Charlie Sykes a turncoat and opportunist?<\/p>\n
At an \u201dOn the Issues with Mike Gousha\u201d program at Marquette Law School on Tuesday, Sykes said he\u2019s not surprised some people say that. The long time conservative radio talk show host from Milwaukee is a prominent critic of President Trump, a Republican backed (at least in some fashions) by most conservatives. And Sykes is appearing frequently these days on MSNBC, which has a reputation as a liberal-oriented network, on NPR (likewise), and in the pages of the New York Times (likewise).<\/p>\n
Sykes sees it differently, to say the least. \u201cI was a Never Trump guy from the moment he came down that golden escalator\u201d in Trump Tower in 2015 to announce his candidacy. \u201cI\u2019ve been saying (in recent times) the same thing I\u2019ve been saying for two years. . . .<\/p>\n
\u201cThe notion that it\u2019s somehow opportunistic \u2013 show me what I\u2019ve changed my position on. I just happen to say it on a larger, different platform.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sykes\u2019 criticisms and fears about Trump and his impact is explored in full in a book he authored, to be published next week. Its title: \u201cHow the Right Lost Its Mind.\u201d Sykes described writing the book as painful to the point of being \u201csoul-crushing\u201d because of how far off track he sees most conservatives to be now and because he believes his two-plus decades as a voice for conservativism means he shares in the blame.<\/p>\n
With so many of his long-time allies supporting Trump, Sykes said he feels like he\u2019s been ex-communicated from the conservative movement. But when Gousha asked him if there were any points where he regretted not joining the Trump movement, Sykes said no. He said there was never one moment when he felt Trump was fit to be president.<\/p>\n
Sykes highlighted two reasons why conservatives got behind Trump, the power of \u201ctribalism\u201d in American politics and the belief that the 2016 presidential election offered \u201ca binary choice,\u201d one in which many thought Hillary Clinton was worse than Trump and Republicans such as House Speaker Paul Ryan thought that if Trump was president, things that Ryan wanted, such as tax reform, would get enacted.<\/p>\n
But in supporting Trump, people were supporting a war against facts and truth and were accepting someone whose list of problems include promoting racism and xenophobia, Sykes said.<\/p>\n
Since leaving his position of more than 20 years at WTMJ radio in Milwaukee in late 2016, Sykes\u2019 national profile has grown. Gousha asked him, given the places where he is appearing now, if Sykes feels \u00a0like he is sleeping with the enemy. \u201cIt feels pretty good,\u201d Sykes said. \u201cNobody has ever asked me to say anything I don\u2019t believe.\u201d He said he likes having dialogue with serious people with other views, and he described not being part of \u201cthe tribe\u201d as \u201cincredibly liberating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gousha asked if Sykes thought the Trump election was an aberration in American politics and the pendulum will swing back or whether it signals long-term change. Sykes was inclined toward the latter. He said America is still feeling the effects of having a president 20 years ago, namely Democrat Bill Clinton, who had sexual episodes in the Oval Office and committed perjury. The long-term negative impact of Trump could be great, Sykes said. He wondered out loud if American democratic institutions are more fragile than a lot of people realize.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think we\u2019re at this pivotal moment,\u201d he said. \u201cI do think we\u2019re being tested. I do think the democracy is being tested. I think our character is being tested. This is one of those moments where you have to stand up.\u201d<\/p>\n