Tuesday, June 28, 2016

#NeverTrump? Fine, Just Don't Be Stupid

If you've been listening to scuttlebutt, you may have heard that a large faction of the #NeverTrump movement have lost their collective minds.  By which I mean: they are openly advocating that the Republican Party self-immolate rather than actually go through with nominating Donald Trump.

Oh, they won't say it that way.  "He's behind by double digits!" they'll wail.  "He can't win!" they'll cry.  "He's a poo-poo head!" they'll whine.  Okay, I may have made that last one up, but it's in line with their opinions.  In fact, they are so certain of Trump's defeat in November (just how they were certain of his defeat in the Primaries), that they are now calling for the delegates at the Republican National Convention to change the voting rules so that those delegates elected in the expectation they would vote for Donald Trump will not do so, and instead will pick some party-insider to run for President.

To its credit, the RNC seems to be saying "That's stupid, don't do that."  That's because they're the Stupid Party, not the Self-Immolation Party.

And let us be clear: that is what this is.  This really is people who didn't get their way not merely settling for taking their ball and going home, but burning down the field and jumping into the conflagration.

Let's think this through for a minute.

What do you suppose will happen if the delegates overthrow the will of the people (pesky democratic processes anyway - you know they'll let ANYONE who is 18 or over, a US Citizen, and not a felon vote?  How plebian)? 

First, you have to select another nominee.  Who?  Ted Cruz?  Already a loser (and I say that as someone who likes the man and thinks he'd be a good president).  Seriously, he already lost to Trump, why do you think he'd fare better against Hillary?  Any of the other primary candidates were named unacceptable by voters long even before Cruz.  So not one of them.  But then who?  You think someone can put together a presidential campaign on the fly?  Seriously?

But let's say you find another nominee who you believe can put together a presidential campaign at a moment's notice.  Even assuming there is no problem getting him (or her) on the ballot (and I'm not sure about that), then you face one other problem.  Seventeen million voters whose will you just spurned.

Think about that.  Donald Trump did not just win the Republican Primary.  He won with a record number of votes.  Even assuming (as I do not, actually) that some of those are "false flag" votes from Democrats who are going to vote Hillary, what about the rest?  You think those blue collar voters who were voting to "Make America Great Again" are going to say "Oh, yes, absolutely.  Those party delegates know far better than we do, why did we ever vote for Trump in the first place?"

No.  They're going to be so royally pissed off, they'll vote for Hillary out of spite.

And then what?  Even assuming Hillary doesn't plunge us into Venezuelan Darkness in 4 years, do you think those people will come back to the Republican Party?  After that betrayal?  Who did those fighting for American Independence hate more: open loyalists, or traitors like Benedict Arnold? 

No.  You will have lost them forever.  Worse, you'll probably have lost their children and grandchildren.  "Don't listen to them," they'll tell their kids, "they lie.  They'll tell you they want to represent you and support your interests, but the moment you speak up and say 'Then this man represents me,' they'll call you stupid and racist and xenophobic and stab you in the back."

So you're #NeverTrump?  I think that's stupid, but whatever.  Be #NeverTrump.  But if you are advocating for a "delegate revolt" understand that you are advocating for the Republican Party to commit suicide.

As for me?  That's what I said nearly a year ago.  Donald Trump will kill the Republican Party.  He'll either kill it from the inside - killing the power the so-called "elites" and establishment have making them once more answerable to those they're supposed to represent, or those "elites" (note the establishment seems to have come somewhat to their senses) will do it for him.

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