The day that conservatives become incapable of understanding the nuances of policy will be the day the music dies.
Many within our Party have allowed themselves to oversimplify, to degrade, and overall reduce public discourse to a level so low that it’s barely recognizable. They’ve been co-opted by extreme nationalism, nativism, and what effectively amounts to isolationism. Paul Nehlen, Speaker Paul Ryan’s primary challenger, is a perfect example of this. Paul Nehlen isn’t a conservative; he’s an alt-conservative: Part of the angry, heavy-on-rhetoric-light-on-policy strain that is distinctly different from the optimistic, hopeful, and detailed vision for America which has been put forward by the House Republican Conference.
The art of governing is an institution far too great to confine to cheap soundbites or intellectually deaf rage directed at imaginary Establishment bogeymen. That isn’t what it means to be a Republican, and it certainly isn’t what it means to be a conservative. To constituents in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, I encourage you to vote Paul Ryan on Tuesday.
Anthony DeFazio is the President of American Individualists, and serves on the Communications team of the Loudoun County Republican Committee. Follow him on Twitter: @anthonyjdefazio
