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There's a really important point that comes out beginning around minute 55:00 of this podcast. What's worrisome about the illiberal drift of conservative thought these days is this--what sort of dangerous, illiberal permissions are they granting themselves and their audience?
Once you commit to the idea that the theoretically neutral institutions of law and order like the FBI or the Justice Department are really just deep state political engines one can use to punish one's enemies, then what else will you condone?
To a great extent, Trumpist political culture is designed to grease the wheels of illiberal permission structures...wanna institute massive, armed roundups of undesirables? Forget those libertarian quibbles you may have once had and sign our petition!
This is not just a problem of faulty leadership from the top. The rot has spread perhaps even more deeply into local GOP organizations, like this one in the county in which I grew up. I mean, we all know how we should treat our existential enemies, yes?
Here's a post from a HS acquaintance of mine, a devout Christian who was moved by a FB meme to fantasize about "mowing people down" at the border. 
As @MatthewSitman and @SamAdlerBell discuss in that podcast, it's always good to avoid future tripping too much...but on the other hand, it appears that conservatives are talking themselves into condoning all sorts of pretty illiberal things these days.
@MatthewSitman @SamAdlerBell Will talk of "mowing down illegals" at the border or "locking up Hillary and Obama" or "serving 3 or 4 terms as President" turn into action? Who knows. But the talk of such radically illiberal things should give us pause.
@MatthewSitman @SamAdlerBell At the very least, it should be clear that such authoritarian-friendly illiberalism is far better described as radical than as conservative...if by conservative we mean a respect for established customs and institutions.
This is the best lens for interpreting the right’s obsession with antifa. They are creating a permission structure that can justify violence (even state violence) against their fellow citizens with whom they disagree.
