[Chicks]

Are you a conservative? It’s a trick question.
By Jennifer Rubin

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...-conservative/

Under Trump, the term “conservative” has become almost meaningless, in large part because the party that identifies with conservatism has become a cult of personality extolling whatever position Trump latches upon, no matter how incoherent or repulsive. Good “conservatives” are supposed to believe that family separation is an acceptable border policy, that the Justice Department should serve the president’s political interests and that developing a nationwide testing and tracing program is the responsibility of states, not the federal government (although the feds’ exercise of the police power is necessary).

“Conservatism” now is a chaotic blend of right-wing nationalism, conspiracy theories, plutocratic economics, cronyism, protectionism, realpolitik foreign policy and repudiation of objective reality. When Trump departs, it is far from clear whether it will remain so, revert to pure anti-government libertarianism (which has a small constituency aside from donors and hard-line activists) or morph into something else entirely.

Trump apologists like to accuse Never Trumpers of no longer being conservatives. The best answer is: “If Trumpism is conservatism, I’m not conservative — and good riddance. Now define conservatism."