Hello, all.
I have been reading with interest for the past several hours the postings that I have missed while I've been on vacation. I am presently in Quebec, Canada and trying valiantly to catch up via the Internet on some of the goings on during the Republican convention.
I must say that reading these threads has been altogether depressing, and at times plainly shocking to witness the level to which our discourse has sunk, especially with regard to the personalization of comments directed toward members of this group by other members.
Clearly, Donald Trump's victory over his electoral rivals for the Republican nomination has created a great deal of acrimony not only among members of TBR but among the Republican electorate in general.
I have made no secret about my disdain for Mr. Trump. I find his boorish behavior, his lack of intellectualism, his poor character and lack of policy knowledge to be substantial reasons not to support him in the upcoming election.
Nonetheless, I find the prospect of a president Hillary Clinton to be positively frightening, to the extent that I might actually consider voting for Mr. Trump in the end. I take no pleasure in this, and neither should any of his supporters that the only reason some of us might in the end pull a lever for him is because the alternative is so horrifying.
I remain unconvinced that a Trump presidency would not be nearly as horrifying. But the one reason, the one thing that might tip the balance for me in the end is the Supreme Court. In truth, I have no idea what Trump would do if provided the opportunity to nominate a justice to the court. Neither does anyone else. That is as frightening as anything else about the man, who remains a cipher in terms of his actual beliefs, assuming he has any.
In any event, I am going to return to enjoying my 25th wedding anniversary vacation with my lovely wife, and enjoy some fine food and beverages here in Quebec and watch the convention tonight - unfortunately on CNN - the only news station we can get here, which is a hoot and a half but that's another story...
I am especially looking forward to watching the speech from the man who should've been the GOP nominee by all rights, Ted Cruz. I expect from him a speech full of substance and not rancor. And no endorsement, either.
Good post.
If you can vote for Trump and - in the end - want to vote for Trump because you want to try and salvage the SCOTUS, I understand.
I will never vote for Trump because of the damage he is likely to do to the country beyond the SCOTUS. And, when it comes to the SCOTUS, I firmly believe we'll get more Justice Kennedys out of this fool than we would get Scalias. So, it's a lost cause anyway.
So, in the end, I think there are enough people that simply won't vote for Trump that he will lose anyway. Hillary will win. We'll get a whole bunch of Kagans on the SCOTUS, but at least when the country gets damaged further, people will point at Hillary and the dems and say, "They did it!" rather than at the GOP nominee.
Me, I'll be able to say - in good conscience - "Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of those gasbags."
