Bernie Marcus, the co-founder of The Home Depot, wanted Jeb Bush to be the Republican nominee. But even though Bush himself may not be able to support the eventual winner of the primaries, Marcus himself believes it’s time for all conservatives to get behind Donald Trump.
“The fate of the nation depends upon sending him, and not Hillary Clinton, to the White House,” Marcus said in a Tuesday editorial. “I stand ready to help him at every turn.”
To Marcus, the choice is easy. Unlike many prominent conservatives, he doesn’t feel obligated to hedge his Trump endorsement with a list of grievances he’s choosing to overlook. Surely, for someone who voted for Bush, those grievances are there. But Marcus isn’t so insecure about his reputation that he needs to sugarcoat his message.
Why does Marcus find it so easy to support Trump? Because unlike many elitist and ideologically dogmatic Republicans, he recognizes the real sickness ailing the country.
“I have never seen our government as hostile to free enterprise, especially small business, as it is today,” Marcus writes. “It is driving over-regulation, over-taxation, over-litigation, and over-spending. These ‘overs’ are killing small businesses, which create the majority of new jobs in America.”
Marcus believes that his empire’s humble beginnings would have been impossible in today’s economic climate, destroyed by decades of left-wing policy. “I genuinely believe that if we started The Home Depot today, we would fail because of the hurdles government, especially the current administration, places in front of small business owners.”
Perhaps, given the chance to go back and personally select the Republican nominee, Marcus would still choose Jeb(!). Even if that’s true, he deserves all the credit in the world for recognizing the difference between fantasy and reality. It’s sad that we’ve lowered the political bar to the point where this can be considered a triumph, but what can you say? People like Bill Kristol still seem to think they can “Stop Trump.” What can you call that other than delusion?
Better still, he recognizes that the fate of this country depends less on the “presidential manner” of our candidates and more on their policies. As unusual and sometimes shocking as this election season has been, November will once again be a choice between liberalism and conservatism. Sometimes that distinction is stark, sometimes it’s subtle, but it’s always there. Do we want more Obama-esque leadership or do we want a new direction?
Easy choice.
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