#MaybeTrump, but Only If

OK, you can pick your jaw up from the ground now.

Yes, throughout the primary season I railed against Donald Trump as unacceptable and thoroughly despicable for the way he has run his campaign.  I stand by those assessments:  Trump is unacceptable, and his campaign conduct has been despicable, and I still do not support him.

So what has changed?  I have decided that instead of my prior position that I will never under any circumstances vote for Trump, I will instead give Trump the chance to earn my vote.  I still don’t see how I could actually support Trump, but if he meets certain basic conditions of decency and common sense, then I will consider voting for him.

Why the change from my former absolute position?  When I was running those columns warning against nominating Trump, there was still a chance of defeating him and nominating an acceptable and respectable candidate.  That opportunity no longer exists.  For worse or worst, Donald Trump is going to be the Republican nominee, and either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton is going to be the next President of the United States.

The Serenity Prayer teaches me to accept the things I cannot change, to change what I can, and to have the wisdom to know the difference.

I share the sentiment of many other Republicans and Democrats that we now have a Hobson’s choice – a choice between two candidates who will be a disaster for our country, and I accept that this is the reality we now face.  So, in order to try to change what I can, my new focus is on trying to make one of those choices more acceptable, for the sake of our party and our country.

First, start with the fact that there is no way for Republicans like me to have any influence over Hillary Clinton.  She is and always has been a thoroughly corrupt movement leftist whose anticapitalist radicalism and utter lack of character make her a danger to the country and the American people.  There has never been a candidate in my lifetime more unworthy of the public trust than Hillary Clinton.

But although Donald Trump is also unworthy of the public trust, Republicans like me might be able to have some influence over him now that he is the standard-bearer of our party but does not have the unified support of our party.

Trump knows that he has no chance of winning the general election unless he can get the Republican Party unified behind him, so he has spent his every waking moment since securing the nomination working toward that end.  Last week he met with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has withheld his endorsement and made clear to Trump that the only way he can have a unified party behind him is to earn it through an agenda of principled conservative ideas and through respectable conduct worthy of the high office to which he aspires.  Trump came away from the meeting singing Speaker Ryan’s praises, thus indicating that he understands the importance of earning the support of the mainstream of the party in the manner that Ryan laid out.

Donald Trump responds to one thing and one thing only:  leverage.  His life is dedicated to the Art of the Deal.  So, Speaker Ryan has established the one and only model that might – if anything can – assert enough leverage to force Trump to be a respectable representative of our party and country:  Let him know that it is possible to have the support of the mainstream of the party that he needs to win the presidency, but only if he earns it.

The greater good is not served by being inflexibly recalcitrant in our opposition to Trump and thereby leaving him to continue to behave like a second-rate carnival barker who will drag down not only himself but our Senate and congressional candidates as well and who, if elected, would be a loose cannon danger to the country and the world.  The greater good is served by enticing him to become a respectable candidate who would govern responsibly if elected.

In that regard, if people like me who have said all along that Trump could never under any circumstances get our support now hold open the possibility of his getting our support if he meets certain conditions, then maybe we can push him into becoming a respectable, or at least civilized, candidate who would be less of a danger to our country and the world if elected.  Given that we have no opportunity to have an influence on Hillary Clinton, it is worth making the effort with Trump.

So, I have decided that Donald Trump can earn my vote if – and only if – he meets the following conditions:

* He cannot ever again advocate or even tolerate violence by his campaign, staff, or supporters.

* He cannot ever again advocate violating the basic civil and human rights of Muslims or members of any other religion, race, or ethnicity.

* He cannot ever again show disrespect to women with any crude or misogynistic language or conduct.

* He cannot ever again attack his opponents or their families with crude and juvenile insults, unsupported innuendo, or defamatory claims.

* He cannot ever again insult his own supporters with claims that the only way to keep their attention and support is through buffoonish behavior and intelligence-insulting rhetoric.

* He cannot ever again advocate that the United States commit war crimes and atrocities such as targeting innocent women and children for murder in response to terrorist attacks.

* He cannot ever again advocate for socialized medicine, partial-birth abortion, restricting gun rights, funding Planned Parenthood, or abusing eminent domain powers as he has done throughout his life and career.

If Trump can transform himself into a respectable human being who can meet these basic conditions of human decency throughout the remainder of the race, then he can redeem himself enough to earn my vote.

I shared this point of view with someone recently whom I’d always thought was a friend.  He responded that my new willingness to allow Trump to earn my vote demonstrated that I have poor character.  Yes, he actually said that, and in front of other friends too.  I respect those who stand on their #NeverTrump pledge.  Trump certainly hasn’t earned anyone’s consideration.  And I confess that I don’t share the saintly infallibility and piety of my purported friend.  But nevertheless, if there is a chance of using the possibility of support from the mainstream of our party to coerce Trump into becoming a decent and respectable candidate and a responsible public servant if elected, I think we ought to pursue that chance.

I seriously doubt that Trump will be able to meet the basic conditions set forth above, and so I seriously doubt that I’ll be voting for him in November.  I hope he proves me wrong.