What’s next after Trump scorches America?

Thank you to Fresno State President Joseph Castro and others who brought writer David Brooks to Fresno State on May 10. Through stories and anecdotes about people who have contributed with an ardent fire to their communities, Mr. Brooks articulated what it means to be a compassionate conservative.

He said we have become too individualistic and need to hitch our goals to the goals of our increasingly diverse community. He encouraged us to seek out diversity in our social groups.

As I looked around at the audience (only sort of diverse), I recognized many of the philanthropic pillars of our community, people who actively support good works with their time and money.

Mr. Brooks received enthusiastic applause from this group when he called himself “a conservative-opposed-to-Trump,” and again when he predicted Trump will go down in flames before November. He was optimistic that this firestorm was good for public discourse, that Trump supporters are responding to real smoldering problems – but that Trump is not the answer.

It occurred to me that the compassionate conservative movement needs the threat of Trump the way the sequoias needed the Rough Fire: After the catastrophic disaster, there’s a new opportunity for seeds to sprout in a scorched, but cleansed environment.

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 2:02 PM with the headline "What’s next after Trump scorches America?."