"Everything Trump Touches Dies" by Rick Wilson

... is a conservative political operative - and a Never-Trumper. He has, by his count, over 30 years of experience promoting Republican candidates and conservative ¹ causes. In his words,

"As a rock-solid Republican Party guy stretching back to the 1988 presidential campaign of George H. W. Bush, I've worked to elect Republicans and conservatives all over the country. I helped put a lot of them in office in red, purple, and blue states and districts in races from the presidency on down."

I offer this bona fide because what follows is going to be a condemnation of both the current Republican president and the so-called conservatives who kowtow to him. This is not a book report either as I am limiting myself to his closing thought on page 310. That said, do know that Wilson's style is witty, profane (very), sarcastic, funny, full of observations, and full of facts. Bring a dictionary with you because I have a couple of pages of words I have never heard of as well as an open mind. If you are a Trump acolyte, you will not like this one bit (but should still read it). If you are a Trump hater, you will love it. If you are in between, you will learn something.

¹ After finishing his book, I tweeted him and "accused" him of being a liberal, albeit a minimal-state liberal (look it up) but a liberal nevertheless. Why? He believes too much in real individual liberty, freedom and the rule of law. (I didn't hear back of course :-) )

Wilson spends the previous 300+ pages detailing what is wrong with Donald Trump, his presidency (through the first year and a half), his supporters, and deleterious impact on the country, the Republican Party, and conservationism. He describes how almost every person and idea that Trump has come in contact with from Steve Bannon, Michael Cohen, Sean Spicer, to Republicans in Congress and conservationism in general has suffered a political or moral death. To find out how, you will need to read the book.

But here, I want to present the final few paragraphs for consideration and discussion as it is, I feel, the way 70% of Americans feel and think about the American crisis called Donald J. Trump.

"Everything about Donald Trump's presidency and character is a disaster for America. The victories Republicans think they have achieved are transitory and ephemeral and come at the cost of their principles and, probably, their immortal souls. He is a stain on the party, on conservatism, and on this country that won't easily wash out.

Our goal is not simply to stop Trumps excesses, corruptions, and degradation, of what America is and should be. It is to stop the rise of another Trump from those who would follow in his footsteps to in the political cradle those with better social skills but the same agenda of discord, division, and radical, anticonstitutional statism. Our goal should be to end the era of entertainment conservatism and to select candidates for their quality, not their celebrity.

If I hadn't taken up this fight, I would be richer, still loved on the right, and able to stay in the same lane I'd been in for years as a partisan warrior who took up the fights of my tribe without a second thought. I could have kept my stable of clients, kept moving forward in a world where the compensation for discarding my principles had a lot of zeroes behind it.

The attacks on me, my family, and my clients were a cost I've paid in full for opposing Donald Trump from the right. There were days where I feared I'd lose everything in this battle, and yet some stubborn love of my country and my party kept pushing forward. The oddest part of this battle is the filling of liberation and serenity I have felt from the very start. When challenged once with the question "How's that Never Trump thing going , Rick?" I replied, 'Fabulously, I never have to defend a verbally incontinent, psychologically unbalanced, grotesquely ignorant failure who is reviled by his country, mocked by the rest of the world, and who embarrasses himself and the the nation with every crude, impulsive act.' "

Obviously, Wilson is very opinionated about the crisis called Donald Trump and doesn't mince words. His book, however, is choke full of examples and evidence to back up his candid view of the 43rd President of the United States and makes a compelling case for the ETTD syndrome (Everything Trump Touches Dies).

Anybody with eyes and ears has seen and heard Trump exhibit each characteristic Wilson uses to describe him; and he didn't even scratch the surface. Consider:

• Misogynist - The Access Hollywood "grab them by the pussy" comment
• Xenophobic - How about his constant assertion that Mexican's are murderers and rapists.
• Bully - Consider when he made fun at one of his rally's of a handicapped reporter
• Serial Liar - Trump has made over 8,000 demonstrably False (many outright lies) and Misleading statements just since he took office. Then there are the thousands more he made during the campaign.
• Islamophobic - Trump, after three tries, finally stopped most Muslims from coming into America, sort of keeping a campaign promise of keeping all Muslims out.

There are many more, of course, but I think the point is made.

Even knowing all of this, most Congressional Republicans supplicate themselves to the feet of King Trump who holds their political careers in his hands. One small word to his base of similar thinking (if that is what you call it) troop of lemming-like followers and poof, they are "primaried". And if they are running for the House in one of the many gerrymandered districts, these right-wing fanatics will probably win. Consequently, these elected officials, whose real duty is to the country, state, and district and NOT the party or church let, nee help the nation fall into chaos and disrespect.