McCain-selected operative warns GOP to drop Trump’s ‘America first’ policies to survive

If there’s one thing Never Trump Republicans like to do, it’s to look down their nose at Trump supporters and preach to them about how they are not true Republicans.

Despite constantly talking about President Donald Trump threatening the future of the country and the Republican Party, Never Trumpers can’t stop talking about the past and how Trump’s unpredictable style and sometimes center-right positions don’t align with a Republican Party that, quite frankly, was sometimes difficult to distinguish from the Democrat Party before Trump came along.

(Screenshot from YouTube)

Case in point: Frank Donatelli, a longtime GOP operative who was most famously selected by John McCain to serve as the deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee during the 2008 presidential election.

Fox News has published the latest opinion piece from Donatelli, where the man warns that the Republican Party must ditch Trump’s policies and embrace globalism in order to survive.

Like most Never Trumpers, Donatelli loves to talk about the past.

In his piece, he credits Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan with saving the Republican Party from irrelevancy.

“The GOP that remained in place through 2016 was a combination of Eisenhower’s internationalism and Reagan’s small-government focus on economic growth and opportunity,” Donatelli writes.

He goes on to argue that Eisenhower and Reagan’s work has been destroyed by a modern Republican Party that is tough on illegal immigration and less globalist in its attitude toward trade — both positions thanks in large part to Trump.

“The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), designed to marginalize China, has been shelved. Speaking of China, we are on the verge of a full-blown trade war with no end in sight and no clear end game. Presidential adviser Peter Navarro is an unabashed admirer of tariffs and believes they have contributed to our strong economy,” Donatelli writes. He goes on to do something else Never Trumpers also love doing — he pulls the elitist card.

“Most economists and virtually all CEOs would disagree. They believe tariffs are a tax by another name and merely increase prices paid by American consumers,” he writes. “The administration has already lost one of its favorite talking points as growth fell in the second quarter from 3.1 percent to an Obama-level 2.1 percent. Yet most Republicans now believe free trade harms American prosperity.”

Disagreeing with tariffs is one thing, but to say that any sort of bullish negotiation with countries like China over trade deals that are hurting Americans is ridiculous. While Trump is arguing an America first policy, Donatelli is putting his hands up and saying free trade is so great that we should just let other countries use America as they please.

Donatelli goes on to cover immigration and this is where he shows his real confusion over Trump’s policies. He argues that the GOP is becoming less friendly to immigration, but this is not true. Legal immigration has not slowed down under Trump. What has come under a spotlight is illegal immigration, which does not help any Americans.

“Immigration historically has been welcomed by most Americans. There are solid reasons for this. Business has relied on immigrants to keep the American economy strong. Think agriculture, construction, hospitality or landscaping as industries that rely heavily on new workers,” Donatelli writes.

He says many see immigration as a number issue to be dealt with as if that’s a problem. This country has had an open-border policy for far too long. Politicians on both the left and the right have promised to fix it. By not regulating immigration and cracking down on illegal immigration, it has led to a system that hurts both American citizens and people seeking to come to this country. By cracking down on illegal immigration, we are cracking down on crimes like sex and drug trafficking. Taking care of illegal immigration is also protecting the American economy.

Donatelli doesn’t see it this way. He makes no real alternative argument though. He seems to believe the issue of illegal immigration should have just been kicked down the road like it was so many times before.

Donatelli admits he has no idea what the future of the Republican Party looks like, but he knows he doesn’t like what he sees from Trump and modern Republicans.

“What is clear is that the GOP of the future will become less focused on technological change, budget discipline, small government, and alliances and trade abroad and more committed to populist rhetoric, job and lifestyle preservation, culture wars and an ‘America first’ policy,” he writes.

Welcome to 2019 where we actually have Republicans arguing that an “America first” policy is a dangerous thing. No matter what one’s opinions on Trump are, be thankful he is in charge instead of globalists like Donatelli.

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