Another Prominent Never-Trumper Admits Defeat

Many prominent Republicans and so-called Conservatives hated Donald Trump. The ones who survived downplayed their hatred of President Trump.

A few continue to muddle along in their careers. But many more find themselves in the “Remind me, who are you?” pile.

People like Bill Kristol, Steven Hayes, Noah Goldberg, and others were belles of the balls. Each commanded crazy speaking fees, and people lined up to shake hands and get pictures. Not so much any more.

Erick Erickson is one such Conservative.

In his own words in an article titled, “Trump 2020?” written in October 2018, Erickson began his mea culpa:

I have wobbled back and forth on the idea of supporting President Donald Trump in 2020. I opposed him in 2016 and voted third-party. The candidate I supported, Evan McMullin, has, like so many others, abandoned all his values as his hatred of Trump poisons his conscience. I dare say the worst mistake in my life was not when I climbed a mountain only to remember I was scared of heights, or when I played with a scalpel that nearly cut off my finger as a kid. It was voting for McMullin.

(…)

I find myself in an odd position where, for the first time, I see myself, one of the original so-called “Never Trump conservatives,” voting for Trump in 2020. I have inevitably concluded at times that Trump would do something to push me away from him. He has not disappointed on that front, from tariffs to character issues. But now I do not see how anyone else can offer a more compelling alternative to the president. Each time the president does something I do not like, his opponents play a game of “hold my beer.”

Obviously Erickson already tipped his hand on his shift towards Trump.

As he continued in his article, he still missed the policy mark, at least on trade.

Trump may have criticized Kavanaugh’s first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, in a way I found inappropriate for a president to do, but his opponents have thrown out the millennia-old principle that a man is to be presumed innocent. The president may have enacted tariffs I find harmful to the economy, but his opponents are willfully destroying a good, innocent man so they can keep destroying children.

George W. Bush attempted to put Harriet Miers on the Supreme Court and pushed comprehensive immigration reform, No Child Left Behind, the General Motors Bailout, etc. I opposed all those, but never doubted President Bush’s integrity, character or faith. Frankly, Trump does not have the character or strong Christian faith I prefer in a president. But he is positively angelic compared to his political opponents and the press. Between Trump and his opposition, I would rather vote for him, despite his flaws, than for his opponents who want a flawless progressive utopia. Trump is neither an ambassador for my values nor the articulate champion of my principles I would prefer. But he is a safe harbor in a progressive storm that seeks to both destroy my values and upend our constitutional republic.

Only a few months later, Erickson has made his views official. He declared that he will vote for the Trump-Pence ticket in 2020.

Erickson’s quote:

I will vote for Donald Trump and Mike Pence.  And, to be clear, it will not be just because of what the other side offers, but also because of what the Trump-Pence team has done.  They’ve earned my vote.

In other words, President Trump finally won over a true #NeverTrumper. And it only took two years, and a massive amount of winning.

Erickson showcases what many #NeverTrumpers now experience. The tug of two ideologies. First, their love of the worthless Republican establishment, and second the exposure of the lunatic Left.

Trump exposed then destroyed them both.

I praise Erickson for essentially admitting that despite his massive intelligence, he missed badly on Trump. In other words, the Trump voters got it right and Erickson got it wrong.

Like many establishment Republicans, aka #NeverTrumpers, they became enthralled with their own power base. If Trump did anything, he eroded the established pecking order; an order established for decades.

Try to imagine all the sucking up over the years all these people performed. Each made a political investment they expected to pay off. Trump completely destroyed this hierarchy.

Then Trump had the gall to actually perform. #NeverTrumpers never believed Trump would be effective. After all, they didn’t support him, so how could he be competent?

As Erickson commented, “[Trump] earned my vote”. Many others of these formerly hard-core #NeverTrumpers feel the same. Glenn Beck did his mea culpa not long ago, as well. And his recent merger with CRTV may signal that Beck is back in the game.

What forebodes for 2020?

Trump wins again in 2020. Republicans will fall in line with his agenda overwhelmingly. And for those wondering, the Republicans will win back the House.

I say all of this because of what will happen in 2019.

The Obama administration will be declared the most corrupt in history. Many of his former staffers will break the “no scandals during my tenure”, as that clown declared.

Democrats will continue to in-fight, and it will be ugly. We already witness the rift between Ocasio-Cortez and Pelosi. The Congressional Black Circus clowns won’t know who to support–the plantation owner Pelosi or the newly captured slave who keeps trying to escape, Ocasio-Cortez.

 

 

 

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