A liberal’s worst nightmare: president-elect Donald Trump is building a Republican dream team stacked with conservative all-stars.
Politico adds, “With Mitt Romney still in the mix for secretary of state and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley getting the nod for U.N. ambassador, Trump is also adding some moderate voices to his administration. Betsy DeVos, Trump’s pick for education secretary, also wins points from the GOP establishment as a longtime Republican megadonor.
But conservative activists and think tanks say his early picks have inspired confidence that his administration will take action on their long-standing priorities, including repealing Obamacare and reining in regulations.
“This is the shakeup that we need,” said Adam Brandon, president of the influential group FreedomWorks. “The conservative grass-roots movement has developed the bench, and you’re seeing a lot of that bench coming out on the field now.”
“You’re never going to get a field this good. This is bases loaded with maybe one out. If you can’t get a run or two home right now, you’ve got a crisis,” he said. “But what I’m hoping is you’ll get four or five runs in.”
The Trump lovefest marks an evolution for conservative activists, who once viewed Trump with deep skepticism, pointing to his earlier, liberal iterations and past statements on everything from abortion to health care to Social Security.”
