Should Never Trump People Get Over It? - Mona Charen

[Formerly Once-Ler]

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/435743/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-never-trump-people

Washington State’s Republican party just defied the stampede toward “unity.” Meeting over the weekend, they awarded 40 of the state’s 41 delegates to Ted Cruz. Washington’s Republicans have refused to be sheep.

The past few days have featured hectoring demands of Never Trump people to “get over it.” These have come not just from the more bullying precincts of Trump fandom, as in “Get on the Trump train or get run over,” but also from party regulars and office holders suggesting that failure to endorse Trump now is a kind of stubborn self-indulgence. “While you sit out, Hillary gets elected,” huffed one of my critics, for example.

Yes, if there is a binary choice (not completely clear as of this writing) between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, it is possible that voters in swing states who decline to support Trump may be assisting Clinton. This is not a secret. Some Never Trump voters may have to live with that miserable outcome rather than violate their consciences by voting for an authoritarian ignoramus.

The genuflection to party loyalty that has spread like a rash in the past two weeks has more of the quality of a salute than a clear evaluation of the stakes. Some of Trump’s supporters are exulting at recent polls showing a slight Trump lead, while scorning those who advised as recently as a few weeks ago that a Trump nomination could lead the Republican party to a Goldwater-type debacle. But one of the points the Never Trump people have stressed is that there were two equally painful possible outcomes of a Trump nomination: He loses or he wins.

The Democrats remain the majority party in presidential contests, having won five of the past six popular votes. They begin with an average 247 to 196 Electoral Collage advantage. That said, Hillary Clinton may well be the only major political figure in the country who could possibly lose a general election to Donald Trump. In fact, as two political scientists argue in the New York Times, Bernie Sanders’s support seems to come chiefly not from socialist young people but from “disaffected white men.” If white men turn out in droves for Trump in the general, it might affect the outcome. On the third hand, an analysis by Political Machination suggests that while Trump did bring out some new voters in the primaries, the newly minted Trump Republicans were too few in the states examined to make up the 2012 Romney deficit.

The Never Trump commitment is not a matter of being excessively fastidious or too good for this world. Recognizing the imperfection of politics and of life is part of being a grown up.

Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump would do damage to the nation. Both have demonstrated low character, an embrace of appalling policies (in some cases, the same policies!), and a capacity for dishonesty that rocks the Richter scale. But he is arguably even more dangerous than she. Both will abuse power and pursue execrable ends, but . . .

If Hillary Clinton is president, a united Republican party will oppose her. Assuming Republican control of the House, she will not be able to pass a single piece of liberal legislation. She may attempt — as she has promised on the campaign trail — to rule by executive order in the manner of Obama. If she does, there will be pushback by Republicans. Just this month, a federal judge ruled in favor of the House of Representatives in its suit against Obama’s use of executive orders in the implementation of Obamacare. If she nominates terrible judges to the federal courts, a Republican Senate (assuming Republicans hold the Senate) could decline to confirm. If she attempts to reprise or even exceed the many arrogations of power Obama has attempted, Republicans will block her as best they can. It will be ugly, and Republicans will not always be successful.

If Donald Trump is president, by contrast, there will be no united opposition among Republicans. As we’ve seen in the past few weeks, the urge to bend the knee is very strong. How much more intense will it be if he sits in the Oval Office? Republicans will actively assist President Trump in undermining conservatism. From entitlements to trade to NATO to nuclear proliferation to universal health care to abortion, President Trump will get a free hand. He thus has it within his power to sabotage the whole conservative enterprise.

So remaining Never Trump is not disloyal — it’s the only way to safeguard conservative principles.

[Oceander]

That's a personal decision that can only be made by each person.  Those who say #NeverTrump should just "get over it" have no clue.

[Norm Lenhart]

That's a personal decision that can only be made by each person.  Those who say #NeverTrump should just "get over it" have no clue.

All the wailing/wailers about NeverTrump have committed so many cases of caregory error on the subject that it's hard to keep track. To assist them in getting their minds right on the topic I present the following reality:

Many of us are not Republicans. We are Conservatives. We are under exactly ZERO obligation to follow the GOP off any cliff it chooses regardless of the election involved.

