The hollowing-out of the Republican Party continues apace.
With it becoming ever more clear to millions of Republicans that Donald Trump really will be the nominee of the party, more and more of them are falling into the binary trap I described [1] almost two weeks ago:
Most Republicans will simply back the nominee, convinced that Hillary Clinton is worse and unable to see past two options. Many will respond to the Trump nomination with the same binary blinders, but hope Clinton wins, so they can go back and attempt to re-orient the Republican Party.
There are usually plenty of the former angrily commenting on my posts nowadays, whereas the latter is best represented by P.J. O’Rourke, of all people.
Meanwhile, those looking to escpae this terrible – and false – choice while still remaining loyal to the Republican Party are getting pounded by their own fellow Republicans. Nebraskans took it to Ben Sasse at their Republican convention this weekend, and of course our own Brian Kirwin is demanding the defenestration of Mitt Romney [2]. Some, like my friend Shaun Kenney, try to shoulder on against the tide – and begin the journey [3] I have already taken out of the Republican Party. Others, well, let’s just say they have chosen surrender [4] on the installment plan [5].
Ironically – and almost certainly unintentionally – the Falkenstein-Ryan Highway currently under construction has merely reinforced my determination to vote neither for Trump nor for Clinton. For in their statements about how Trump can win them over, they have both shown a complete ignorance of the priorities that Republicans claim are the foundation of the party.
Ryan himself never really bothered to discuss any policy difference at all, other than to call them “few” and make it clear they can be ignored on the path to “unification.” As for Ken, his list of demands for Trump almost entirely involved behavior and/or social issues (save for health care and eminent domain). Mr. Falkenstein made no mention of Trump’s refusal to address entitlement reform, nor any mention of trade protectionism, nor any mention of his willingness to “open up the libel laws” to better silence his critics, nor any mention of ethanol.
In other words, so long as The Donald behaves himself, he can make the Republican Party the Other Party of Big Government – taxing the poor along the way – and that’s just fine for Messrs. Ryan and Falkenstein.
Well, I hate it to break it to them, but Big Government doesn’t mean Better Government just because Hillary Clinton isn’t involved.
But that is how far the GOP has devolved. The political is all personal to them.
This is why I left…and Shaun, you should, too.
When it comes to supporting or voting for Donald Trump: Never means Never to me.