Serving God, Country & Notre Dame since A.D. 2003 WWW.IRISHROVER.NET VOLUME 14, ISSUE 7 DECEMBER 1, 2016 • FEAST OF ST. EDMUND CAMPION lthough the The Rover contacted several outcome of the Notre Dame professors, 2016 presidential including faculty advisors electionA has brought the and all faculty members time of candidate debates, listed on the Notre Dame campaign speeches, and voter News page “Experts: 2016 discernment to an end, it Presidential Election.” All of remains a prominent and those contacted were presented controversial topic. Across with the following question: the nation, as well as here To what extent was Donald on Notre Dame’s campus, Trump's victory a win for various responses have arisen the conservative movement? in the form of protest, prayer, What should our outlook be discussion, and questioning. moving forward? In posing In this final issue of the this question, the Rover strove semester, the Rover gives special to garner multiple perspectives attention to the reactions to from a mixture of political the election results, particularly stances in order to present a through this faculty forum. comprehensive discussion. An opportunity for humility of deep concern to conservative premiums for an American Republicans did precisely and therefore "electable." two of that before the public gets LAURA HOLLIS voters (and others): the exploding family will be reduced by 2500 nothing. And while the reality (See, e.g., John McCain and wise to it, and the WikiLeaks Faculty Contributor national debt (which has doubled dollars")—not to mention the of a looming presidential veto Mitt Romney.) Those choices email dumps this fall revealed under President Obama's deeply insulting characterization cannot be ignored, voters have were driven in large part by what many of us have observed he election of Donald administration), a refusal to of American voters as "stupid" felt for some time that the demands from the press—only for decades—that much of Trump can be seen enforce the immigration laws by Jonathan Gruber, one of the GOP was more interested in to have these otherwise good the national ppress is in the not so much an we already have, and a very architects of the Affordable Care being obsequious to a hostile and decent men later savaged pocket of the Democratic Party. endorsementT of Trump himself unpopular healthcare law that Act. And then there was the press than in listening to their by the same press as callous, Attempts by earnest, well- as it is a rejection of what has was passed (by Democrats alone) fact that not a single member of constituents. During presidential greedy thugs, eager to profit on meaning GOP candidates to been perceived as weakness by on the basis of lies shamefully Congress had read the 2000-plus election years in particular, the backs of widows, orphans, please the media were always Congressional GOP House and told to the American public by page bill—an omission which GOP leadership has tended minorities, and the poor. doomed to result in ignominious Senate members who were given the president himself ("You can would be actionable malpractice to foist onto its grumbling, McCain and Romney defeat. ress is in the pocket of majorities in 2010 and 2014 keep your doctor," "You can keep in any other profession. reluctant base candidates who were both soundly defeated. specifically to tackle issues that are your plan," "The average annual On all of these issues, were considered "centrist" It only takes an instance or continued on page 2 Trump and the conservative movement Comments on Trump’s victory Of nonviolent offenders? same-sex marriage) which the counting. This is not to Trump won by a net total GERALD V. BRADLEY I have some idea of what Court has decided to manage MICHAEL ZUCKERT impugn Trump’s victory, of about 50,000 votes, Faculty Contributor sound policies on all these for our democracy. Trump Faculty Contributor but it is to question not a blow-out when matters might be. But that has unequivocally stated on the almost consensus those states together had do not know anymore is not the question which several occasions that his he Rover editors view that Trump’s was a two party total vote of (if I ever did) what the Rover editors asked me. Supreme Court nominee(s) have posed the a resounding win. upwards of 30 million. the “conservative I think I know what most will come from his published question: ‘to In addition to Clinton’s Another figure to movement”I is. Is free trade or people mean by “social list of twenty-one possibilities. whatT extent was Donald majority in the popular consider: Trump ran ahead protectionism “conservative”? conservatism.” Apart from the All of them would be fine Trump’s victory a win vote, the Democrats of Romney’s 2012 vote