What if Michelle Obama had donned a ‘Trump hat’?

After his third convincing victory in as many primaries, those of us who continue to argue against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s nomination are now reduced to little more than battling against windmills during what appears to be a now-unstoppable march. But that doesn’t mean speaking out against the man and his poisonous campaign is any less important. Resistance may be futile, but it is necessary, particularly if there is a chance to persuade anyone still persuadable. So, here goes.

{mosads}During the 2008 campaign, right-wing media worked themselves into a hot lather on many occasions, but perhaps none as frothy as the time Michelle Obama stood in front of an adoring audience in Milwaukee and proclaimed, “For the first time in my adult life, I’m proud of my country.” The conservative website Hot Air took notable umbrage. After rattling off a list of reasons Obama should be a proud American, the author concluded, “How sad. I certainly don’t want such a vain pessimist as First Lady.” Similar conclusions could be heard and read across virtually every right-leaning medium for months.

To be fair, the bewilderment surrounding Obama’s proclamation was warranted. Her statement, whether implied or inferred, was an opinion that stood in stark contrast to the belief held by the majority of Americans — the belief that America is and always will be a beacon of hope; the pride that America is the world’s first responder; that America is still the shining city on the hill.

So what has changed? If Obama’s opinion at the time was inexcusable, what should we make of the vainer and more pessimistic Trump? His entire campaign is built around the simple phrase “Make America Great Again.” But no one has asked him when the country was worthy of his pride. Was it at her founding? In the 1950s? The ’80s? Was it when Gen. John Pershing dipped bullets in pig’s blood (an unsubstantiated story that Trump referenced recently)?

In his “news” letter column in the National Review on Friday, notable windmill slayer Jonah Goldberg wrote with similar incredulity. “Imagine if, in 2008, Barack Obama had ridiculed John McCain for being captured and tortured,” Goldberg wrote. “Every single member of Trump’s amen chorus would have denounced the comments unequivocally. But when Trump does it, the response is to marvel at how he survived the statement. That’s not moral or intellectual seriousness, it’s blatant power worship. And it is disgusting.”

In Texas, we have a friendly battle that has been waged for decades. Somewhere between San Angelo and Eldorado in the central-most part of the state, an imaginary line cuts across from east to west, dividing us in two. It is this delineation point where a breakfast taco becomes a breakfast burrito, and vice versa. The ingredients in both are the same: scrambled eggs, a pork-based meat, cheese and salsa wrapped in a tortilla. South of the state’s demarcation, said breakfast is a taco. North of the line, it’s a burrito.

The argument is serious and often (believe me; I have had this discussion more than I’d care to divulge) and it reminds me of the way that Trump has blinded otherwise intelligent people. We are well past arguing whether or not Trump is a conservative. That point has proven moot to his legion of supporters, so we are left to examine whether it is the message or the vessel that is most important to what remains of the conservative movement. Is it the ingredients inside the tortilla or simply what we choose to call our breakfast of choice?

Many now argue that Trump is bringing in the types of voters that Republicans have long needed in order to sustain national legitimacy. While that might be true, so what? Great comfort is taken in the idea that “the ends justify the means,” but where is any evidence from Trump that “the ends” he is leading conservatives and the Republican Party toward will be recognizable and suitable? Presidenti Obama could’ve registered as a Republican and brought in tons of new voters to the party, too. Would that have been good for the legitimacy and sustainability of the party?

Of course, floating around the Internet is the answer to my questions above. Boiled down, it is simply, “Who cares? What has conservatism or the Republican Party done for me lately?”

It is that resignation that most frustrates fellow conservative windmill warriors. It’s Michelle Obama in a “Make America Great Again” cap and no one getting upset; a breakfast taco in San Antonio but a breakfast burrito in Lubbock. It’s a vessel that looks like a Republican, but who has decidedly liberal intentions and beliefs. It’s charging hard toward our noses with a sharp knife, bent on teaching our faces a lesson. And it’s overlooking any set of words or warnings that spew from Trump’s mouth because we’re all just so mad.

This piece has been revised to reflect the accurate number of Donald Trump’s primary victories.

Hale is a freelance writer who lives in San Antonio with his wife and three children.