Federalist: Bill Kristol, once a conservative icon, is now shilling for a leftist agenda. I regret ever having defended him.
I’ve written around 500 columns for The Federalist and several for other and sundry outlets, including the defunct Weekly Standard. I’ve gotten some things right, and some wrong. Once I ran a glowing screed about Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director, and he was fired later that day.
I also predicted Beto O’Rourke would do well and Mayor Pete was hopeless. But one column now stands out as my worst. In 2017, I defended Bill Kristol in these pages, as a man the right still needs. Oof. I have never spilled, and I mean spilled, ink I regret more. Let me start with what my thinking was at the time and then explain why it has turned out to be abject nonsense.
At the time — specifically March 1, 2017, just days into the Trump presidency — I wrote this: “Kristol’s acerbic attacks on Trump provide space for the more modest criticism the rest of us offer. Rest assured, without the target Kristol provides, those more constrained attacks on Trump would be squarely in Trump’s crosshairs.”
I still think that’s true, but in the last three years much has changed, and these changes are something Kristol and his faux-conservative ilk have roundly refused to recognize. It took me about a year to realize the sky wasn’t falling. That conservatives were getting once unimaginable wins like an embassy in Jerusalem and a rat-a-tat-tat of impossibly good judges. Kristol has roundly refused to judge any of this as worthwhile. read more
One of President Trump’s greatest achievements was to expose the fake conservatives for all to see.
conservative icon MY ACHING ASS
What I find interesting about the Trump train is that in 2015 I think nearly all of us found his candidacy laughable. I supported Cruz, we all hated Kasich and Jeb!, and there were other candidates worth considering. As Trump’s popularity grew we first railed against him, but as we learned more about him grew to support him. Even as the Republican nominee, many people held their nose to vote for him and against Killary. It took time – a lot of time for many – to get where we are now, with an appreciation of what Trump stands for and the service he has done our country.
All these RINO’s that are now being exposed are the ones who somehow never managed to get anything resembling a conservative agenda accomplished.
I could say neocons like Kristol are worthless pieces of excrement but they are much worse than that. They are dangerous, war mongering pieces of excrement. I loved it when Trump recently pawned another turd muffin, John Bolton: “If I had listened to him we would be in World War 6”.
He made it a long way in public life with the piss poor judgement he shows, but the rides over now. Same goes for mittens.
@ Left Coast Dan FEBRUARY 18, 2020 AT 12:00 PM
I didn’t have any opinion on Trump. I didn’t know anything about the man. I never saw his television show because I rarely watch television.
I didn’t really like any of the candidates until I heard Trump speak. The guy impressed me as maybe being the real McCoy the first time I heard him so I started paying attention to him.
He is the genuine article.
Cruz impressed me as better fitted for handing out teddy bears and soccer balls w/Glen Beck than President
Trump should drop Pence and tap Cruz or Meadows for VP, so they can keep the train rolling, because Pence won’t be President. If he keeps Pence the Rinos will nominate another loser for 2024 and the D-bags will probably take back the White House.
Did this guy also write an article about what a severe I mean real conservative Mitt Romney was and the only guy that could win an election against Obama?! Seriously Beto?! Kristol in 2017?! He needs a new profession.
@Tony R February 18, 2020 at 11:51 am
> One of President Trump’s greatest achievements was to expose the fake conservatives for all to see.
They are not “fake” Conservatives. They, literally literal, invented Conservative™. Invented.
Just because you’ve got a hate on for Kleenex™, doesn’t mean Kimberly-Clark is selling fake kleenex. If you don’t want to be “called” a NAMBLA member, quit renewing your membership.
“bill kristol, once a conservative icon”
still laughing my ass off, since when as bill a conservative?
I loved trump from the beginning
why did I love him?
because he wasn’t a professional politician
he was not responsible for where we were as a country
bill kristol was a conservative only in his own mind using his definition of conservative
If Donald J. Trump had actually tried to be Presidential during the 2015-2016 election, I believe he would have won the popular vote. Since President Trump can’t manage to stop being Donald J. Trump, he’s always going to be his own worst enemy and, at the same time, his own best ally. A perfect example of this was his “perfect” conversation with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Any President but President Trump would have simply told him he was sending Mayor Giuliani over to discuss certain matters. No grounds for Impeachment in that request. One thing President Trump has achieved is infecting more of his enemies with Trump Derangement Syndrome than anyone could have anticipated. This has practically destroyed his political opposition, and almost guarantees his re-election. His accomplishments far outweigh his disappointments, and Trump is likely to win the popular vote this time without trying to be Presidential.