Conservative commentator and radio host Hugh Hewitt stopped by MSNBC’s Morning Joe Tuesday to discuss his new book, The Fourth Way: The Conservative Playbook For A Lasting GOP Majority, and the Trump presidency. Trump isn’t your run-of-the-mill conservative; he’s a populist. We all know this, but Hewitt noted that it’s very easy to mesh the Trump agenda with the “conservative tool box” of getting things done. He also said that the GOP has to overcome its fear of infrastructure spending. You can allocate funds at the local level. On immigration, he agreed with building the border fence.
To facilitate accomplishing his goals, Hewitt added that Vice President Mike Pence, who has good relations with House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, would be key. He added that President Trump did more outreach this week than Obama did in a year when he sat down with the labor unions. These people are adept in building things. Trump has built things—and Hewitt noted that he’s probably known these people for years. This is a recipe for a win. He suggested that if the GOP gets over their phobia of infrastructure spending, gives these folks $100 billion at the local level to build tangible things, it results in a win and something the White House can campaign on in 2018 and 2020.
He did say that if Trump moves the GOP to the center on infrastructure, there could be tremendous political dividends. Yet, he also feels that Trump should “regularize” the so-called Dreamers, which he feels could lead to re-election in four years. I’m not so sure about that. Trump’s supporters seem quite adamant of dropping the hammer on enforcing federal immigration laws, though the president did tell ABC News’ David Muir last night that the Dreamers shouldn’t be afraid. On taxes, Hewitt said that the wealthy don’t really want a cut. They want simplification. Simplify the code and give the majority of the breaks to the middle class. The only thing that might be off the table for the wealthy is gutting the alternative minimum tax, which will be a fight.
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Host Joe Scarborough also asked about the state of the Democratic Party, which Hewitt responded that they have the players to mount a comeback. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) were described by the radio host as excellent people to lead the party of the divot. Harris was forward-looking, not bitter, like most liberals in California during her Senate campaign. Ryan is from Ohio, Trumpland, and could have been a key player in turning the ship around for Democrats, but that wasn’t the case. There is no way to save the Democrats with this current congressional leadership. I don’t think any decent conservative Republican is upset about that. The longer these folks stay in the wilderness the better. In short, they need to return to rural America, which has become an alien landscape for the left. How bad is it? Well, Democrats are getting training on how to talk to people who aren’t overly educated, snobby, and disgustingly self-righteous (via Politico):
Gathering in Sheperdstown, W.Va., Democrats were scheduled to hear from liberal political operative David Brock on Thursday, who ran a session called “Hold Trump Accountable” with Center for American Progress CEO Neera Tanden and Priorities USA CEO Guy Cecil. Earlier in the day, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) moderated a “discussion with Trump voters," according to a draft schedule obtained by POLITICO.[…]
Former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D), along with Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), held a session on “speaking to those who feel invisible in rural America," according to the schedule. Other sessions were along similar lines: “Listening to those feel unheard” and “Rising America — They feel unheard too.”
Hewitt said that the Left has “to get out of elite media ghetto.” He described a joint appearance he had with former Obama adviser David Axelrod, who said that former President Obama should have done more conservative media in 2012. The point is to get out of the D.C., Los Angeles, and New York media bubbles because it’s killing your party. Of course, he added that he doesn’t wish for them to venture out, so the Right can have a successful four years.
“You’re never going to win an argument you don’t have,” said Hewitt. The problem for Democrats is that they scorn debate. They hate people with other views. And they’re hopelessly infested with the authoritarian ethos of political correctness, safe spaces, and trigger warnings. That’s not the best atmosphere for a healthy debate if merely stating a fact, like men and women are different, sends liberals into their gender-neutral bathroom in tears.
Oh, and Hewitt noted that the telecommunications company Foxconn is looking to build a $7 billion plant somewhere in the United States that will make iPhones. It could generate 30,000-50,000 jobs. He aptly noted that the president should be on the line with the leadership of this company to coax them into settling on Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, or Ohio. A huge campaign item in the upcoming elections.
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