Capitol Hill Blue Forums Hot Topics & Breaking News News US budget deficit hits $984 billion, highest in 7 years

There is probably somewhere a conservative who finds nut-picking a convincing argument, but, I assure you, that conservative is not me.

Republicans were fired-up behind cutting the government when Carter was President and ran the Reagan Revolution to do so.... and then Reagan got in, and increased government spending instead, and Republicans loved him. Republicans were fired up behind cutting the government when Clinton was President, and had the Contract with America and everything... and then, W Bush became President, and increased spending, and Republicans generally liked him. Republicans were fired up behind cutting the government when Obama was President, and had the Tea Party and then... well, then Trump became President, and dramatically increased spending, and some Republicans loved him, some loathed him, and many started off loathing him and came to like him because he was Their Guy.

It's not the Race, it's the Tribe. Republicans have significant overlap with Conservatives and are willing to get on board with cutting government..... but not at the expense of political capital or betrayal of the Tribe.

It's additionally worth noting, since we are here, that the "Everything Is Racism" tendency on the left makes - no doubt - for a comforting attack (after all, it definitely means that those icky Others are the Baddies, making us the Good Guys. Darn Icky Others), but it also destroys the value of the charge. Donald Trump was immune to charges of racism and fascism (both true to different degrees) within the GOP primary mostly because the Left had cried wolf on that for decades, and so the accusation was instead interpreted as "They Are Afraid Of Him". Conservatives, by and large, have pulled off a similar trick with "Socialism".

So,.... if you like Trump, keep doing what got you Trump. If you don't like Trump, maybe think about changing things up a bit