For 50 years, as an observant Catholic and an "almost-never-Trumper" moral conservative, I have registered and voted Republican to defend what is most precious: innocent-defenseless-incompetent human life, the realities of sexuality-gender-marriage-family, freedom to practice our faith, the common good, the natural order, connection with tradition and openness to the Eternal. My interior, formal, constitutive identity is Catholic, not Republican: informed by communion with the global Church, the souls in purgatory and the saints in heaven. My relationship to the Church is filial, spousal, intimate, substantial; my relationship with this party is extrinsic, pragmatic, transactional, accidental, utilitarian, and provisional. The party is an umbrella coalition of forces that are distinct and sometimes incompatible and contradictory of each other.
Like the Hebrews in Egypt in the time of patriarch Joseph and the Jews in Babylon in the time of Daniel/Shadrack/Mishack/Abednego/Judith/Ester, our challenge is to cooperate with the hegemonic empire while retaining the integrity of our faith. This essay will consider our allies in the party and the ways they contradict our Catholic values lest we be seduced, compromised and corrupted.
1. Personal Depravity of Donald Trump.
Absolute disregard for truth and any objective order, shameless disrespect for others (especially opponents, immigrants, etc.), and flaming narcissism all make our President an anti-role model.
2. Incoherent MAGA Populist Rage.
The preternatural demagogic energies of MAGA flow from fear, resentment, anger. A clear, coherent, sensible program is not offered. Rather, charismatically, Trump channels irrational, violent energies that are vulnerable to xenophobia, toxic nationalism, white ethnic identity politics, isolationism, ideological demonization of the opponents, disregard for constitutional restraints and order, and a Nietzchean macho-authoritarianism.
3. Rich Capitalists.
The actual economic policy of Trump is not populist or working class, but capitalist. His "one beautiful bill" primarily helps the rich to get richer while it recklessly increases debt and deficit and cuts back on medicaid.
4. Libertarians.
Philosophically, this school is most contradictory of Catholic communitarianism and care for the least powerful. It elevates the autonomous, competent, agential, isolated individual in an implied Nietzcheanism that discards the powerless, in the womb, in infirmity or senility.
5. TechBros.
The pivot of powerful technocrats (Musk, Thiele) towards an anti-WOKE conservatism is one of the big changes in the 2024 election. Ross Douthat entertains hope that these might collaborate with moral conservatives in creation of a new policy. I am skeptical. Musk and Thiele both work from a disordered moral basis, regarding the limits of technology as well as the nature of family/sexuality. Eventually, there is a contradiction between these two schools.
6. Isolationism vs. Internationalism.
This divide within the party is largely generational as youth are reactive against recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as senseless. My own version of Catholicism is strongly interventionist, not in the neoconservative confidence in democratic capitalism, but for two reasons: our solidarity with all peoples and the reality of very bad actors (China, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Venezuela, Jihadist militance) which can only be contravailed by lethal force.
Collaboration and Conflict within Detachment
Politics is not everything; it is not nothing. It is the arena in which we defend and elaborate what is most sacred. The conservative mind recognizes that most of life, yes social life, is largely but not entirely free from politics and government: family, religion, civil organizations/activities, art, music, entertainment, and culture in general. Such conservatism participates in Republican politics within a detachment, withholding exaggerated ideological investment. This leaves us free of demonization of our adversaries so that we can cooperate with them on causes that our good. This allows a return to cooperation across the aisle that has been lost in the age of Trump and Biden/Harris
Three Reasons for Joy, Hope and Gratitude
First, our new Pope Leo XIV displays an irenic spirit, a moderation, a judiciousness, a quiet and confident prudence that hopefully will become contagious across the Church and the world.
Second, Justice Amy Comey Barrett is respected as a calm, reconciling voice; the significant swing vote on the court; with a capacity to transcend narrow ideology in professional jurisprudence. Her decisions will be decisive in reigning in the dictatorial impulses of Trump.
Lastly, J.D. and Usha Vance. Liberals, moderates, and never-Trump conservatives are disappointed that he has apparently sold his soul to the devil. I view him as a work-in-progress and retain hopes for him. We all know his story: fatherless; gifted, intelligent, charismatic; hillbilly; travelled across the marines, Yale, finance, and now politics. A fine intellect and searching spirit has brought him into the Catholic Church; but he remains a baby in the faith. His roots leave him as tribal and combative and so he has thrown himself into the Agon of politics and is a perfect protege for Trump. I am hopeful because of his wife and his Mother the Church. Usha is impressive: refined, lovely, intelligent, she seems to be largely non-political. There is absolutely NOTHING MAGA about her. He clearly has looked to her as a mentor in climbing out of hillbilly-land. Not Christian, she nevertheless radiates a spiritual goodness, beauty and truth. She surely will have a good influence; in the long game, a countervailing balance to Trump. I am hopeful that as his reading of Rene Girard led him towards the Church, his fine mind will find other influences to bring him beyond the entrapping MAGA ideology. I would hope that he find a father figure, perhaps a priest spiritual director, to develop in him a wholesome, holy paternity.
The possibility that a Catholic integralism might take power within the Republican Party is vastly improbable, but not inconceivable. My hopes are more modest. That we as Catholics cooperate and compete in the political arena to defend our way of life and our values. We don't have to win in the political arena. But we will fight the good fight and run the good race.
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