Has the otherwise, reliably conservative Heritage Foundation jumped the shark?

This afternoon, former South Carolina senator and president of the Heritage Foundation, Jim DeMint, met with Donald Trump at a Capitol Hill law firm. Also included in the meeting were former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, Senator Jeff Sessions (R., Ala), along with GOP Representatives Duncan Hunter (CA), Scott Desjarlais (TN), and Tom Reed (NY).

The meeting, ostensibly, was to discuss advancing conservative policy goals, in the event that the gilded toad wins the nomination, then, eventually, the general. It isn’t unusual for the Heritage Foundation to meet with GOP candidates, in regards to discussing policy. The idea, however, that Trump would consider anything that doesn’t benefit him directly belies all we know about his behavior, up to this point.

Heritage Action chief, Mike Needham told the Washington Post earlier this month:

“I think we have landed exactly where the mood of the electorate is. I think that is why politicians are channeling our message. A Trump election or nomination is a complete vindication that Washington needs to change,”

While I’m the first to admit Washington needs to change, my hope would be that it would change for the better, not descend into the festering bowels of madness known as Trumpism.

I honestly don’t feel Trump will win the nomination, although he’s clearly the closest to that goal, for the time being. The hope is that saner heads will prevail tomorrow and he will find himself shut out. Barring that event, however, those who hold the trust of the conservative movement would be wise not to ignore the unrest, regarding a Trump nomination. If it takes walking away from the GOP and starting a third party from the ground up, then there are many influential voices whispering in the background, with several potential candidates in mind, each and every one a far better option than Donald Trump.

I’m not convinced that Trump can be tamed or taught to act as a rational candidate. Even if his behavior improved, he still shows a dangerous lack of knowledge on foreign policy, a tendency to lean left, in terms of healthcare and taxation, as well as on social issues. He is not a conservative, and his 5 minutes spent registered as a Republican do not mask that fact.