First things first: we wish only the best for the writers at the Weekly Standard who find their future in jeopardy as it looks like the magazine might fold while the Washington Examiner’s new “pro-Trump” magazine, helmed by Seth Mandel, gets ready to launch.
Anyone who’s followed the Weekly Standard knows that it was the magazine for the #NeverTrump crowd, so of course, the Washington Post had nothing but praise for the publication, applauding the writers for holding on to their dignity.
Columnist Megan McArdle writes:
Some of the movement’s stalwarts did turn into Trump boosters, if only half-hearted ones. What was stunning was how many refused, including those at the Weekly Standard.
That refusal came at substantial personal cost. Staying #NeverTrump meant losing lucrative television contracts and prestigious administration appointments. It meant that conservative authors could no longer plug their books on previously friendly television and radio shows. It meant trouble with donors who didn’t like to hear Trump-bashing at the institutions they supported, and with angry readers who canceled their subscriptions. And still, those #NeverTrump conservatives kept saying what they thought was true, instead of what the people with the money wanted to hear.
Liberal readers are probably not ready to feel much pity for their plight. But risking your livelihood for distant ideological goals deserves some recognition. You can think those goals are all wrong while still admiring these conservatives’ dedication.
“Some of them may lose their jobs next week,” she concludes, “But they should be applauded for holding on to their dignity.”
That piece inspired a rant by the Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto:
This is a very strange piece. It describes the Weekly Standard NeverTrump crowd as having made noble sacrifices for "principles," "ideas" and "distant ideological goals." https://t.co/FSnBnUaeyY
— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) December 8, 2018
But there's no substance to the claim, which is to say the piece does not even attempt to enumerate or describe those principles, ideas or goals. In fact, this passage credits them for their willingness to SACRIFICE ideological goals to their aversion to Trump. pic.twitter.com/y2TMywwf2R
— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) December 8, 2018
Consider, of course, that the Washington Post still thinks its columnists Max Boot and Jennifer Rubin are conservatives, even after Boot encouraged Republicans to vote a straight Democrat ticket in the midterms for all offices.
To be sure, I am not an example of the reader this argument attempts to reach. The piece is a plea for sympathy and respect from liberals. pic.twitter.com/3vLEznOEgT
— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) December 8, 2018
But my understanding of the prevailing liberal position is that it views the distinction between pro-Trump and Nevertrump conservatives as being without a difference. The idea is that all conservatives are unprincipled or share objectionable principles.
— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) December 8, 2018
I would think rebutting that view would require a substantive account of the principles that purportedly underlie the aversion to Trump.
— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) December 8, 2018
End of rant.
— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) December 8, 2018
In short, if Trump is so bad, it shouldn’t have taken much of an effort to draw conservatives into the #NeverTrump fold. But it didn’t happen.
Please note that the first suggested link after the article is @MaxBoot's polemic in favor of voting for the Democrats in mid-terms, which got him loads of air time and print space in left media. Not exactly exhibit A for noble sacrifice in service to ideological consistency.
— Jerry Bowyer (@JerryLeeBowyer) December 8, 2018
Read this thread. I totally agree with it. https://t.co/U0UbYJCEKt
— Mike (@Doranimated) December 8, 2018
This isn't complicated. Democrats and Their Media are willing to use anyone and anything, in any moment, that is an attack on Trump.
When it's no longer useful, it's tossed aside for the next, most effective weapon of the day.
— Fishing With Fredo (@FishingwFredo) December 8, 2018
Liberals love dead Republicans and dying conservative media.
— Ralph Breaks the Internet (@RalphWCarpenter) December 8, 2018
The same people who called TWS NAZI's and worse yesterday. Now call TWS their kind of people. ??? https://t.co/Sk8IEC3ua2
— Jason Kost (@KostJason) December 8, 2018
The reason no “distant ideological goals” were mentioned was because Never Trump has always been a non-ideological movement.
It is simply the conservative Brotherhood of Offended Sensibilities.
Read any NT critique: it always comes down to, “I find him distasteful.”
— Bill Hickey (@Freesmith) December 8, 2018
"Orange Man icky"
— Sigdrifr (@Sigdrifr) December 8, 2018
The important ideology of hating Donald Trump and his manners. https://t.co/SKP6LvyHBZ
— Derek (@PereGrimmer) December 8, 2018
The problem is that the NeverTrumpers’ principles, ideas and goals have become indistinguishable from those of the Democrats: open borders, globalism, corporatism, scorn for the denizens of flyover country and blind hatred of our @POTUS.
— Brazen Infidel TN (@brazen_infidel) December 8, 2018
Our first thought isn’t of a Weekly Standard writer but of national scold and “political independent” Matthew Dowd who has not tweeted a single conservative principle in two years.
Like we said, when it comes to the point where you’re actually rooting for Republicans to lose control of the House and Senate to spite Trump, the burden’s on you to spell out what “true” conservatism is.
I don’t know why they couldn’t have been honest and praise Trump when he upheld conservative values, and condemn him when he did not, or when he did/said something stupid. Those things are not mutually exclusive.
— The Watchdog (@TheWatchdogDBQ) December 8, 2018
We’ll be honest: remaining a dedicated #NeverTrump conservative after Trump was elected could not have been easy — unless you took the easy way like Rubin or Boot and just switched sides. Maybe they could give up their spots at the Post to the Weekly Standard’s best writers.
Related:
'Deliberately MISLEADING'! Sharyl Attkisson calls Bill Kristol OUT over his 'immigration' ad and WOW https://t.co/v4yq1fSvmW
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 5, 2018
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