Calling all 'compassionate conservatives......come in conservatives....'

[JHB]

9. "Compassionate conservative" was always just a slogan...

...and the faction of them to whom the phrase might actually apply were snuffed out as a political force by the current extremists and absolutists in the 70s and 80s.

A couple of years back conservative columnist Mona Charen got booed at CPAC, and afterward complained

What happened to me at CPAC is the perfect illustration of the collective experience of a whole swath of conservatives since Donald Trump became the Republican nominee. We built and organized this party — but now we’re made to feel like interlopers.

***
For traditional conservatives, the past two years have felt like a Twilight Zone episode. Politicians, activists and intellectuals have succumbed with numbing regularity, betraying every principle they once claimed to uphold. But there remains a vigorous remnant of dissenters. I hear from them. There were even some at CPAC.

All I could think was: Welcome to Rockefeller Republican-dom, Mona. You guys didn't organize the GOP, it was there long before you. What you and your ilk did was take it over. Where you could, you forced out GOP pols who failed to "succumb[] with numbing regularity, betraying every principle they once claimed to uphold", and where you couldn't you isolated them and waited until they retired or died and then replaced them with someone who'd get with your program.

And to get the votes to do all that, you built a Republican voting base of exactly the sort of people you're complaining about now. You didn't complain then, you cheered your victories. Trump is your own damn fault. You and every other "Never Trumper" who made careers in Republican messaging and conservative media.

Some of them are making anti-Trump ads. Good for that, but be ready for when they stab us in the kidneys.

The rest? They won't do more than make occasional burps of "concern" and verbal scowls of disapproval before they fall back in line, but nothing more. Once we've done all the heavy lifting, they'll pat themselves on the back for their "bravery" (and expect us to pat them too).