be ridiculed?
What may have begun as a policy or a tactic in opposition has long since become a reflex. But there is an obvious price to be paid for essentially becoming a party devoted to trolling. In the long run, it’s hard to see how a party dedicated to liberal tears can remain a movement based on ideas or centered on principles.
Conservatives will care less about governing and more about scoring “wins” — and inflicting losses on the left — no matter how hollow the victories or flawed the policies. Ultimately, though, this will end badly because it is a moral and intellectual dead end, and very likely a political one as well.
The right’s reaction to the firing of Mr. Comey hardly bodes well. Even conservatives who are still smarting from his handling of Hillary Clinton’s emails should recognize that the timing of Mr. Comey’s abrupt dismissal in the midst of a growing investigation into Russian meddling raises fundamental questions about the rule of the law and the possibility that justice is being obstructed.
As the right doubles down on anti-anti-Trumpism, it will find itself goaded into defending and rationalizing ever more outrageous conduct just as long as it annoys CNN and the left.
In many ways anti-anti-Trumpism mirrors Donald Trump himself, because at its core there are no fixed values, no respect for cons utional government or ideas of personal character, only a free-floating nihilism cloaked in insult, mockery and bombast.
Needless to say, this is not a form of conservatism that Edmund Burke, or even Barry Goldwater, would have recognized.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/05/1...right.html#_=_
dmc/chucho, tsa, chris, clippernation, hater, darrins in a nuts
Liberals would certainly be smart to pick their battles a little more selectively so they don't open themselves up to justifiable criticism on their overreaction to non-issues, but yeah, the prevailing principle for most conservatives today seems to be that the only policy effect that currently matters is the degree to which it irritates the libs.
Which is not only childish and stupid, but not a very sound long-term political strategy.
libcuck tears
Nope - that'd be SC justices and tax reform - specifically corporate tax rate and bringing back the trillions abroad.
Then why the knee-jerk GOP defense of everything that doesn't have anything to do with either of those 2 things?
Especially when a President Pence would be much more effective at getting tax cuts for millionaires passed.
Me? you surely have me confused with someone else. I've been laying off this board recently - well, except today because I'm relaxing before Mother's Day.
If you're the exception then I'm not sure why you felt the need to correct my first post: the prevailing principle for most conservatives today seems to be that the only policy effect that currently matters is the degree to which it irritates the libs.
Despite my ambivalence about trump the liberal obsession with the Russians has gotten to ridiculous levels. Complain about trump being an idiot, don't just make up.
Last edited by CosmicCowboy; 05-13-2017 at 09:32 PM.
Faithful Fox watcher we have here.
Predictable got stalker here.
So if hes stalking you doesn't that make you a got?
What do users here think about interracial marriages?
Stupid cuck exempting Trump per par.
Dear leader can make up and lie all he wants, but lib s need to check themselves.
Dumbass hick.
Trump is embarrassing. I have made that clear from the start. Doesn't mean you have to be stupid making up Russian conspiracy .
Stupid cuck exempting Trump per par.
Dumbass hick.
For something as made up as the Russian thing, you have pretty much a bipartisan consensus that they did meddled in the US elections. Or the fact that there are 3 different investigation into it from the house, senate and the FBI.
I honestly thought up until recently the Russian conspiracy was a fishing expedition by people butthurt that Trump won and it didn't have any legs but I'm not so sure anymore. He's behaving like someone who's guilty the way he's constantly trying to dismiss it and by firing Comey when he did. I'd expect him to be more indifferent and have the mindset of "By all means, conduct your stupid investigation and look re ed" i.e. how Obama handled Benghazi.
It's a public forum, dim, and you do watch Fox News everyday.
What is actually predictable are your political takes. Your lack of introspection and narcissism also reminds me of the guy you are semen shielding as well if that helps.
Actually, I don't got. I'm sitting on the deck at the lake being glad I'm not a got loser like you.
Lol Internet warriors.
is D_Admirable just chucho that switched accounts because it's easier than dodging questions?
lol wut? What did Obama have to do with Benghazi?
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