So, sure I agree with you that conservatism as an idea is not dead...there are a minority of Republicans that still believe in it and want to bring it back BUT it is dead in practice because Republicans in DC no longer want anything to do with it. They like the Trump system better because under that system...you just take. You steal and rob while your "base" cheers you on until...well...until they have nothing left to take. This is why they have abandoned conservatism. It's every man for themselves. Sadly, most of his base have not figured out that's what is happening.
McConnell, who has been the leader of the party for years (including while Trump was president) is not a conservative...he is a radical. He works for the donor class only and cares nothing about conservatism.
Trump, was 100% against conservatism. He actually had no policy outside of annihilation of all regulations, government institutions, the judicial system, our foreign policy, and democracy. He believes in nothing...and this is what made him popular because his supporters believe in nothing when it comes to government. So, just destroy it all. Take away voting rights? They don't care because they don't think voting matters. Trump's primary objective during every election he was part of was to convince voters that voting is pointless. Now polling keeps showing that somewhere between 74 and 82% of Republican voters still think the election was a fraud. He knocked that one out of the park.
The Freedom Caucus, Tea Party crackpots, and now the new QAnon wing...not conservative in any way...and these nuts are now the voice of the party. Jordan, Gaetz, the entire bunch of absolute slime that are there...they are running the show. There are no "adults in the room" anymore. It is shrieking madness from all directions in the Republican party now. Who among these people are going to reclaim the party for conservatives? Mitt Romney? Jeff Flake? John Kasich? These people have zero pull with the loons in DC now and they are likely on a variety of Right Wing Terrorist kill lists at this point.
This is why I keep saying that while I love the optimism you and Heath often express that with Trump gone Biden will work with Republicans to right the ship...there are almost ZERO elected Republicans that will work with him and the vast majority of them plan to sabotage him every chance they get.
It gets far worse when you start looking at state Republican parties and their members. The Arizona and Oregon state Republican parties are completely...and I mean completely...INSANE. They are spewing lies and dangerous nonsense to incite violence in this country like they are taking massive paychecks from Putin. It is off the charts betrayal of our nation...and we are not talking about some voter sitting in a room typing crap on Parler...these are the party officials doing this. It is utter madness and it is not abating. They keep stepping it up.
I don't think I'm a radical and we all know I was a Sanders supporter. I guess my question would be if you see Sanders as a radical, then does this mean you see FDR as a radical? I mean the Sanders plan did not raise taxes on the wealthy to the levels they were at when FDR held office. So, by that standard, is FDR now seen as a radical?
