The three traditional pillars of the Republican coalition are evangelical Christians, fiscal conservatives, and national security conservatives. All three pillars have been considerably weakened by the Trump administration.
So, if you are a member of one of those groups, here is why rejecting Trump and Trumpism is actually your most conservative choice.
Devout Christian
If you are a devout Christian who believes that seeking forgiveness from God for one’s sins is a fundamental tenet of Christianity, you would find it difficult to support a candidate who proclaims that he has never asked God for forgiveness. It is also hard to justify supporting someone who needed to to pay hush money to a porn star to buy her silence, or someone who uses Bible as a prop. Trump’s behavior in office continually challenges the value system of a principled Christian on an ongoing basis.
Fiscal conservative
If you are a principled fiscal conservative, you would be appalled by the profligate spending that resulted in exploding deficits in each year of Trump’s Presidency:
Note that none of this includes the effect of COVID pandemic, and the actual deficit of 2020 is bound to be higher. Trump frittered away the economic gains during the good times by giving a tax cut to the very rich with the help of a Republican controlled House and Senate, instead of shrinking the deficit and paying down the debt.
National security conservative
If you are a national security conservative, you would be hard pressed to justify the abject meekness of an American President refusing to confront Putin about Russia’s involvement in our elections – despite the fact that a Senate Intelligence Committee, as well as every one of our intelligence agencies, have confirmed it. It should be deeply uncomfortable for a national security conservative to read the resignation letter of a decorated military leader like General Mattis who says that there is something fundamentally wrong with a US foreign policy that coddles dictators like Putin and Ergodan at the expense of our allies who have stood with us in the war in Afghanistan.
What, then, can you do as a conservative?
Many principled conservatives are troubled by all this, and are worried that the short term gains of adopting Trumpism can erode the very foundation of our democracy. They are looking for a way out that does not betray their beliefs in conservatism.
So, what can you do?
Share your story. Speak up on social media. When you raise your voice and express your concern, you are creating the space for someone else to say, “I feel the same way.” And, ignore the trolls. Arguing with them will only make them retrench in their comfort zone.
Let other conservatives know that voting for Trump is, in effect, a betrayal of their deeply-held conservative beliefs. Do this gently and with compassion. These other concerned conservatives are looking for peer validation of their feelings. Share your stories.
Help them understand that rejecting Trumpism does not automatically mean that one has to support all of the Democrats’ policies. There is plenty of space in between the two extremes.
Help them understand that rather than abandon conservative values, they are honoring one of the most important principles in our politics: government of the people, by the people, and for the people – instead of government of, by, and for Trump.
Above all, help them understand:
In this election, rejecting Trumpism is the most conservative thing they can do.
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Adapted from this article on Daily Kos.