Folks over at Red State are unimpressed and unconvinced by Donald Trump’s insistence that Republicans have “no choice” but to vote for him because of concern about the ideological makeup of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court is at a tipping point, divided 4-4 between conservatives and liberals, it could soon have a progressive-minded majority for the first time in decades. For socially conservative Christians, this has the potential to end the rationale for their participation in politics. At the end of the first term of a Clinton presidency, it’s likely that the ideological balance of the Court will be 6-3 or even 7-2. That would put the hope of overturning Roe v. Wade so far off in the future that the mission would lose its power to inspire action.
Therefore, no group should be more receptive to Trump’s message on the necessity of voting for him than the Christian conservatives at Red State. But they’re not buying it because they have other principles that are just as important to them.
The Republican coalition as a whole has been trying to gain an edge on the Democrats through the Court by weakening the labor movement, gutting the Voting Rights Act and knocking down barriers and limits to large and unaccountable political donations. Therefore, both the party operatives and the business interests that utilize the party to further their agendas should be receptive to Trump’s argument.
But they’re not as receptive as you might expect. Most of the party establishment is feeling homeless precisely because they can’t in good conscience support Trump. Meanwhile, corporate America wants no part of Trump’s form of religious and ethnic bigotry or Mike Pence’s homophobia. They don’t want his trade protectionism or immigration policies, either, and that only adds to their indifference to the Supreme Court argument.
The Conservative Movement has lost the will to fight using the tools they’ve been using to fight.
Trump’s pleas are falling on deaf ears.