re: Remember the NeverTrumpers screaming about Trump being a fake conservative?

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People have a hard time with the word conservative.

I would like for those makibg the claim against Trump not being one to define what conservative is please.

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Ok, here are the defining principles:

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1) The conservative believes that there exists an enduring moral order.

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Trump fails at this. His moral center is all over the place and only judges morality as it relates to certain people.

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2) The conservative adheres to custom, convention, and continuity.

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I don't think I need to go into any detail on why he doesn't match this right?

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3) Conservatives believe in what may be called the principle of prescription.

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Well, Trump seemingly only thinks about his personal accomplishments and doesn't look to the past at all for anything anyone else has done for him, so he doesn't meet this as well.

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4) Conservatives are guided by their principle of prudence.

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He is highly reactionary and doesn't give two shits about his current actions or the damage his words may cause. He has human diarrhea of the mouth, so no he doesn't meet this either.

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5) Conservatives pay attention to the principle of variety.

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This one is a mixed bag. When it comes to himself, absolutely not. He doesn't give a damn about any social institution that he has to adhere to. But for those around him, yes absolutely expects order and for them to have values compatible to what he wants. So really he's a hypocritical narcissist when it comes to this, so I'll give him a half a point.

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6) Conservatives are chastened by their principle of imperfectability.

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Probably the least applicable one so far, since he utterly refuses to see any flaws in himself. He is obsessed with his own perfection and the perfection of those around him.

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7) Conservatives are persuaded that freedom and property are closely linked.

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Yes, finally one that is applicable to Trump. He whole heartedly agrees with this. So 1.5 points so far.

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8) Conservatives uphold voluntary community, quite as they oppose involuntary collectivism.

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Alright, so he's got 2.5 going for him now.

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9) The conservative perceives the need for prudent restraints upon power and upon human passions.

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That sentence is the exact opposite of describing Trump.

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10) The thinking conservative understands that permanence and change must be recognized and reconciled in a vigorous society.

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I think he wants permanence, but he has done everything in life completely bouncing off the wall. He is the definition of organized chaos. So it's hard to tell how much actual permanence he wants or actually believes in. Trump loves change, as do the people who enthusiastically voted for him. So this is a bit harder to pin down. So I'll give him another .5 here since it's what he wants from the country largely but for him not to be held accountable to.


So 3/10 conservative principles, only 2 do I think he wholly stands for or believes. That my friend is a detailed portrait on why Trump isn't a conservative.

And for my source on the conservative principles: LINK