 |
| Ben Shapiro Image cc 2.0 via Flickr |
Ben Shapiro outlines his argument often enough for not supporting Donald Trump. I don't support Trump either, just for the record. But his scenario I think is unlikely.
His argument tends to be:
1. Trump is not a conservative (100% true)
2. Trump is associated with the Alt Right (a reasonable assertion)
2. A Trump presidency would be a disaster (likely)
3. Therefore a disastrous Trump presidency would slander conservatism for a generation, 40+ years.
The premises in his argument are pretty good, aside from the last. Ben Shapiro suggests that Trump would destroy the Republican party for a generation, for 40 years plus. I'd contest that statement along the following lines:
1. The public is extremely fickle, and there is not a lot of memory regarding political history. In short, the Trump phenomenon will be old news in 10-20 years.
2. If the GOP could be ruined by a bad president, it would've already happened with the disastrous George W. Bush presidency.
3. The alt right is certainly a danger, but the likelyhood of some racist reemergence isn't great, it's small, even if a Trump presidency takes place.
4. It is unlikely that people would point back and blame conservatives for backing a Trump figure who turns out to be a bad president. And even if some in the media do, it's a lame argument and it wouldn't find traction with the American public. People understand politics makes strange bedfellows. And see premise 1.
5. There are no previous presidencies that have smeared a party, Democrat or Republican for a generation. The premise lacks historical examples.
Sorry Ben, your Trump presidency alt-right apocalypse scenario is far fetched at best.
No comments:
Post a Comment