The Never Trump Movement Has Become a Spectacle of Moral Buffoonery

Written by Peter Heck

There is no conservative case to be made for Kamala Harris.

None.

Obviously, there are many conservatives, particularly Christian conservatives, who are not voting for Donald Trump based on conviction and principle. It’s a position that is, in my estimation, reasonable and legitimate. But all that reason and all that legitimacy immediately flies out the window when such an individual announces intent to cast a vote in favor of a spectacularly unfit, ideologically radical, and morally untethered political party fabrication like the candidacy of Kamala Harris.

Take foreign policy writer and formerly self-proclaimed conservative Tom Nichols. Now an author for The Atlantic, like many original “Never-Trumpers,” Nichols parlayed his once-principled opposition to the rise of Trumpian politics on the Right into a profitable grift. One where he performs in the pages of left-wing publications and dutifully dances for their peanuts.

Consequently, what may have started out as an earnest desire to preserve the dignity of conservatism and the Republican Party’s commitment to it, has devolved into an utter betrayal of that cause to a degree far greater than Donald Trump has ever committed. If you doubt that, here was the aforementioned Tom Nichols this last weekend, commenting on the campaign dilemma Kamala Harris faces in distancing herself from the failure of the last four years:

Urgency from whom? Joe Biden has had a pretty good four years; exactly why is she supposed to run away from that? https://t.co/P7ZV4fV9wS

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) October 12, 2024

Forget Donald Trump for a minute. If it’s even remotely possible, imagine a world without Donald Trump even in existence. Is there an iteration of such a world where a conservative, or even someone who could be considered as bordering on conservative inklings, would say of the last four years that they were “pretty good”?

Joe Biden‘s approval rating is historically low, meaning even non-conservatives regard his administration as an unmitigated disaster – worse than the disastrous Carter years that Nichols himself has mocked. So a claim like this demands evidence.

What has been “pretty good” over the last four years?

Inflation has been crippling for average Americans.

An unprecedented breakdown of order at the country’s southern border has resulted in the infiltration of millions of illegal (and in too many cases, criminal) aliens, presenting massive strain on many state’s and city’s beleaguered resources.

The unfolding crisis in the Middle East keeps getting more dangerous, and our long-time ally Israel seems to now harbor an intense distrust of American leadership. The violence was precipitated by an epic bungling of U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan – a retreat that saw the Taliban seize American weapons and munitions, subjugate the masses (again), and turn the Western promise of female liberation into a cruel tease.

A housing crisis is bubbling under the surface, with housing costs so inflated, ownership is out of the question for many Americans – not to mention a construction shortage is only exacerbating the situation.

So again, what made these four years “pretty good,” Mr. Nichols?

This is the kind of foolishness that the “Never-Trump” movement has needlessly cast upon itself.

• There was a place for principled opposition to Trump’s non-conservative policies.
• There was a place for moral dissent from Trump’s uncouth conduct and irresponsible rhetoric.
• There was a place for righteous criticism of Trump’s exaggerations, mistruths, and immorality.

But maintaining those things would have required discipline, honesty, and a commitment to consistency. “Never-Trump” blew right past all that when they saw the chance to make money being “conservatives-who-hate-and-will-say-all-sorts-of-bad-things-about-Trump-whenever-left-wing-media-needs-us-to-help-them-advance-their-agenda.”

Now, “Never Trump” has become David French stumping for a ticket that would allow abortions up until birth and deny medical treatment to babies that survived the slaughter and were born alive.

It’s become Ray Ortlund and a host of evangelical mega-ministers endorsing a movement that subjected Brett Kavanaugh and his family to monstrously false allegations on national television like it was some kind of reality TV show rather than vicious slander of a decent man’s character for no reason beyond politics.

And it’s become Tom Nichols saying incredibly ignorant things like “Joe Biden has had a pretty good four years.”

The bats are not just occupying these former conservative and Christian conservative belfries.

They’ve seized control, and morally reasonable people will have nothing to do with such a cluster of profligate posers.

This article was originally published by NotTheBee.com.

Peter Heck is a writer, speaker, and teacher from Indiana. He is married to Jenny, and is the father of three kids. Peter holds to the infallibility and inerrancy of Scripture in his teaching and writing, and has a passion for biblical literacy and for demonstrating the Bible’s applicability to all of life. 

Peter is the lead opinion writer for “Not the Bee.” His opinions have also been published in the Washington Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. A former radio host, Peter produces a daily podcast and has authored a number of books on Christians and the culture.