Conservatism is more of a life philosophy than a social movement for republicans” of a certain age”- those of us who can recall Reagan years directly. One of the important distinctions between the two parties was that the Republicans were guided by a particular belief system called conservatism, while the Democrats were more of a conglomeration mashup of different demographics.
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Back then, the Democrat Party was a partnership party. Actually, the only thing a Pittsburgh coalition worker and a veggie activist in Berkley shared was that they both hoped the Democratic Party would give them a bigger piece of the pie. Their “north celebrity” was not some particular ideology but a general wish to swell government until every member of their coalition may waterfalls at the bottom.
It was natural, pure greed masquerading as kindness and compassion.
Nevertheless, the Republicans didn’t count on coalitions. Sure, some GOP citizens hailed from the spiritual right, and the conservatives didn’t often see eye-to-eye with the financial conservatives, but for the most part, the Republican Party was the gathering of conservatism: If you agreed with the idea, pleasant to the party! And if you don’t, get a diverse group. ( Except on Election Day. )
And that’s how it was until 2008. The vote of Barack Obama changed everything.
Without studying the peculiar arrival of a little-known Illinois state lawmaker who rose to the president, it is impossible to comprehend the fall of MAGA. Obama won two overwhelmingly Republican regional elections. — by building a coalition of traditional progressives, college-educated moderates, minorities, industrial individuals, women, and adolescent electors. Because of the length and breadth of his alliance, it was now essentially impossible for the Republican Party to possibly get again if the relationship between demographics and voting patterns remained constant.
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Meanwhile, the conservative philosophy had lost its Midas touch. The Iraq War was deeply unpopular, and the mortgage crisis ( and subsequent recession ) seemed to have discredited the entire belief system. Even in the GOP, it was no longer good enough for a candidate to say they were the most conservative guy on the stage and deserved the nomination.
Enter Donald J. Trump.
In 2016, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and Jeb Bush ( and others ) argued that they were the most conservative candidates running — and each of them had a point. If this were the Reagan years, all three of them would’ve been worthwhile flagbearers.
But along with the Iraq war and the economic meltdown, one of George W. Bush’s lasting legacies was a complete inability to defend himself from the insults, barbs, and lies of the left. Bush viewed responding to political attacks as “beneath the dignity of the office” as “beneath the dignity of the office.”  ,
He was magnanimous to a fault.
Spoiler Alert: Donald Trump is NOT magnanimous to a fault! Instead, he’s a rabid wolverine who’ll gouge eyeballs and break thumbs to get his way.
And after the kind, benevolent, genteel George W. Bush was pulverized into dust by the media, a rabid wolverine like Donald Trump was exactly what GOP voters wanted.
Some of Trump’s core beliefs are conservative. Instinctively, he loathes unchecked immigration. Because of his vast business experience, he despises high taxes and stupid, senseless regulations. And since he is largely indifferent to judicial procedures ( aside from detesting lawfare ), he has no problem appointing conservative judges.
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But he’s not defined by conservatism. He doesn’t give a crap about its philosophical worldview.
Instead, he’s a nationalist, a smug, unrepentant nationalist who’s 100 % dedicated to elevating the United States of America. Trump is a booster because he can be as conservative as you want, regardless of where and when conservative policies, such as those at the border or those with taxes, can give America a competitive edge.
But if he thinks it’s in America’s national interest to grow the size of government, annex Canada, or somehow seize Greenland, he’ll do that, too.
Because, more than conservatism, what defines Donald Trump is being a fighter. And it turns out that’s exactly what GOP voters were hoping for: a right-leaning nationalist who would wage war against our country instead of a “pure” conservative who floats like a butterfly and stings like a butterfly.  ,
Politics is a full-contact sport. Trump might not be a conservative, but he’s a helluva fighter. For the GOP, that was good enough.
