Trump Represents The True Feelings Of "Conservatives"

From Paul Krugman in the New York Times:

Frank Bruni marvels at polls indicating that Donald Trump, with his multiple marriages and casinos, is the preferred candidate among Republican evangelicals. Others are shocked to see a crude mercantilist make so much headway in the alleged party of free markets. What happened to conservative principles?

Actually, nothing — because those alleged principles were never real. Conservative religiosity, conservative faith in markets, were never about living a godly life or letting the invisible hand promote entrepreneurship. Instead, it was all as Corey Robin describes it: Conservatism is

a reactionary movement, a defense of power and privilege against democratic challenges from below, particularly in the private spheres of the family and the workplace.

It’s really about who’s boss, and making sure that the man in charge stays boss. Trump is admired for putting women and workers in their place, and it doesn’t matter if he covets his neighbor’s wife or demands trade wars.

The point is that Trump isn’t a diversion, he’s a revelation, bringing the real motivations of the movement out into the open.

And I might add that this feeling of keeping the "boss" in power extends to keeping white privilege also. Racists like David Dukes (and others) have been quick to jump on the Trump bandwagon. They have looked at what Trump has had to say about brown-skinned immigrants, and believe he wants the same kind of country they do -- a country where Whites are in charge.

The Republican base has been exposed, and their brand of "conservatism" is a rancid one.