It is getting downright scary how otherwise sensible and sober conservatives are jumping on board the Trump bandwagon because of just one issue or just one thing he recently said or did. Despite the overwhelming mountain of evidence of how utterly devoid he is of any conservative or Christian principles and beliefs, they will clutch at any straw – ANY – to try to prove to themselves and others that we must now support him at all cost.
They have this strange idea that while some leftist New York egomaniac like Hillary Clinton is totally unable to change, they believe another leftist New York egomaniac can and does change. For example, Trump now claims he is prolife and he will appoint prolife SCOTUS justices.
-So does that mean you believe Hillary can change as well?
-If not, why not?
-And if Trump changes his tune again tomorrow on abortion – or whatever – will you drop your support for him then?
-If not, why not?
-Will you just flip flop along when he flip flops along?
-Why exactly do you believe him now?
-Did you also believe him when he said the exact opposite in the past?
-If not, why not?
-Will you simply believe everything Trump says that you happen to like, while just ignoring everything he says you don’t happen to like?
-Is that how we are to approach political candidates now?
-Is that how we should approach Hillary then?
-If not, why not?
-When Trump said that Planned Parenthood does ‘wonderful work’ was he telling the truth or not?
-When Trump insisted that his radical pro-abort sister would make a ‘phenomenal’ SCOTUS justice, was he telling the truth or not?
-When he says he is now prolife, is he telling the truth or not?
-Just which Donald Trump are you going to run with and put your trust in?
-How do you know when Trump is telling the truth and when he is lying?
-Does it even matter that he lies so much and changes his policies so much?
-Is that what principled and consistent conservatism now means?
-Is this the best Christians and conservatives can now come up with? Crass political pragmatism and expediency at all costs?
-Is that how we are going to make America great again?
-Is that how we are going to save the Republic?
-And how does any of this rank expediency and blind trust in politics differ from liberalism?
These are honest questions, but I have yet to hear any decent answers to them. All I get thrown back at me are red herrings, straw men, ad hominems, non sequiturs, and false dilemmas. I thought conservatives and above all Christians were the ones who were supposed to think, to think carefully, and not just emote.
For example, I will get some idiotic comment like, ‘Yeah, well Trump did not allow four men to die in Benghazi.’ Umm, what does that have to do with anything? Sure, Hillary did this horrific evil and should be held accountable for it. But Trump was not in office then, so of course he did nothing about it, for good or ill – he couldn’t!
So all I get from these Trump fans is he has somehow “evolved” on issues! Evolved? Really? Is that not just another name for flip flopping? And if he changes his position today, how do we know he will not change his position tomorrow?
To put one’s trust in this perpetual flip flopper sounds like massive credulity and gullibility to me. We are supposed to trust the future of America and the free world to a lifelong liberal and pro-abort who changes his tune on a daily basis? No thanks. That is not consistent, principled conservatism to me, but a strategy for disaster.
But the Trump fans insist we must put our trust in him, or we will get Hillary. But why in the world should I trust this guy for one minute? They say we know Hillary is evil. Well tell me something I don’t know. Of course she is. But in my books Trump is evil as well.
And in many ways it is far worse to run with a complete unknown like Trump. At least with Hillary we know exactly where she stands. Trump changes his tune every time he opens his mouth. We are going to trust the fate of America to someone like that?
That is called blind faith. That is called delusion. That is exactly the stuff of cults: blind, unquestioning devotion to the leader at all costs. No questions asked. We will support him no matter what. Hmm, sound familiar? It certainly should. So many Germans in the 30s felt the very same way about their deliverer. We must put our trust in him. After all, he is going to make Germany great again.
And worst of all is how some of these Trump supporters are admitting that Trump really is a pretty despicable and untrustworthy character. Yet they will slavishly cling to him anyway! The Germans seemed to be in a similar boat. Many were aware that he was a rather nasty piece of work, but they spruiked for him anyway, even clutching at a single issue to justify it all, be it that he would strengthen the economy, or bring back law and order, or what have you.
All this is simply crass expediency of the lowest order. It certainly is not principled conservatism. And when I suggest that this is a devil’s choice with Trump and Clinton, and we need not go with either, they go ballistic on me. They somehow claim I am supporting Hillary. Yeah right.
There are plenty of other options still open to us yet. There are other parties, other independents, there are chances to write in a candidate, etc. Yet the pragmatists who have abandoned all principle will ask me, “What difference will that make?”
Responses like this utterly floor me. I can only answer as any Christian ought to answer: Doing what is right is always right, and makes all the difference in the world, regardless of the outcome. And the really incredible thing is some of those who make such pragmatic-only objections should know full well just how ridiculous that is.
Some of these great saints are tireless workers in the abortion wars, regularly protesting outside of abortion mills. But surely most people will say they are not really winning and it is a wasted effort. How should these folks reply? They of course would say this: ‘Doing what is right is always right, and makes all the difference in the world, regardless of the outcome’.
Sorry, but my only real responsibility is to stay true to Christian and conservative principles, and put those first, regardless of the outcome. As to this reprehensible election with two horrific candidates to choose from, I have other options open to me.
One of the main options I can employ as a believer is to pray mightily, persistently, and desperately that God will do some sort of miracle here which will allow for a genuine choice. I have been praying often for example that God will either improve or remove these two diabolical characters.
I pray that they become genuine Christians and repent and change radically, or I pray that God will move them out of the way. And I think that is a fully biblical sort for prayer to make by the way. Trusting in God, staying on our faces before him, and crying out for mercy is far better than crass political pragmatism and expediency which betrays Christian and conservative principles.
As we read in Psalm 146:3, “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.”
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