https://thebuckleyclub.com/nevertrump-needs-leadership-stat-cb798d4f12d8Anyone who believes that Hillary Clinton is going to skate to easy victory in November is simply ignoring the fact that the conventional rules of politics have not applied this cycle. There is now a real possibility (however improbable) that Donald Trump could be elected President of the United States. That scares a lot of people, and it should.
The mass media that willingly participated in Trump’s rise can not be depended upon to turn on him now that he is the “presumptive nominee,” as some posit. He has brought them all manner of filthy lucre so far, so why would they? He’s ratings gold! The few abortive attempts to even scale back his abuse of phone-in interviews were greeted with contempt by the campaign because they (correctly) judged that plenty of other outlets would allow them.
Even the Chairman of the Republican National Committee has definitively abdicated his responsibility to call out the naked emperor. So the RNC is fully on board the Trump Train, and the media will continue to play the role of Trump accomplice because it suits their venal purposes. The Democrats’ political machine will kick into high gear eventually, but with a convention fight now at least possible, that may not be until the end of July. And anyway there’s no evidence they fully comprehend that they’ll be fighting a new type of asymmetric political war.
For anyone who is horrified at the prospect of a misogynistic blowhard know-nothing violence enabler becoming president, time is of the essence.
There are thankfully a few loud voices repeating the mantra of #NeverTrump, but a hashtag does not a movement make. If the #NeverTrump folks are really intent on denying Trump the control of the U.S. economy and the nuclear triad, they (we) need to get serious, STAT.
For a while I’d hoped that a principled conservative might be willing to get in the race on a third party ticket without prompting. At first it looked like maybe Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska would step up, but he declined. More recently, a small but vocal group tried to get retired Marine Corps General James Mattis to take the mantle; he also declined. I respect these men and their reasons for not jumping in, but I’m stunned that nobody has emerged as a serious alternative.
Not that it wouldn’t be a brutal fight. That’s a given. Besides the normal media glare of a national campaign, the person in question would also be Public Enemy #1 of the vile Trump social media hate juggernaut, with all the personal safety concerns that implies. And all that for the privilege of…losing, but also denying him the White House? Or, best case scenario: throwing the election to the House of Representatives? It’s not hard to see why Sasse and Mattis decided it was a no-brainer.
But it’s important. I won’t list the litany of ways that Trump falls short of the minimum qualifications for the office of president. Much digital ink has already been spilled, apparently to no avail, on that subject. The fact is, I can think of no person in U.S. history who was as manifestly unqualified for the office who also had a serious chance of winning it.
Right now (as far as I can see), the #NeverTrump “movement” consists of a few principled political consultants, think tankers and writers. A couple of PACs have been formed. Ads have been run. Maybe they coordinate, maybe they don’t. But it’s safe to say (and I mean no offense to those involved) that it’s not been very organized or effectual.
That needs to change, ASAP. #NeverTrump needs to act like a real political party, with affirmative beliefs and principles. It needs to grow up, put on its big boy pants, come up with a plan, and implement that plan — damn the torpedoes. A meeting should be held, open to all comers — maybe call it a convention. Alternatives should be discussed. Money should be raised. Leadership should be selected. And at the end of the day, there should be one person that steps forward and accepts a daunting and probably losing proposition, for the good of the country. To the extent that may already be in process, it has so far been in the shadows and on the margins. It is time for it to come out into the open.
You know who you are. The #NeverTrump movement-in-waiting is looking at you, crying out for leadership and action. You are people like those on the #HamiltonList, and and all the signatories of this letter.
The time to get started was yesterday. The Republic needs you.
The author tweets at @blogguero
