OPINION:
On June 5, Cal Thomas wrote a column headlined “Trump never changes: Making a third bargain with the devil.”
In his column, Mr. Thomas cited what I’ll call the “Trump fatigue” of conservative leaders including columnists such as Mona Charen and Peggy Noonan and activists and thought leaders like The Federalist’s Ben Domenech, Second Amendment defender Dana Loesch and talk radio’s Erick Erickson.
After summarizing several of former President Donald Trump‘s successes and failures, including but not limited to his “increased government spending, [his] failure to finish the border wall and make Mexico pay for it, [his] shutdown of the country over COVID-19 … and his low view of women,” Mr. Thomas‘ conclusion was this: “As did so many others, I bought into the view that Donald Trump was better than the Democratic alternatives,” he said. “Conservatives who twice voted for Mr. Trump should decide now whether they will make a third bargain with the devil.”
In that, I respect Cal Thomas and the other people he quoted a great deal, and because I, too, am one of those “conservatives who twice voted for Mr. Trump,” I decided to repost Cal’s column to my social media.
My hope was that, in true conservative form, it would engender some healthy discussion and debate. As you can imagine, my hopes for a reasonable exchange of ideas were quickly dashed, and my sympathy with Mr. Thomas was grounds for the scorn and derision of many “loyal” followers and readers.
“You have a VERY short selective memory!” said one.
“Shame on Cal Thomas. And I am disappointed that you would support this nonsense,” chided another.
“You really need to rethink your politics,” added a third.
“If not Trump, then who?” asked a fourth.
When I responded to my critics and pointed out that the GOP bench is really quite exceptional and that it is simply a fact that in just the past couple of years, Mr. Trump has blamed pro-lifers for losses in the 2022 midterms, hosted a major LGBTQ party at Mar-a-Lago, publicly endorsed red flag laws and gun control, persistently boasted of using millions of Americans as lab rats for experimental jabs called “Operation Warp Speed,” and that he indisputably unleashed Dr. Anthony Fauci on the American people, the response was: “Well, he’s still the only one we can trust to save our country. Even King David had his flaws. Trump is God’s man for America.”
In his recent article “When it comes to Pride, A Second Trump Term Would be More Lady MAGA than Uganda Forever,” Delano Squires wrote: “Conservatives are in danger of falling victim to the ‘Obama effect,’ the blind loyalty to a political candidate that makes people minimize or abandon their pre-existing principles.
“Trump‘s Christian base voters should consult the religious backbone of his Democratic predecessor for a window into their potential future. … Barack Obama was a dynamic, inspirational figure to his millions of supporters, many of whom saw his election to the White House in messianic terms. Obama was more than a politician to his most loyal supporters. He was God’s chosen man to usher in a new era of American leadership.”
Mr. Squires continues: “What Obama was to progressives, Donald Trump has been to conservatives. He has been likened to the Messiah and shown to be crucified by his enemies. This doesn’t mean that every Trump voter has bought into the cult of personality, but it is fair to say that some have. And as with Obama, the light from Trump‘s halo can be blinding.
“The Bible is clear that no one can serve two masters because one will end up being loved and the other hated. This is especially the case when one master is power, money, wealth, and material possessions. Unfortunately, the Republican Party has been beholden to ‘mammon conservatism’ for decades. The GOP needs to stop worshiping the golden idol.”
He concludes: “What does this all mean? It means that conservatives, especially Christians, who believe that a second Trump presidency will be marked by strong, principled stances … are basing their beliefs on a wish and a dream. This is ‘hope and change,’ MAGA-style. It also reflects another hallmark of the ‘Obama effect’: the tendency of voters to impose their own hopes, beliefs, and values on candidates who are driven by pragmatism rather than conviction.”
Delano Squires is right, and so is Cal Thomas. We have several other candidates in the GOP field right now who are as principled, if not more so, than the former president. And they are frankly much more electable. Demonizing lifelong cultural warriors for pointing this out is indeed the stuff of false gods and deals with the devil.
• Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper), a columnist for The Washington Times, is a former university president and radio host.
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