Conservative Conferences: Dire Straits

For a college conservative, political conferences are a boon of the modern era. The ability to travel across the country at little personal cost to learn from some of the brightest conservative minds of this generation is a true blessing. What is a college conservative like me to do, however, if these conferences take a New Right turn that he refuses to follow?

“The Republican Party was ruled by freaks, neocons, open-border zealots and fools. We’re never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove, and Jeb Bush,” Donald Trump declared in his address to the cheering crowd at CPAC this past March. The address, over an hour long, included a number of character attacks. Trump declared his enemies to be “lunatics and maniacs.” He pulled out “stormy-faced Daniels,” in a rant about his alleged paramour. He reamed out the Biden family as thoroughgoing criminals. The speech was also infused with self-praise and cultish declarations, including this astounding statement: “For those that had been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.” The message was simple: Trump promised to be more MAGA than ever.

SH

About the Author

Scott Howard

Scott Howard is a University of Florida alumnus and former intern at National Review.

Featured Tags

For a college conservative, political conferences are a boon of the modern era. The ability to travel across the country at little personal cost to learn from some of the brightest conservative minds of this generation is a true blessing. What is a college conservative like me to do, however, if these conferences take a New Right turn that he refuses to follow?

“The Republican Party was ruled by freaks, neocons, open-border zealots and fools. We’re never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove, and Jeb Bush,” Donald Trump declared in his address to the cheering crowd at CPAC this past March. The address, over an hour long, included a number of character attacks. Trump declared his enemies to be “lunatics and maniacs.” He pulled out “stormy-faced Daniels,” in a rant about his alleged paramour. He reamed out the Biden family as thoroughgoing criminals. The speech was also infused with self-praise and cultish declarations, including this astounding statement: “For those that had been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.” The message was simple: Trump promised to be more MAGA than ever.