Neither? Both? Ditto for depth and scope of Donald choices, and some would be for the conservative picked up a modest total by about 1.5 million, aversion to American military Trump’s own commitments terrific. None would have movement?” My number of seats in both but well behind Obama in intervention abroad, for how to its tenets, I think too that been on even the very long answer: it depends. It House and Senate, not the 2012 election by over to deal with Putin, and for his victory is a win for social list of potential nominees in depends on what you what normally happens 3 million votes. If we look more restrictive immigration conservatism. That much is a Clinton Administration. mean by “victory,” in a blowout election. at what actually happened policies (or, at least, for obvious. For if Trump is the Since his 2015 speech to the by “the conservative The Trump victory looks in the battleground states, actually enforcing the policies president-elect, it means that Conservative Political Action movement,” and finally large because it went we get a sharper idea of we have—whatever they are)? Hillary Clinton is not. If Conference, Trump has by “Donald Trump.” contrary to expectations. what occurred to produce Where is the “conservative Hillary Clinton is not going regularly denounced the latest To start with the easiest But expectations are not Trump’s victory. In 2012, movement” these days on to be president, then social “progressive” abomination of the three: Trump the standard by which Obama won all six of the sentencing for violent crimes? conservatism has survived a in educational policy, the surely won the election to judge the magnitude states we are looking at; in date with the firing squad. “Common Core” revision of in the Electoral College. of an election outcome. 2016, Trump won five, all I am a social conservative K-12 math and English (and, I don’t want to get into a It is worth noting, for but Virginia. The pattern if anybody is. I voted for soon, science) standards. debate about the Electoral example, that in the of voting in the six varied Donald Trump because he (Trump even lambasted College, an institution most battleground of the a good deal. Perhaps the was running against Clinton. Common Core after pre-election Trump battleground states where most significant finding There is more than a sliver midnight on Election Day, thought was horrible, Trump did astonish by is that in the five states of difference between them when he rallied his supporters but which president-elect winning far more than Trump won, Clinton fell on most of the issues about in Michigan). Common Trump thinks is “genius.” anybody believed possible below the Obama vote in which social conservatives Core would reduce education Whichever Trump one (Florida, Michigan, 2012, and in only one of care most. On the Supreme to acquiring the skill sets agrees with, it is still Ohio, Pennsylvania, and the five cases was Trump’s Court, for instance, and thus needed to be a cog in the worth noting that Hillary Wisconsin), and in the margin of victory greater in turn on those many issues Clinton won the popular major battleground state (abortion, religious liberty, continued on page 15 vote by 2.2 million and Clinton won (Virginia), continued on page 2 3 4 15 Searching for On education, Education true dialogue, suffering, toward Editorial and faith, Joe consensus, INSIDE Lindsley Page Faculty Forum Page 2 December 1, 2016 Faculty Forum life on abortion, and the names he has submitted as potential Hollis Supreme Court nominees appear continued from front to confirm that. He may very well Voters made it clear that they be more protectionist on trade and wanted a candidate who would isolationist on foreign conflict. stand up to the press. In Donald Are those "conservative" Trump, they got that, for certain. positions? Perhaps not. And it wasn't just the press But they are—at least at that voters were disgusted with. present—"big tent" positions, Republican primaries in earlier off- as Trump's ability to draw year elections had sent warnings Democrat voters demonstrates. (see, e.g., Eric Cantor, Virginia, What does seem to be a 2014) of voter discontentment "victory" for conservatives is the with party bosses. This year, they fact that the Left is now being took that rebellion to a national hoisted on their own petard. level. I admit, it was amusing to Small government conservatives watch the party lose complete complained loud and long about control of the primaries. (It is also President Obama's "I've got a pen noteworthy that this happened and a phone" disregard for the in both national parties, limits of the executive branch's and the way the Democrats powers; the Left thought it was handled the Bernie Sanders great.