It is not hyperbole to suggest that the
next few days will collectively be some of the most pivotal moments in recent
American history. Delegates to the Republican National Convention will make the
final decision on whether to hand the keys of the party over to Donald Trump,
and the future of the party, the conservative movement, and ultimately the
country will hinge on the outcome.
If Trump becomes the official nominee,
racism and corruption will have won out in the Party of Lincoln and Reagan, and
all Republicans who willingly follow Trump will have shown themselves to be
hypocrites of the worst degree, supporting a man who embodies everything they
claim to stand against merely because he is not Hillary Clinton. Trump as the
nominee will shift the Republican Party to the left, perhaps permanently, while
at the same time discrediting conservatism in the mind of a large segment of
voters due to the popular misconception of him as an entity of the Right.
Meanwhile, the available data still
points to an historic loss to Clinton in the general election (notwithstanding
the Quinnipiac poll from last week, which appears to be an outlier.) Swing
states like Iowa, Nevada, and Colorado are moving permanently out of reach for
Trump, while Utah, Arizona, and Georgia are coming into play. A Clinton
victory, which also likely ensures a Democratic Senate and possibly a Democratic
House, will see a surge of liberal bills being pushed through Congress and the
loss of the Supreme Court for at least a generation. The disappointment of the
most recent Court term will be nothing compared to the decisions of a Court
with a majority of Obama and Clinton appointees.
And if Trump somehow defeats Clinton? He
would demean the office of President, lower our stature on the world stage even
further, pursue unconstitutional actions rivaling those of Barack Obama, and likely
champion many liberal policies not noticeably different from those embraced by
Clinton. Under either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, the country would
suffer.
But the delegates in Cleveland will have
the power to avert this future. There will be one last chance to prevent both a
Clinton and Trump presidency. And if the delegates take this path, reject Trump,
and throw their support behind a true conservative who can beat Hillary Clinton
in November, the trajectory of American history will be changed once again.
First and foremost, the delegates need
to vote down the rules package approved in committee last week. Doing this,
even if there is no minority report to rally behind, will send a clear signal
that delegates still wish to unbind themselves and be able to vote for a
nominee without violating their consciences.
Failing that, as many delegates as
possible need to abstain during voting on the party’s nominee, or walk out of
the convention outright, or do anything else possible to disrupt the coronation
of Emperor Trump. They need to vote against Mike Pence, who used to be a solid
conservative but is now yet another Trump puppet, for the VP nomination. They
need to do everything in their power to make their objections heard, and make
it clear that they will not be silenced.
After the Rules Committee vote on
Thursday, the likelihood of denying Trump the nomination is almost zero.
Everyone who sympathizes with the #NeverTrump movement needs to be clear-eyed
about that fact. Most delegates will be unwilling to oppose the presumptive
nominee so absolutely. But if enough are willing to stand against the tide,
they can at least make a bold statement of principle, show the country that not
all Republicans stand behind Trump and his innumerable flaws, and begin to set
the stage for a conservative revival in the GOP.
All it takes now is for the delegates to
find the courage to follow Mike Lee’s example and stand up for the principles they pay homage to.
They hold the future of the country in their hands.
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