Donald Trump has always been that guy: the one whose third wife is 26 years his junior. That guy whose side business was, for a long time, owning a beauty pageant, which allowed him inspect and smooch as many young beauties as he pleased. That guy who makes comments about being attracted to his daughter. Trump was always that guy who would tweet out an unflattering picture of some other dude’s wife next to a highly finished picture of his own, saying, “The images are worth a thousand words.”

Ted Cruz was also always that guy: the one who would look away as his allies circulated a naked picture of the wife of his enemy, and then suggest that “real men don’t attack women.” That guy who who stands silently by as his allies suggest that a man’s fitness for office can be measured in terms of the chastity of his wife—that her comparative purity, and his willingness to defend it, are tests of his manly authority. That guy who would suggest the only female Democratic presidential candidate in this race needs a spanking.

…The use of wives as proxies in the struggle between the two leading Republican contenders shows how much American conservatism has changed.

Photo of Melania Trump vs. Heidi Cruz: The Depressing Nature of American Politics – The Atlantic

I think this articles misses most of the change in conservatism over the past few decades. It barely scratches the surface of the changes and what they signify. Perhaps the author was blinded by sensationalism? All that aside though, it’s an interesting take.