http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/jun/02/time-to-send-trump-a-message-gop/excerptDonald Trump has become the standard-bearer of the Republican Party, defeating all 16 other GOP presidential candidates ahead of Tuesday’s primary. Now the majority of them support him, as do other prominent Republicans and millions of American voters who see in him hope after years of feeling left out or left behind by a country changing too much too quickly in a time of too little prosperity.
Yet there are so many ways Trump is unfit to lead the free world. Just days ago, in San Diego, Trump singled out U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel’s handling of a case involving Trump University — and Curiel’s heritage. Of the Indiana-born ex-U.S. prosecutor who once prosecuted Mexican cartels, Trump said Curiel “happens to be, we believe, Mexican, which is great, I think that’s fine.”
We believe in a more unifying message.
This editorial board is torn about advising our Republican readers. We can’t endorse Trump for reasons we’ve documented repeatedly: belligerence, casual cruelty, incoherence on policy issues. We can’t recommend voters don’t vote at all because that’s a waste, and we can’t suggest voting for another candidate because it accomplishes nothing.
So what do Republicans who don’t accept Trump’s style or substance — including all three Bushes, Mitt Romney, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, George Will and Charles Krauthammer — do? Certainly, the Republican Party has an argument for the presidency. Today, the principles of the party of Ronald Reagan are as relevant as ever: a stable border, a strong military and economic policy focused on low taxes, less bureaucracy and limited regulation.
Of course it makes no sense not to endorse Ted Cruz if they really felt this way, but I expect they are Democrats anyways.