As Conservatives, our first duty is to the Constitution and the Founders vision for America. That's the guiding and overriding principle. It isn't a suggestion or negotiable regardless of who the GOP fronts or regardless of which latest evil the DNC fronts to oppose them.

The GOP abandoned that vision the day Reagan returned to California.

We are not beholden to a man. We are beholden to an idea. That idea being "America"and the only way that's possible id by definition, following the guidance laid out by the Founders.

The Founders were opposed to political parties.

Words and actions have meaning and consequence.

Now I would say there are plenty more. Enough for a book really. But the above is the core of it all. That said, it isn't gonna change regardless of the screaming fits by the media, Trump supporters or Trump himself.

We oppose the very concept of sacrificing principle because the nanosecond you sacrifice principle, you have betrayed the very foundation of America. Thus, it is wholly illogical and in fact, impossible to 'save' what you (meaning the media or the screaming Trump backer)have destroyed at the core level with supporting the so called 'lesser evil'. Which to date, every election has proven to be the greatest evil of all.

[Chosen Daughter]

All the wailing/wailers about NeverTrump have committed so many cases of caregory error on the subject that it's hard to keep track. To assist them in getting their minds right on the topic I present the following reality:

Many of us are not Republicans. We are Conservatives. We are under exactly ZERO obligation to follow the GOP off any cliff it chooses regardless of the election involved.

As Conservatives, our first duty is to the Constitution and the Founders vision for America. That's the guiding and overriding principle. It isn't a suggestion or negotiable regardless of who the GOP fronts or regardless of which latest evil the DNC fronts to oppose them.

The GOP abandoned that vision the day Reagan returned to California.

We are not beholden to a man. We are beholden to an idea. That idea being "America"and the only way that's possible id by definition, following the guidance laid out by the Founders.

The Founders were opposed to political parties.

Words and actions have meaning and consequence.

Now I would say there are plenty more. Enough for a book really. But the above is the core of it all. That said, it isn't gonna change regardless of the screaming fits by the media, Trump supporters or Trump himself.

We oppose the very concept of sacrificing principle because the nanosecond you sacrifice principle, you have betrayed the very foundation of America. Thus, it is wholly illogical and in fact, impossible to 'save' what you (meaning the media or the screaming Trump backer)have destroyed at the core level with supporting the so called 'lesser evil'. Which to date, every election has proven to be the greatest evil of all.

I would never want to be responsible for Trump.  Its a moral decision that trumps Trump.

[roamer_1]

We oppose the very concept of sacrificing principle because the nanosecond you sacrifice principle, you have betrayed the very foundation of America. Thus, it is wholly illogical and in fact, impossible to 'save' what you (meaning the media or the screaming Trump backer)have destroyed at the core level with supporting the so called 'lesser evil'. Which to date, every election has proven to be the greatest evil of all.

Brilliant. Thank you.

[montanajoe]

For years if been frustrated and PO'd that the so called Conservative GOP have pushed liberal after more liberal politicians on us every election cycle. They have finally reached a bridge to far...

A voter repudiation of Trump by Conservatives across the board may actually be the only thing that will wake up the GOP.

Holding ones nose each election cycle and voting for the least liberal candidate does not produce a Conservative president. The only way to have a Conservative president is to draw a line in the sand and say NO... 


 

[DB]

I was constantly told on FR that "we don't need you".

I'm going to oblige.

[elhombrelibre]

If Donald Trump is president, by contrast, there will be no united opposition among Republicans. As we’ve seen in the past few weeks, the urge to bend the knee is very strong. How much more intense will it be if he sits in the Oval Office? Republicans will actively assist President Trump in undermining conservatism. From entitlements to trade to NATO to nuclear proliferation to universal health care to abortion, President Trump will get a free hand. He thus has it within his power to sabotage the whole conservative enterprise.

So remaining Never Trump is not disloyal — it’s the only way to safeguard conservative principles.
[/quote]
That was a great article.  Our first loyalty should be to the US Constitution.  There is no evidence that Trump understands checks and balances.  He's determined to be an Imperial President, like Obama.  A Republican Party willingly supporting Trump's mercurial and mendacious policies will ruin its brand.  Vote for those who can and will oppose Trump or Hillary.  That's the best we can do.  Who knows what Trump will really do?  He doesn't.  He's merely been making suggestions.  He's consistently walked them back whenever he's gotten pushback from the Left.