An admirable trait of conservatives is their willingness to openly reexamine their policies and prescriptions. Then again, the troubling trait of conservatives is their constant willingness to expose themselves to reexamination and reassessment. The 2022 elections will undoubtedly inspire yet another round of internal debate and introspection for conservatives. On the surface, this debate it can seem draining and defeatist; but on a deeper and longer-lasting level, it has often fueled a vibrant growth of conservative ideas and energy.
Much of the debate will focus on the Republicans’ disappointing midterm election results, and much of this focus will involve speculations over the Trump effect. But this focus on former President Trump may divert conservatives from the most basic principle or trait of American conservatism. Any reexamination of identity or message must not lose sight of the central pillar of conservative philosophy; for without this compass, conservatives become aimless wanderers.
President Trump brought some valuable messages to the Republican Party. He represented the aims and frustrations of all those voiceless members of the working class who had been abandoned by the governing elites. He took aim at a media that was more of Democratic Party organ than an independent journalistic institution. He reminded Republicans that economic growth and opportunity underlie every other public policy. And he revived the notion of nationalism in a world that had become seduced by globalism.
See the full article by Patrick M. Garry, November 22, 2022