**Rational Purview**
*Apr 23, 2025* | *Croaky Caiman*
Posted on by TBP
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How do I begin to cover today’s latest development: President Trump, having imposed steep tariffs on Chinese goods—tariffs that reached a staggering 145%—is now signaling a substantial reduction.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has acknowledged these tariffs are “unsustainable,” hinting at a likely de-escalation in the trade war with China. Yet, in a twist of political theater, this retreat is being celebrated by supporters as a strategic masterstroke. The same voices that once championed the tariffs as a bold stand against China now laud their rollback as a savvy move, all without a hint of irony.
I say this a lot, so you’re probably used to it by now: This isn’t conservatism; it’s a parody of it.
A movement that once valued consistency and intellectual rigor now revels in contradictions, mistaking them for cleverness. They told us we were winning. The rallies were full, the influencers were loud, and the memes were ubiquitous. But while the Right was busy building an identity out of merch drops and YouTube tantrums, something precious was quietly bleeding out—our ideas.
This was never supposed to be the story of conservatism: a movement once defined by statesmen and scholars, now reduced to a cosplay convention where quoting Burke gets you called a traitor, and calling for restraint gets you booed off the stage by men in tactical shorts.
We used to respect things. Now we perform rage. We used to debate ideas. Now we chant slogans. We used to believe in virtue. Now we fundraise off vice.
What we’re watching is an exorcism in reverse—where instead of casting out demons, we invited them in, gave them a podcast, and made them keynote speakers.
But the reckoning is coming. And when it hits, it won’t just destroy the grift—it’ll stain the name of conservatism itself unless someone is left to salvage the truth.
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**TOPICS:** Business/Economy; Miscellaneous; Politics
**KEYWORDS:** tariffs; trumppopulism
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*1 posted on by TBP*
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