Conservatives Wonder, Will The Real Donald Trump Please Stand Up?

[Dulcinea]

Here are some of the ways Donald Trump has described himself during the 2016 presidential campaign:

"Very conservative."

"A common-sense conservative."

"A conservative with a heart."

But talk to conservative activists, and it's not unusual to still hear things like this:

"Well, I remain a skeptic," says activist and GOP campaign veteran Rick Tyler, who adds, "I don't know that Donald Trump is a conservative."

Billionaire businessman, reality TV star and first-time candidate Trump challenged, insulted, befuddled, shocked and, finally, took over the Republican Party on his way to becoming president-elect. He managed that accomplishment without adhering to traditional conservative principles. In fact, at times it was hard to discern any ideology at all besides a loyalty to himself and a determination to completely upend the American political process.

With just weeks until he is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, conservative activists — like many Americans — will be watching to see just how conservative a president Trump is.

http://www.npr.org/2016/12/23/506615235/conservatives-wonder-will-the-real-donald-trump-please-stand-up

[Dulcinea]

1. Does he even have any ideology?

He's all about himself as far as I can see.

[Arkansas Granny]

2. The real DT stood up from the beginning.

They chose to ignore that he is a dangerous megalomaniac. Now we're saddled with him for the next four years.

[BlueMTexpat]

4. +1! eom

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Exactly ! nt

[shraby]

3. Unfortunately, what they see is what they got.

[MrScorpio]

6. It doesn't matter what Cheetolini Pussygrabber is...

"Conservatives" are hypocrites. They'll support whatever he does, only because they see it as a winning strategy and label it "conservatism" anyway. Besides, most conservative voters couldn't give you a definition of classical conservatism even if it were biting their asses.

They've been playing this same game since the days of Reagan, when he used "conservative" principles to explode the deficit and debt. Conservative principles don't exist on paper, they only exist as a series of justifications for their own actions in their own heads.

So, when it comes to matters of spending, social policy, international diplomacy and the functions of government, I've learned simply to regard someone who identifies themselves as a "conservative" as a person who's using that label to explain why they're being an asshole. And it never disappoints.

So, by using that definition, Trump is most certainly a "conservative." As a matter of fact, Trump is the greatest "conservative" that this country has ever seen.

[geek tragedy]

7. Trump is a rather doctrinaire conservative

with a dash of Pat Buchanan thrown in.

[Aristus]

8. I don't understand. I thought their adoration of him was because "He tells it like it is!"

What a collection of blockheads...