Ross Douthat correctly notes that conservatism puts more emphasis on responsibility and government controls than personal freedom, and spills lots of ink trying to figure out why so many prominent members of the GOP are blowing off the virus. It’s really not that complicated:
- THE GOP ISN’T UNITED, EVEN IN THE BEST OF TIMES, ON ISSUES OF FREEDOM AND GOVERNMENT CONTROLS: CLs are always opposed to expansions of the federal government; PBPs resist government regulation of business; and Reactionaries are suspicious of giving more powers to a government which, in their view, only uses them to oppress real Americans and promote the interests of patronizing elites, lazy minorities, and illegal immigrants. Restrictions on personal freedom are, therefore, a tough sell.
- TODAY’S GOP IS A TRUMP POPULIST PARTY, NOT A CONSERVATIVE PARTY: There is nothing “conservative” about a party that changes its public positions on a dime, often in the face of all of the evidence and against expert advice, to follow the musings of its fearless leader. Trump’s greatest victory has been to convince the vast majority of GOP members that he is entitled to their unconditional support, regardless of how often he deviates from GOP orthodoxy, because the alternative to him is the end of the world.
In a way, we should be grateful for this state of affairs; without the divisions in the GOP and Trump’s lack of real leadership, we might be turning into Orban’s Hungary. Now, there’s an April Fools’ joke for you.