It's a simple calculation for many conservatives who consider themselves NeverTrumpers: if the Republican Party doesn't pay a price at the ballot box for abandoning conservatism in favor of MAGA populism, the party will no longer be the party of, by, and for traditional (that is, Reagan's 3-legged stool of defense, economic, and social) conservatives.
I don't disagree. The Donald Trump phenomenon may have started out as a cult of personality, but it has become more of a movement of Trump-like personalities. A movement of Marjorie Taylor Greenes, Laura Loomers, Matt Gaetzs, Lauren Boeberts, and Kari Lakes. I cannot and will not fault any traditional conservative for being wary about such a future for the party they've called home.
It's both easy and fashionable to write off all Never Trumpers as RINOS, but in most cases that's flatly absurd. I'm not talking about the high-profile figures - men like Adam Kinzinger, David French, Rick Wilson, and others - who are primarily focused on how to make the most money. No, I'm talking about your friends at church, the not insignificant number of Christian believers and Reaganite conservatives who hesitate to vote for Trump not because they lack conservative or moral convictions, but because they have them.
You can think they are wrong, but they think you are wrong. You can think they are betraying godly values, but they think you are betraying godly values.
So despite the inevitable reality of being misunderstood, I'd like to offer up a few observations to make the case that the issue isn't nearly as black and white as what you may have convinced yourself it is, and we could all benefit from a little grace shown to our fellow Christians and conservative brethren.
First, there is an undeniable shift taking place within the Republican Party, and many of the old planks of conservative thought are being jettisoned. Economic conservatives are dumbfounded by the party's sudden opposition to free trade and embrace of historically harmful protective tariffs. Couple that with overtures to labor unions and Trump's recent call to complicate the tax system by exempting various favored professions from income tax (military, veterans, and first responders) and traditional conservatives could be excused for standing slack jawed. The embrace of a conspiracy loon like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., with promises to make him part of the Republican transition team should Trump win, doesn't make it an easier pill to swallow.
Social conservatives remain the most bewildered though. Who would have thought the Republican Party's standard bearer would support access to the incredibly dangerous abortion pill, champion gay marriage, and clamor for the legalization of marijuana? Trump's personal moral deficiencies aside, his policy proposals cross several barriers that nearly all social conservatives regarded as a red line not so long ago.
From that perspective, I refuse to pretend that it's an ignorant calculation that the political viability of traditional conservatism - that is, having a major party to use as a vehicle to advance its agenda - depends on a Trump loss. If Trump wins, the die is cast: A progressive/socialist Democrat Party and a populist Republican Party. Conservatives are homeless.
That said, what could manifest nationally in the face of a Trump defeat is nothing any traditional conservative could want, or even stomach for that matter.
The Left has already demonstrated their ability to conduct a shadow government, unseen and unaccountable. We have no idea who has actually been running the country and making the executive decisions for the past few years, as the party has comically trotted out a doddering Joe Biden to be the nearly incapacitated puppet. Even a peripheral glance at her on the campaign trail proves a Kamala Harris presidency would be more of the same.
It's fine to say on conservative principle that the Republican Party must pay a price for abandoning conservatism in favor of Trumpism. But what about the Democratic Party? Must they not pay a price for abandoning rationality, morality, and common sense?
Should economic conservatives not feel a responsibility to use their vote to stop the advance of a planned economy where government picks the winners and losers? Or to stop the economy-crushing importation of millions of illegal immigrants?
Should defense conservatives not feel a responsibility to use their vote to stop the victory of an administration hostile to Israel, subservient to terror-states, and convinced that climate change is the greatest threat our country faces?
Should social conservatives not feel a responsibility to use their vote to stop the insanity of gender ideology, the attack on Title IX and women's sports, and the codifying of abortion through all nine months of pregnancy?
These are the issues facing true conservatives in this election, and I refuse to participate in any charade that suggests it's a simple situation for some to navigate.
On the one hand, voting for Trump is almost guaranteed to weaken the influence and efficacy of conservatism moving forward.
On the other hand, not voting for Trump is almost guaranteed to weaken the stability and security of the country at large.
For many conservatives, neither one is exactly enticing, and the way to reach them isn't pretending that they are.
