Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Trumpism Shows Way Forward for Republicans? – Virginia Connection Newspapers

Contrary to former Republican Del. David Ramadan's insistence that Republicans have to "denounce Trumpism" and go back to the "basic conservative principles" which cost them several elections, especially with Mitt Romney as their 2012 candidate, Trump's stronger than expected showing shows them the way forward is by reaching out to the very constituencies conservatives in the past ignored. Nearly one-third of black Midwestern men backed Trump because they understand that today's Democratic Party is one of free trade, internationalism, and Wall Street, which appealed to former Republican constituencies at the expense of American workers. Black rappers Li'l Wayne and Ice Cube, whose lyrics appeal more to non college-educated black men than to college grad or female blacks backed Trump's re-election.

Ramadan insists Republicans have to stop "winking at white supremacy and nationalism." Now that he's ensconced in the ivory tower at George Mason University, shouldn't he wonder what would become of the Republicans if voters he might shove into these categories didn't vote for them?

Nationalism is in full flower the world over -- in India, Great Britain, Brazil, Hungary -- because the alternatives' answers to public policy challenges have been so inadequate. Ramadan's "basic conservative principles" presumably include the interventionist notion that, "When the World dials 911, America picks up the phone," which Trump has been loath to do thanks to the many quagmires into which this "basic conservative principle" has mired us. "Trumpism" and "nationalism" offer an opportunity for the former "Party of Wall Street" to reach out to Main Street which the modern economy has grievously failed and which the Democrats, who have cornered all the country's financial centers and their suburbs, have abandoned.

Some would have us believe that America's founding documents embody "white supremacy," but far from "winking" at white supremacy, Trump showed the "alt-right" and "alt-light" elements of his coalition such as Steve Bannon the door, while, almost as soon as he dumped his hard-line tough-on-crime Attorney General Jeff Sessions, he helped revive the First Step Act giving felons, disproportionately minority, early release from their federal prison sentences. His actions supporting blacks were so far-reaching that former Alexandria resident and white nationalist leader Richard Spencer announced he's so fed up with Trump that he's voting for Biden. In Florida and Texas, Trump's Latino support reached mid-40%, dashing Democrat hopes of flipping either state. The more generations Latinos have been here, the more the high levels of immigration Wall Street wants, with the job competition, wage depression, and social costs they entail, disadvantage Latino citizens.

Trumpism shows the way forward for Republicans -- it nearly proved enough to save Trump from the personality defects which cost him re-election -- because it appeals to large constituencies which the alternatives -- both the Democrats and those Republicans espousing "basic conservative principles" who defected to Biden -- have abandoned.

Dino Drudi

Alexandria

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Opinion: Letter to the Editor: Trumpism Shows Way Forward for Republicans? - Virginia Connection Newspapers