It’s interesting that the neocons are now waging a multi-front battle to regain the control they had during the Bush years: colonizing the Democrats and Never Trumpers, while embedding themselves in Trumpism at the same time, and simultaneously creating a Rainbow Right while continuing to pander to the evangelical and nativist right. Irving Kristol’s son William and long time Kristol family associate George Will are the de facto intellectual leaders of the neocon Never Trumpers who are colonizing the Democrats, with Norman Podhoretz and Midge Dector’s son-in-law Elliot Abrams running Trump’s Iran and Venezuela policies. The neocon-backed #WalkAway movement is being pushed by neocons like Dennis Prager, Ben Shapiro and David Horowitz, and neocon toadies like Dave Rubin and Charlie Kirk, while Dinesh S’zouza and the FAUX New types continue to work the evangelical and/or nativist angle.

Krystal Ball and Emily Jashinsky react to President Trump’s decision to name Elliott Abrams as the administration’s special representative to Iran. Abrams, who serves as the special representative to Venezuela, pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in 1991 as part of the Iran-Contra affair.