Gerson is horrified that sacred conservative "principles" are being devalued. But modern conservatism has been a sham for decades. At the core of conservative economic doctrine has been trickle down economics where we shower the richest with tax breaks and enact policies that make the rich even richer...the premise being that eventually some of the staggering sums the rich have raked in would  trickle down to middle class Americans. 

Of course trickle down never trickled down because it was and is a con; a con perpetuated by people like Gerson and his ilk at the places like the National Review. 

At the confluence of modern conservatism is unhinged rage, crackpot conspiracies, hostility to science and fact, monumental ignorance and bigotry. The inevitable result was always going to be someone like Trump. 

For 40 years conservatism has been America's bilge pump of bad ideas. And Gerson and his ilk are as much responsible for Trump as anyone or anything.