Republican contradictions abound in the age of Trump - By Jennifer Rubin

[DonViejo]

With the election of Donald Trump, Republicans will need to face up to a series of contradictions that will strike at the heart of right-wing orthodoxy. Trump has not yet taken office, but Republicans’ intellectual coherence is already at the breaking point.

Trump’s frail ego demands that Republicans deny Russian espionage. (They’d do well to listen to Robert Gates, who explained that “it clearly was aimed at discrediting our elections and I think it was aimed certainly at weakening Mrs. Hillary Clinton.”) Now Republicans will have to decide whether the party of Trump believes in a strong national security or in protecting Trump from hurt feelings.

Trump’s desire to “make deals” and bully individual companies has already undercut the Republican belief in the free marketplace and the party’s aversion to government picking “winners and losers.”

The intellectual disarray has only begun. With victory some unpleasant realities for the right wing come to the fore. As the New York Times reported, with more than 137.7 million votes cast, there is virtually no evidence of fraud. In 26 states and the District of Columbia, there were no — none, zero — allegations of fraud. No states had any indications of widespread fraud. Tennessee had 40 cases of alleged fraud, Georgia 25. (Each had more than 4 million votes cast.)

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2016/12/19/republican-contradictions-abound-in-the-age-of-trump/?utm_term=.49a7116e6b48&wpisrc=nl_popns&wpmm=1

[LonePirate]

1. The list of Republican exceptions for him will be longer than his list of lies to America.

[MiniMe]

2. Protecting tRump's fragile ego could have a lot to do with National Security!

He will be the man with the Nuclear codes and the power to launch drone strikes without congressional approval.

[gratuitous]

3. Oh Jen, far too late to try to redeem your soul now

It's long gone, in a haze of craven obeisance to Republican intellectual incoherence. Now you're worried about the intellectual disarray in the Republican party? Seems you might have gotten started during the Romney campaign when you carried enough Republican water to refill Lake Mead.

[Hortensis]

4. Republican "intellectual coherence" is like Trump's--

it isn't. He never had it, and they have already lost it.

Well, if most conservatives who voted have turned into extremists who are literally unable, not just unwilling, to recognize realities that don't fit their current preferences, they can be frightened into movement. And I'm afraid a Trump administration is likely to frighten us all.

And even without existential threats, it's likely that the ruin of our position in the world will lead to great discontent on the right. Even W's most determined support dropped into 20s in the last couple years and then the teens in the last few months. Those prone to nationalism don't like losing position or power, and we are going to lose far, far more than ever before.