Since the death of Rush Limbaugh, many conservatives have expressed the notion that Rush made it possible for Donald Trump to win the presidency. The premise is that it was Rush’s early and consistent support of Trump, along with years of Rush establishing the premise of a political elite, that pushed Trump over the finish line.

What I find a bit ironic about this is that while Rush Limbaugh and Donald Trump both share an absolutely fearless and brave approach to expressing their ideas and fighting for their causes, their actual talent doesn’t belong in the same paragraph.

There are many keys to Rush’s success, but the one that established his credibility with conservatives is that he simplified and articulated the conservative philosophy arguably better than anyone else living today.

Sadly, while Trump is ready and willing to stand in front of any microphone in front of any size crowd you can assemble, he either doesn’t understand the principles of conservatism or he’s simply unable to articulate it.

Rush never over-exaggerated and never used unnecessary hyperbole to express his thoughts or even announcements. He didn’t speak in half truths, and he rarely even called people names – though he did share Trump’s penchant for nicknames.

Rush taught conservatives what is possible when it comes to expressing the benefits and principles of conservatism. He showed us a roadmap of how to attract people and win them over.

So why would conservatives, who believe strongly in merit and accomplishment, settle for Donald Trump? Is he the only conservative out there with a spine? Do we truly trust him more than any other conservative? Is it simply because he has the money to make noise in a way no other conservative does?

I didn’t vote for Trump the first time because I believed in Ted Cruz. Since then, I’ve rethought that a bit. I did vote for Trump in this past election because he won me over with his courage, fearlessness, and determination.

But now that he’s gone, can we take our learnings from the past decade and apply them to finding some conservative leadership that is both courageous and persuasive?