'Assault on conservatism': How the Trumpifed GOP convention shows a total rejection of Reagan

17 July 2024

Long after he left the White House in January 1989, President Ronald Reagan remained the dominant influence in the Republican Party. Some pundits mocked the 2008 GOP presidential primary candidates for mentioning Reagan incessantly during one of their debates.

But in 2024, the GOP's dominant influence is clearly Donald Trump — who officially received his party's presidential nomination for the third time in a row at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The event got underway only two days after Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Western Pennsylvania.

In an article published by Politico on July 17, reporters Adam Wren, Olivia Beavers and Megan Messerly lay out some of the ways in which the convention has reflected the stark changes in the GOP.

"A new kind of Republican Party is revealing itself at its national convention," the reporters explain. "All the markers of a MAGA jamboree are on display, from hulking Donald Trump iconography inside the convention hall to rhinestone Trump cowboy hats and red Trump-Vance placards. But look closer, and the party is changing — increasingly embracing economic populism at home and isolationism abroad, shifting its decades-long position on abortion and not only leery of, but hostile to, certain business interests."

According to Politico, conservative Marc Short — ex-chief of staff for former Vice President Mike Pence — feels "estranged" from the GOP that has been holding its convention in Milwaukee.

Short told Politico, "I think what we're witnessing now is a full-on frontal assault on conservatism. And you can look at the platform walking away from issues like life and traditional marriage, embracing tariffs across the board. But I feel like yesterday and last night went a step further when you have speakers that are basically saying NATO was at fault for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's invasion of Ukraine, and referring to job creators as 'corporate pigs' and announcing national right to work. That's an enormous departure from where our party has been, and I don't think it's a prescription for success."

Wren, Beavers and Messerly note that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who "championed a Reaganesque policy agenda" during her presidential campaign, "received some boos" during her speech at the convention on Tuesday night, July 16.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) told Politico, "This is a British Tory platform. This is not a conservative platform. Trump is aiming right down the middle."

Read Politico's full article at this link.

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