It would appear the NeverTrump movement has found a new voice in the wilderness of insignificance in the name of conservative author and columnist, Mona Charen.  Her recent virtuous outburst at a CPAC panel discussion on the #MeToo movement where she drudged up old TMZ  tapes of Donald Trump thus equating Trump’s silly comments about grabbing a particular part of a woman’s anatomy with “credible” accusations of pedophilia against Alabama Senatorial candidate Roy Moore is the latest flash point for the alleged civil war in conservatism and, by extension, the Republican Party between so-called Trumpism and so-called real conservatism.

To state that Charen has an animus towards Trump would be an understatement.  She was one of the many contributors to that National Review groundbreaking special edition outlining the reasons not to vote for nor support Donald Trump.  Charen has also written for the Washington Times and Townhall.  And while no one doubts her conservative credentials, she seems to have also fallen into that pit of self-righteous, self-appointed savior of conservatism.

For many, including your’s truly, Charen seems to epitomize the hypocrisy of the NeverTrump movement- something that should have died the day after the election in 2016 but whose adherents hang onto the bitter belief that if they hang in there, all others will see the errors of their ways.  For example, to many within the NeverTrump camp, Steve Bannon was the devil incarnate- a hell-spawned, racist, sexist, alt-Right something or other who wormed his way into the Trump orbit.  When he was sacked by the White House, there was dancing in the proverbial streets that exist in the minds of the NeverTrumper and an “I told you so” attitude.  Ding, dong the witch was dead, forced out of his job at the White House by the more-mature John Kelly, and the better the country was for it as they danced gleefully on his pitiful political grave.  He and his bastard offspring- Breitbart- could rot in hell.

But, what a minute… Michael Wolff publishes a book in which he quotes Steve Bannon as describing Trump, Jr.’s meeting in Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer as a “treasonous” act.  Suddenly, the ears of the NeverTrumper perk up and the words of the Devil incarnate are to be listened to and heeded.  Never mind the fact he later walked back the statement, the words were out there and they were now sacrosanct.  Never mind the fact that Bannon was dragging the Republican Party and conservatism into a moral pit of depravity prior to this.

Ms. Charen, in a follow up to her appearance at CPAC, did what most of the self-righteous do- pen an article for the New York Times  whose title blared “I’m Glad I Got Booed at CPAC.”  It appears that Charen has a preoccupation with the Roy Moore incident in Alabama stating that at one time the Republican Party and conservatism stood for some higher standard.  More on that in a minute…

Charen has described Trumpism as a personality cult.  She has also intimated at fascism, definitely at misogyny and racism, and described this year’s CPAC gathering as a mixture of “blood and soil” people along with true conservatives.  Writing for the Times, Charen states:

There is nothing more freeing than telling the truth. And it must be done, again and again, by those of us who refuse to be absorbed into this brainless, sinister, clownish thing called Trumpism, by those of us who refuse to overlook the fools, frauds and fascists attempting to glide along in his slipstream into respectability…

This statement exemplifies the attitude of the NeverTrumper.  If you support anything Trump does, you are (1) “brainless,” (2) “sinister,” (3) “clownish,” (4) a fool, (5) a fraud, (6) a fascist, or (7) all of the above.

What Ms. Charen leaves out of the equation as it concerns Roy Moore in Alabama, other than ruining his political career, to what end have the accusations achieved?  Is Roy Moore charged with any crime?  Is there any pending civil lawsuit against him?  Yes, there is a defamation lawsuit against him, but nothing that actually seeks damages for the actions for which he was accused.  At one time, conservatism and the Republican Party stood for a healthy respect of the Constitution and in that document is something called “due process.”  And while this writer is fully aware that “due process” means nothing in the court of public opinion, one also thought that sworn and immutable facts- not accusations from accusers for actions decades ago- would somehow supplant something that conservatives should believe in- innocence until proven otherwise!

Charen may feel freed by telling the truth as she perceives it.  Charen is content to offer up as true conservatives “mavericks” like John McCain, family political dynasty members like government-expansionist George W. Bush, or the milquetoast offering of a Mitt Romney.  By the way, McCain and Romney lost to a political neophyte with a thin resume.  Charen is the type of conservative content to wallow in martyrdom and accept defeat all because she and her ilk are the self-appointed guardians of conservatism.

I believe most of us here at Redstate can agree that Donald Trump was certainly not the best candidate in 2016 and I would hardly call this site pro-Trump.  Lord knows, this writer penned numerous articles against the candidacy of Donald Trump during the primaries and general election campaigns.  However, one cannot deny achievements accomplished during one year in office that fit nicely with the conservative agenda.   In many ways, actions speak louder than words.  In fact, one common refrain of the NeverTrumper is that “words matter.”  Ironically, go to any Leftist website and you will find the same admonitions from those on the Left.  As for this writer, I will judge a President by his actions.  Let’s leave the virtuosity for the bleeding hearts on the Left and come to the realization that, although a source of sadness and humiliation for the NeverTrumper, Donald Trump is the President of the United States who has, thus far, done nothing to upset the conservative apple cart.