TO THE EDITOR:
I am writing in response to the editorial “The guards of democracy,” which heaped praise upon conservatives as guards against large government and authoritarianism.
Although that is what the current editor may believe at the moment, this is contrary to everything this paper has proposed in the past. During the Obama administration, small government Republicans were frequently scolded for opposing large government initiatives such as the Affordable Care Act.
The potential dissolution or reformation of the Republican party following the Presidential election of 2016 was looked upon with undisguised glee. It rings hollow that the very people who have been denouncing conservatives their entire time here are now seeking their support in opposing President Donald Trump.
To many conservatives, most of the opposition to President Trump is not opposition against authoritarianism — it is opposition to large government not acting in their specific interests.
Declaring that the Trump administration “threaten(s) the future of our democratic process” while ignoring the proliferation of anti-Trump violence undermines that point. If there is to be any political consensus, there must be honesty rather than politically motivated half-truths. Until a degree of intellectual honesty is introduced to political discourse, liberal overtures to conservatives will continue to fall on deaf ears.
Tyler McNaboe
Senior
Economics
