We agree with Dennis Prager about Trump, (article link and excerpt below), with the more general comment that a political decision matrix includes among other factors the existence of a candidate with sufficient principle, and the existence of any clear and present danger (Hillary). Any “viability” argument about a candidate should not be abused such that it becomes self-fulfilling, in part because politcal polling sucks and, as they are used and abused, perpetuate presumptions.
A Response to My Conservative Critics About Trump
So, shouldn’t the primary role of a conservative be to vanquish leftism? To me, that means strongly supporting the Republican president of the United States, who has staffed his Cabinet with conservatives and already won substantial conservative victories. As I suggested in my previous column, conservatives would have been thrilled if any Republican president had achieved what Trump has at this point in his administration.
Of course, I prefer people of good character in political office. But 30 years ago, I wrote an essay titled “Adultery and Politicians” in which I argued that what political leaders do is more important than their character. To cite but one of an endless list of examples, I would prefer an adulterous president (like John F. Kennedy) who supported Israel than a faithful family man (like Jimmy Carter) who was an anti-Zionist.
Second, as a religious Jew, I learned from the Bible that God himself chose morally compromised individuals — like King David, who had a man killed in order to cover up the adultery he committed with the man’s wife; and the prostitute Rahab, who was instrumental in helping the Jews conquer Canaan — to accomplish some greater good. (And, for the record, I am not suggesting that God chose Donald Trump.) . . .
Fourth, even if he were as morally defective as his critics maintain, my response is this: Trump’s character is less morally significant than defeating the left. If the left wins, America loses. And if America loses, evil will engulf the world.
