Jennifer Rubin, Bearing Drift, and the Donald Trump Apocalypse

Jennifer Rubin, left wing hack and Republican Spokeswoman for the corporatist Washington Post, appears to have abandoned the GOP, in a girlish and immature breakup text message published yesterday. “Heav’n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn’d, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn’d”. Given her passionate longing for the deeply conservative days of Karl Rove and George W. Bush, and her recent totally hardcore crush on Mitt “Mittens” Romney, she has taken the anti-establishment wrath of the Republican constituency personally. Now, she’s like, totally not into the GOP.

Awwww. Jennifer? Really? Don’t let the door hit your patronizing ass on the way out.

I am no Trump sympathizer, but what’s next? John McCain and Lyndsey Graham follow suite? The Bushes vote for Hillary? The Romney’s crowd together with Orrin Hatch in Utah and cry on one another’s shoulders? Karl Rove gets the boot from Fox News? What is this world coming to?

When die-hard corporatists begin to abandon the Republican Party, it is impossible for me not to do a little dance. I don’t like the reason for their long awaited departure. I was hoping it would be Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, or Rand Paul driving these duplicitous bastards from our disenchanted ranks. Alas, it had to be Donald Trump (who exemplifies everything they ever said they wanted the Republican Party to be).

In Virginia, we’ve watched as one Bearing Drift author after another have publicly announced that they would not support the Republican Party nominee. Are we to believe, given the source, that this is because Donald Trump is not “conservative” enough for the distinguished gentlemen of Bearing Drift: Virginia’s Conservative Voice?

D.J. McGuire, who has written many articles I’ve actually agreed with, ended his most recent article entitled, “Never Means Never“, with the following conclusion.

In other words, so long as The Donald behaves himself, he can make the Republican Party the Other Party of Big Government – taxing the poor along the way – and that’s just fine for Messrs. Ryan and Falkenstein.

Well, I hate it to break it to them, but Big Government doesn’t mean Better Government just because Hillary Clinton isn’t involved.

But that is how far the GOP has devolved. The political is all personal to them.

This is why I left…and Shaun, you should, too.

When it comes to supporting or voting for Donald Trump: Never means Never to me.

Is “The Donald” really that much more liberal than George W. Bush or Mitt Romney? These are the sort of articles I would have expected to see in 2012, in 2008, and in 2000. I didn’t. However, a moderate Democrat to moderate Republican, Donald Trump, runs a campaign without establishment talking points and I am supposed to believe him to be the devil? Why? Because he isn’t kissing babies (Romney/Bush) and selling out to special interests (probably because none are bigger than himself?).

D.J. – I’m with you man, but where were you four years ago? Where were you in 2006, 2007, and 2008?

There is no Virginia blogger who’s vitriolic and biting rants I enjoy more than Bearing Drifts’ own Shaun Kenney (if only because because he makes me feel better and more justified for publishing my own). However, his A Closed and Contemptuous Letter to Trump Supporters, takes the cake.

Let me be very clear about this: I will not vote for Donald Trump.  I will not support him if he becomes the Republican nominee.  Not only this, I will work actively against him to ensure his defeat in the general election should he obtain the Republican nomination.  In this, I am not alone.  Millions of Americans will not pull the lever for Trump.  Millions more are absolutely sickened by the jackbooted tactics of a militated few.

Shaun, where the hell were you in 2012? A pro-universal healthcare candidate? He took as many positions on as many issues as Donald Trump and yet we were all supposed to grin and bear it, right? Yet, we get an anti-establishment populist billionaire playboy as our nominee and now, all of sudden, you’ve joined the ranks of those who have finally had enough? Over the last four years, especially during those Brat v. Cantor days, you were willing to compromise left and right, but now, you’ve discovered some intransigent dedication to principle? What happened? Why now? Eric Cantor was the man, but Donald Trump is evil? I’d love to read an article explaining that.

Finally, with regard to Bearing Drift, let’s take a look at Brian Schoeneman’s last brilliant take on the state of the Republican Party on the death of unity (an article chock full of timeless truths, by the way, truths apparently only realized recently). An anti-establishment moderate just about wins the Republican Nomination and all of a sudden, according to Brian, The Concept of Party Unity is Dead. It wasn’t dead when we had to deal with 8 years of Bush and Rove. It wasn’t dead when John McCain took the party far into the meaningless reaches of myriad mindless compromises – and it wasn’t dead when we almost elected a left wing Massachusetts Governor with an “R” next to his name.

Nope, it died the moment we nominated someone who wasn’t in the club – a buyer, not a seller – in one Donald Trump.

With no common values to rally around, candidates unwilling to extend olive branches and bring their opponents into the fold, and the no-holds-barred approach to treating opponents that can’t be washed away or ignored in the age of video and the internet, the old idea of party unity is as anachronistic as the buggy whip.

We need to accept that party unity isn’t going to happen, and start trying to figure out what to do instead.  Winning elections is about addition, not subtraction, but looking around, I don’t see a lot of places where we’ve got room to add.  And I see a lot of people clamoring to subtract folks they don’t like.  That’s not a recipe for success.

Finally, he gets it. Did it really have to take Donald Trump to get him there?

There is a self-righteousness being displayed by the establishment bloggers in the Republican Party that I find unbelievably grating, because the reasons why they are so opposed to Donald Trump are the same reasons why I’ve been opposed to all of their chosen saviors over the last 16 years.

Terribly, I cannot enjoy their coming to their senses, because I don’t believe they’ve really learned their lesson. I don’t like Donald Trump and I don’t understand how in the world he ever won over conservatives and constitutionalists. That’s a question for a later date, considering that it’s too late now to rewrite this Republican Primary. Of course populism is a threat to the establishment. It’s irrational, emotional, uncontrollable, and often times totally bereft of knowledge. I get why they are angry. I just don’t get why they are finally angry now.

Look, the future of the Republican Party is up for grabs. We’ve got an epic battle before us. That said, now is not the time to hand a victory to the worst Democrat Candidate in history. Is there any doubt that Hillary Clinton is the weakest Democrat Candidate we’ve ever faced as Republicans? Yes, we’ve gone through a difficult primary and we’ve probably nominated a closet Democrat and progressive populist. That does not, however, warrant electing Hillary Clinton as President of the United States of America. Are you guys absolutely insane?

Is getting behind Donald Trump any less disgusting as getting behind Dole, Bush, McCain, or Romney? If you can be at all honest with yourselves, the answer is resounding NO! So what gives?

I disagree with, but understand, all this never trump stuff coming from the Rand Paul and Ted Cruz camps. We’ve been angry for years. We’ve been voting for these compromised candidates, year after year after year, and eventually you just have enough and can’t take it anymore. What I can’t understand is how the same folks who’ve backed Dole, Bush, McCain, and Romney are all of a sudden, not only “with us” but attempting to “lead the way” against the Republican Party nominee. It’s just too bizarre and I can’t figure out why no one has called anyone out over this.

I would like to thank RPV Chairman John Whitbeck for setting aside his differences with local area activists and getting behind the nominee. I understand long suffering conservatives wanting to sit this one out and I have no right to point fingers. This isn’t about pointing fingers (except in the case of Jennifer Rubin – she can’t go away fast enough for me). This is about the preponderance of hypocrisy and hyperbole hyperventilating across the blogosphere.

Also published on PendletonPenn.com