Jessica Orsini
By Jessica Orsini
The 2024 Republican National Convention is in the books, and it has finally closed the book on what the party was prior to the ascent of Donald Trump. Perhaps the most notable and poignant moment nailing this point home was when Sen. Mitch McConnell stood to deliver Kentucky’s delegate votes, and was booed by the entire convention floor. In this moment, we saw the culmination of the past eight years of work to completely change the core philosophy of the Republican party.
It is long past time to stop referring to the current Republican leadership — and indeed, most elected Republican legislators — as “conservative”. They are not conservative.
American conservatism has long been based on three pillars: free-market, free-trade capitalism; strength on the global stage via strong commitment to NATO and other allies; and protection of individual liberty and privacy.
Today’s Republican party has rejected all three pillars. It is strongly in favor of tariffs and dismantling trade agreements, as well as telling companies what they can and cannot consider as factors in investments. It is pushing for isolation from the global stage and the abandonment of our allies and NATO. It is committed to government intrusion into bedrooms, doctors’ offices, libraries, classrooms, corporate boardrooms, etc.
For the complete column, see this week’s edition of the Centralia Fireside Guard
