One of the unfortunate realities of the conservative movement in the Age of Trump is that it has become another arm of the Trump propaganda machine. Gone are the days when conservatives fought for principles like smaller and limited government, fiscal responsibility, and traditional family values.
Instead, the Trumpservatives who now control the agenda have moved conservatism further left toward something I’ve come to call “conservative socialism.”
Gun control. Abortion. Paid family leave. Spending. These are just a few of the issues where this new brand of conservatism has failed to defend our values, and like a sickness, has spread to afflict every facet of the conservative movement, destroying it while pretending to protect it.
For example, we’ve witnessed how the formerly conservative House Freedom Caucus has abandoned its mission to “support open, accountable and limited government, the Constitution, and the rule of law, and policies that promote liberty, safety, and prosperity for all Americans” to make room for their unconditional support of Trump and the GOP establishment.
We’ve also witnessed how the faux-conservative media has promoted the lie that Trumpservatism equals conservatism as they defend groups like the House Freedom Caucus while demanding unconditional support of Trump and the GOP establishment because #notDemocrat.
Yesterday, I received an email from Senate Conservatives Action — the Political Action Committee arm of Senate Conservatives Fund (SCF) — praising Trump’s recent FY 2020 budget because it promises “more … spending cuts than any president in history” and would “balance the budget in 15 years.” It reads in part:
David:
President Donald Trump released his Fiscal Year 2020 budget this week, which proposes $2.7 trillion in spending cuts and would balance the budget in 15 years.
Our nation’s $22 trillion debt is unsustainable. If something isn’t done to correct it soon, the interest on the debt will crowd out true national priorities and could lead to a devastating financial crisis.
The president’s budget would begin to tackle this problem by cutting spending for programs including welfare assistance, environmental protection, and foreign aid. It would also cut more than $1.1 trillion from entitlement programs by returning power to the states.
Together, his budget includes more proposed discretionary and mandatory spending cuts than any president in history.
Please send President Trump a quick note thanking him for his leadership in working to cut federal spending. Also, please make a donation of any amount to help us fight for President Trump’s re-election next year.
We can’t afford to allow the Democrats and their socialist agenda to take over the White House. If that happens, you can be sure the next budget proposal will not include spending cuts.
Thank you for being part of our team and for doing so much to help us fight for freedom in Washington.
Sincerely,
Ken Cuccinelli II
President
Senate Conservatives Action
Apparently, irony is completely lost on Mr. Cuccinelli. As I mentioned earlier, Trump and the GOP are promoting “conservative socialism,” and Trump’s budget flies directly in the face of SCF’s commitment to only support “candidates who have the courage to fight for limited government.” Trump’s budget does nothing to limit government and it continues to grow the debt.
Conservative Review Senior Editor Daniel Horowitz recently wrote about Trump’s unreliable history when it comes to spending:
At the beginning of the Trump presidency in 2017, his Office of Management and Budget (OMB) immediately introduced a budget to cut spending for the remainder of FY 2017. Yet despite his party controlling both houses of Congress, the president signed a budget that spring ignoring every facet of his proposal.
Later that year, he introduced his budget proposal for FY 2018. The same thing happened. Then, the following year, the administration didn’t even pretend to cut spending and agreed with Congress to bust the budget caps by $300 billion, expanding the budget of almost every program and agency Trump promised to cut or eliminate.
A conservative revival can put America back on the right track, but it’ll never happen if we continue allowing the House Freedom Caucus, the faux-conservative media, the Senate Conservatives Fund, and other faux conservatives represent our values.
David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative. His politically incorrect and always “right” columns are also featured on NOQReport.com.
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