The GOP nominee made a great argument for the aggressive regulation of markets and everyone missed it
As Republicans have activated the classic 90s Clinton attack machine with the help of FBI director James Comey, it’s become clear that the GOP has decided that can fully accept Donald Trump.
Some may argue that they’re motivated by the hatred of rich people paying taxes or their firmly held religious belief that only Republican presidents should be able to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court. But I’ve always believed that the argument that Trump isn’t “conservative enough” was useless in the GOP primary because he is a walking parody of what conservative principles look like in the real world.
In the debates, Trump illustrated this reality when called out for choosing Chinese steel over American competitors.
“Make me stop,” he said. “Pass laws to make me stop.”
This was also his general defense for outsourcing American jobs and hiring non-citizens.
It’s also the argument for progressive governance. You have to make laws and hire regulators because fortunate sons who inherited their careers will do everything they can to suck our economy dry unless we make them stop.
That’s how we got the financial crisis of 2008. It’s why we’re spiraling toward a climate catastrophe.
So what does Trump want to do? He wants to get rid of almost everything that would make guys like him stop destroying the economy. He wants to get rid of Wall St. Reform and the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau that has saved consumers billions from scammers like Donald Trump. He wants to abolish the EPA and shred any commitment we have to fighting climate change.
Donald Trump knows that the government needs to a play an active role in making him stop doing terrible things to his fellow citizens.
As president, he’ll do his best to make sure government won’t do that. And that’s why he’s a perfect representative of the conservative movement.
[Photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr]
