‘National Review’ Sheds Subscribers Over ‘Don’t Vote Donald Trump’ Editorial
Chants of “Don’t vote Donald Trump” have resounded from both sides of the political aisle since his entry into the race, and now National Review, perhaps the most-read publication among conservatives, has made clear their hard-line stance against the hard-to-beat GOP frontrunner. Unfortunately for them, that hasn’t been popular with all over their readership.
National Review ramped up that criticism against Donald on Thursday when they published a massive takedown of the candidate written by a team of more than 20 renowned conservative intellectuals and public figures. David Boaz, Glenn Beck, and Thomas Sowell joined in to present their arguments for why Trump was not actually in line with much of classic conservative ideology.
Glenn used his National Review space to point out how Donald had actually often sided with some of Obama’s most controversial measures.
“While conservatives fought against the stimulus, Trump said it was ‘what we need,’… While conservatives fought against the auto bailouts, Donald claimed “the government should stand behind [the auto companies] 100 percent” because “they make wonderful products.” While conservatives fought against the bank bailouts, Trump called them “something that has to get done.”… When conservatives desperately needed allies in the fight against big government, Donald didn’t stand on the sidelines. He consistently advocated that your money be spent, that your government grow, and that your Constitution be ignored.”
Along with those guest opinions, National Review‘s board of editors also penned their own separate piece, “Against Trump.” Therein, they warned against a candidate who they see as using public dissatisfaction over issues like immigration to “bluster” about them in order to court votes. Donald, National Review says, is no true conservative.
“Trump is a philosophically unmoored political opportunist who would trash the broad conservative ideological consensus within the GOP in favor of a free-floating populism with strong-man overtones…. Trump’s politics are those of an averagely well-informed businessman… But if you have no familiarity with the relevant details and the levers of power, and no clear principles to guide you, you will, like most tenderfeet, get rolled. Especially if you are, at least by all outward indications, the most poll-obsessed politician in all of American history… His obsession is with ‘winning.’ “
National Review wasn’t without its positive feedback on the subject, but the publication also released a letter saying that the response from readers had included some negativity. That, however, didn’t seem to deter them from the belief that they were getting on the right side of history by standing against Donald.
“We have received angry calls, and cancel my subscription demands. One in particular broke my heart. Well, let’s hope time heals. None of this was unexpected, but: We have also received very strong expressions of support from many NR friends. People who believe and they are right to believe this that the main reason National Review exists is to do the very thing it is doing today. Defending conservative principle. Defending it from being marginalized, or recast as emotion and bluster instead of as an expression of reason and intelligence. On behalf of Rich Lowry and my colleagues, thank you for standing with us. Or, better, thanks for letting us stand alongside you as we embrace the Buckley mission: To stand athwart history, yelling stop.”
Did you cancel your National Review subscription over their “Don’t Vote Donald Trump” editorial?
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