Why Aren’t More Conservatives Abandoning Trump?
“Conservatives tend to give Republican presidents a pass in advancing several liberal policy proposals.”
As voters we’ve been sold the idea that Democrats are the party of big spending and liberal economic policies and that Republicans are the party of limited government and fiscal conservatism.
But is that really the case?
Consider the recent long-term budget deal that is expected to increase defense and domestic spending by about $300 billion dollars over two years. It would also raise the debt ceiling again.
The Trump Administration has also put forth other proposals that would raise spending by several trillion dollars over the next decade.
You might say Trump is not your typical Republican. However, Matt Grossman, the director of Michigan State University’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, says different.
Grossman joins Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson to talk about his New York Times op-ed, “Missing Conservatism? Just Wait for a Democratic President,” where he discusses why traditional Republicans haven’t been as critical of President Trump as some expected.
“This is a fairly typical historical cycle,” explains Grossman. “Conservatives tend to give Republican presidents a pass in advancing several liberal policy proposals alongside some conservative ones.”
Grossman also addresses how voters influence what conservatives are able to do in office.
“Americans are of split positions on major issues,” he says. “They tend to endorse the broad goals of conservatives, while also endorsing specific policies of liberals.”
“That means you can see a backlash whenever there’s an acceleration of liberal policy…but when conservatives get in power they have a hard time coming up with policies to fulfill their visions that are popular with the American public.”
Click on the audio player for the full conversation.
