Are "conservatives" now leaving the "Trump Party"?

[kentuck]

With George Will just being the latest, conservatives are attempting to preserve the Republican Party.

Some self-labeled "conservatives" have been against the "Trump Party" from the beginning. We think of people like Nicolle Wallace and Steve Schmidt.

It seems that way to me.

They will not permit themselves to be manipulated by Donald Trump. They prefer the "old" Republican Party.

[beachbum bob]

1. most of "today's" conservatives could care less about George Will

[DownriverDem]

13. True but

Today's so called conservatives aren't really conservatives. They are trump cult followers. They are very hateful too. They view the world in black & white and do not see shades of gray. For example, the folks at the border are not seeking asylum. To them they broke the law and should be charged and jailed. To them it's perfectly fine that their kids & babies were taken away. They have no hearts or souls.

[beachbum bob]

14. when you are a racist, you by definition have no heart or soul...

[DownriverDem]

16. I point

out to repub haters that they need to check their hearts and souls. Also I tell them that since all we are going to do is die anyway, why not make this a better place for all.

[beachbum bob]

31. They can't accept "the for all" part

[FarPoint]

2. Not the Fox News corrupted ones...

They only know and faithully believe Fox propaganda...They only began paying attention to politics thru Fox and have been brainwashed...never had any political insight until listening to fox hate tv and radio.

[Cosmocat]

3. The truest summation of today's republican party

Is an anti liberal troll party. That's literally all they are now, if it pisses off liberals they are fir it.

[Atticus]

7. Ding ding ding! THIS! nt

[klook]

18. If it don't,

thar agin it!

[smirkymonkey]

26. Absolutely agree.

They aren't FOR anything. They only hate. If liberals believe in something, they must be against it whether it helps them or not. They act out of pure spite.

[hlthe2b]

4. Mainline conservatives, yes...

I "dog-walk" with a woman who is a long term R and her husband even more so. They are generally nice people in other ways and both are very well educated, but stereotypical "TEXAS" in their mindsets through and through. I'm not totally sure she voted for Trump (and sort of think she did NOT) but am almost positive her husband did. It has gotten to the point that I've had to scour local news just for something to talk about during our long hikes. An hour and a half on the Power Trail ends up being almost interminable with the resulting inane conversation about weather...

She may or may not have supported Trump, but she is still reflexively responsive to RW talking points and I KNOW that Fox is on in her home, even if not regularly and she undoubtedly encounters like-minded Rs at her church. People like her are defensive about Trump, even if they do self-acknowledge his utter repulsiveness and incompetence. Knowing that, I stay SOOOOOO far from the subject, that it is ridiculous.
But even this group of conservatives--seemingly questioning-- take one hell of a lot to pull away.

So, my point is that more and more are in the "pre-contemplation" stage but not yet committed to the "behavioral change" required to OPPOSE Trump.

[texasfiddler]

6. I have the same observation

The Republicans who are generally nice people and don't talk about Trump are still fighting tooth and nail internally to justify why they voted for him. They are a hard headed bunch. I go to an ELCA Lutheran Church (more progressive than most) and a sermon discussing one of the many progressive views of Jesus highlights the hypocrisy of a Trump vote. I suspect over half of our congregation voted for him. I hope some start to internally abandon him.

[DownriverDem]

15. I could never do it!

I could never walk with someone for an hour and a half when they are today's righties or trump cult followers. I could never do it. I am very impressed with how you can do it. If she puts repub party over country, she will never pull away. I'm trying to save our county and could just not play nicey nicey with someone like her. How much influence does her husband have on her? I guess I'm hard core.

[hlthe2b]

20. She undoubtedly knows my basic views and is equally respectful of not discussing sensitive topics

Like I said, it is not at all clear she voted for Trump. The one or two times before the election when it came up (someone had posted 'CHUMP' posters along the trail, which were later painted over by city workers), she was visibly uncomfortable. I made one little joke about someone clearly doesn't like Trump (right about the time the Access Hollywood tapes had been revealed) and she did nothing to counter.

She is at least self aware enough to know he's a moron and embarrassed by him. She has complained about her mother-in-law engaging in political discussions with her husband (I strongly suspect her MIL is progressive). Yes, she is influenced by her husband, but I suspect she maintains quite a few divergent (and unshared) views. So, NOT talking politics (which unfortunately must extend to nearly all current events) is an unspoken agreement.

[Hortensis]

29. Same observations in GA. We were at an ideologically

mixed party yesterday, and I was a bit concerned about going since we hadn't seen most of them since before the atrocities against children. I reminded my husband to not bring it up (keeping connections more valuable than shattering them), but even after a couple drinks talk never even began to approach sensitive topics, not even in smaller groups. At least we hadn't seen each other for awhile and had ourselves to talk about, so not just the weather.

But I suspect most are aware that subject has moved beyond toxic to explosive.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. Keep RepubliCons shackled to Trump. Keep the brands welded together. The GOParty enables tRump. nt

[Roy Rolling]

22. That's It

In the branding/marketing world, hanging albatross Trump around the neck of the Republican Party is the correct counter offensive.

