Principles are intensely personal things, and determining whether or not certain people are principled when there is so much disagreement over premises and narratives is a fraught effort.
I have a slightly different take. I do know principled conservatives who believe in the case George Will made in 2020, that the best thing for conservatism is for the Republicans to lose and Trumpism to be exiled from the party. I don’t think Will is making that case anymore, but others still see it that way. There is precedent for that - the Republicans lost in 1992 in order to win the House two years later and Clinton lost in 1994 in order to win in 1996. In both cases, I believe Clinton and Newt understood themselves to be playing that game at the time and it worked for them.
I’ve been following the debate between David French and Dan McLaughlin, Charlie Cooke, and Jonah Goldberg, particularly Jonah and David’s conversation about it. I actually think David makes a pretty good case, even if I’m slightly closer to Dan’s position than to his. (As usual, my real position is Jonah’s - I won’t be voting for either candidate.) David makes the best case on Reaganite grounds that can be made. I think he’s right that there is no pro-life candidate in the race.
I have a slightly different take. I do know principled conservatives who believe in the case George Will made in 2020, that the best thing for conservatism is for the Republicans to lose and Trumpism to be exiled from the party. I don’t think Will is making that case anymore, but others still see it that way. There is precedent for that - the Republicans lost in 1992 in order to win the House two years later and Clinton lost in 1994 in order to win in 1996. In both cases, I believe Clinton and Newt understood themselves to be playing that game at the time and it worked for them.
I’ve been following the debate between David French and Dan McLaughlin, Charlie Cooke, and Jonah Goldberg, particularly Jonah and David’s conversation about it. I actually think David makes a pretty good case, even if I’m slightly closer to Dan’s position than to his. (As usual, my real position is Jonah’s - I won’t be voting for either candidate.) David makes the best case on Reaganite grounds that can be made. I think he’s right that there is no pro-life candidate in the race.