Only thinking people understand how Trump degrades the Republicans, and Trump supporters, by in large, are not thinking people. They can't be reasoned with, only led with a leash.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

24. Yes, it is right to make Rs as toxic as the Trump regime they enable. . . . nt

[Civic Justice]

8. Only Open Eyes and Open Minds, can help people see Conservatism is not in their best interest.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210780774

Those who see the wrong direction of Republican, can make the change away from Republican System, when they see the truths that unfold which will continue to devastate them.

Reading can provide information to help people understand what they see. (please be patient enough to invest in reading, its how we as a society were groomed to learn) We can give our thanks unto our public schools for the gift of education, by using it "read" that we can become better informed. We owe it to ourselves and our American society, as well as the offspring's who's future is at stake.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210779687

[IronLionZion]

9. Ana Navarro

there's been a never Trump section of Republicans the whole time. For example, some Mormons and other Christians saw through his BS and know he's a deeply sinful man.

[vi5]

10. "Leaving the Republican party...."

means supporting and campaigning for, and voting for Democrats.

Until I see one of these blowhards doing specifically that (and no, George Will's backhanded endorsements about how bad a Democratic majority will be don't count) then their words mean shit.

Not to mention that each and every one of them will be right back in the Republican party once Trump is gone. The Republican party that has always believed in and wanted everything Trump has been doing for as long as I've been alive and that they supported throughout that whole time period.

What these clowns are saying is I want the Republican party to go back to not saying this stuff out loud.

[oxbow]

11. They're dying on top of the hill

The GOP may be in charge, but 2016 split them apart. They are mostly holding together politically from collusion or fear or both, but the center won’t hold forever.

Russian interference, voter suppression and gerrymandering served them well but all the metrics are against them long term. The culture is changing and the GOP is not keeping up. If they’d implemented the 2012 “autopsy” findings then they might still be kind of relevant but the road taken has left them internally fractured and totally irrelevant.

[NewJeffCT]

12. George Will left the Republican Party 2 years ago

because of Trump. His op-ed the other day called for people to vote for Democrats to put a check on Trump made some news, and the Facebook/Twitter articles about him leaving the party re-circulated around as well, making people think he had just left the party.

The late Charles Krauthammer was strongly against Trump from at least 2015 and was the subject of one of Trump's first Twitter attacks as a candidate.

Both were the odd "pro science" Republicans - I remember Will writing a column defending atheism years back as well.

[Volaris]

23. They're pro science Republicans cause they like money AND they

Understand how investments work.

'There's no such thing as a Republican that wants to die poor.'--Neil DeGrasse Tyson

[KY_EnviroGuy]

17. They all want tiny, tiny government and endeavor to get (more) wealthy.

Even if this bunch started another party, it's the same fundamental shit with different salad dressing and garnish.......

[Liberalagogo]

19. BS

The Rethugs have been hate filled deceitful assholes for many decades......their true face is just more exposed that it ever had been before.

[klook]

21. Excellent time for a conservative third party (nt)

[zentrum]

25. They laid the ground work

…..for him. They still support his unregulated capitalism, tax cuts for the rich etc., which creates an oligarchy. A pox on them too.

[Renew Deal]

27. Doesn't seem so

Maybe a few famous ones that can’t afford to be affiliated with racism and crimes against humanity.

[AlexSFCA]

28. like mcconnel said - now its the best time ever for conservative values

trump is the most republican president ever. He is implementing most of the things they’ve been dreaming of for decades - shrinking federal gov’t. They now get to see how their fantasies translate into reality.

[rickyhall]

30. As far I'm concerned

McConnell's racism ended the old GOP when our President Obama started his first term.

[Hortensis]

32. Now is indeed the time for "conservative values"

to be remembered by those not swept away by what's happening on the right. Always remembering, though, that conservative values (whatever that means to each person) arise from a combination if inborn conservative personality and environmental factors. Mainstream conservative values before 1980 were different from the aggressively divisive "values" distorted into a political weapon by manipulators like Gingrich to create an unbridgeable rift. Divide and conquer.

In any case, a lesser alternative to opposing Trump would be not supporting him, refusing to vote for those who do. But not supporting him at this point would mean not supporting the Republican Party against us. Besides issue beliefs, there's this knee-jerk loyalty thing almost all feel -- Trump's ratings are high now in part BECAUSE he's under attack by us.

Those who can change are the key, of course, but America desperately needs a numerically significant minority of conservatives to say no, to reject what's happening on the right. Enough to make a difference. We can't expect more and should respect and even treasure those who do.

Because of the others, the big, dangerous current in the party: The 30-40% of all Americans who are drawn to authoritarian leaders, almost all of them conservative by personality. For most, behavioral changes will be dictated by their leader, and they have a very bad one. All who are not with them are their enemy, including other conservatives. But disapproval, outrage, marches, calls for decency from the left only harden them against us.

I'm reading a book now about the pre- WWII years in an area of German-dominated Poland. Although there are enormous differences in degree, nevertheless similarities between Trump and his true followers now and what happened there leap off the pages. There were better conservatives then also, much better. The National Socialists won election there by only a hundredth of a percent. But once they had power they started ignoring the law and attacking targeted groups as Trump is doing -- much, much, much worse, but shockingly alike.

[spanone]

33. Look at what congress has done to 'preserve' the old republican party....absolutely nothing.