Race for the White House Volume 71

Two hundred and twenty-seven years since the adoption of the Constitution of the United States of America, I believe this year will be looked back upon as one of the darker times in our history. We are not facing a Civil War or a World War or a Great Depression, but unless something dramatic, and at this point unexpected develops, before November the American people will be faced with an unpopular and dreadful choice in selecting in the 45th President of the United States.

The Race for the White House has become the Disgrace for the White House. Hopefully, as we move into 2017 and beyond, Americans of all political stripes, with all our differences, can still believe America is the greatest nation on Earth, with our best days ahead. It saddens me deeply to doubt that today. This year, we, especially the political party I have included as a major part of my identity since I was 10 years old, has truly lost its mind. I have gone through all kinds of emotions, and states of grief, if you will, since Tuesday night, but on this Saturday, I have no choice but to feel resolved and firm in my convictions. Right now, I have no choice but to separate myself from the Grand Old Party, at least as it relates to the race for President, As tempting as it may be though to throw in the towel, give up on politics, revel in seeing the major party nominees tear each other to shreds over the next several months, and just solely focus on the unbelievable season being had by my beloved Chicago Cubs, I cannot totally divorce myself from the pride and idealism I have always had about America and about the Republican Party. Things seem bleak now, but quitting is not an option. I believe that one day, hopefully very soon, the Grand Old Party can be re-claimed by those who actually care about it and who actually care about an instrument to use conservative principles and ideals to better the lives of all Americans, so that America can be a beacon of hope to all of humanity everywhere on Earth.

What has happened to the Party of Lincoln, the Party of Reagan, the Party of Kemp, and the Party of Bush? I have done a lot of venting already this week on a comment section of a blog that is mostly occupied by conservatives. Most feel the way I do, but not all. I just know that for the first time in my life, there is not an active Presidential candidate or any sort of expected potential candidate that I want to be President of the United States. That is not a good feeling. I will still vote in November, and will intend to vote for every Republican on the ballot, besides the candidate for President, even though that candidate's presence will probably make victory impossible where I live, for every other Republican candidate on my ballot. There is simply no way I could ever vote for Donald J. Trump. Never. As it relates to matters political, his defeat is the thing I most look forward to seeing. His defeat must be overwhelming and certain and the Republican Party, as it actually exists, needs to be the cause of that loss. The alternative is troubling, but there is no other option. Just as members of the Muslim community, in America, and around the world, need to be courageous and especially devoted to fighting the scourge of Islamic terrorism by those who have hijacked their religion, I believe that as a Republican, as a conservative, and as an American, fighting and defeating Trumpism must never cease. It looks like a Republican Civil War is being waged, and as long as victory is remotely possible, and as long as the party is still worth being saved, we must fight and win this democratic political war.

To say the least, I am disappointed at what has happened this year. From all the events that caused Trump to be in the position of being the presumptive Republican nominee, to the ineffective ways he was opposed, to this past Tuesday's results in Indiana, to the quitting of the last two other candidates in the race. A few weeks ago, it looked like an open convention was really going to happen, and even if the result yielded a loss in 2016, it would have been worth it just to have Trump defeated before he formally took control of the party. Now, it appears all but certain he will have the delegates to avoid any kind of battle in Cleveland and the fight is now between those who opposed Trump and whether or not they should support him as part of an effort of party unity and in an attempt to defeat the Democrats, but to stand against him on principle. I find it horrible that with over 10 weeks to go until a convention, nobody even wants to keep up the fight, until the last hour of the last day, to save our party. While many brave political figures from our past to those who currently hold office are bravely standing on principle, others are acting as mere Quislings. The very day that that the frontrunner "clinched" the nomination, he was trying to push a crackpot theory, based on a National Enquirer story, that Ted Cruz's father was complicit in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Hours later, the Chairman of the RNC and others think we have to unite around his candidacy. No chance in hell.

 To me, the choice is clear. Country before party. I could never live with myself if I voted for Donald Trump. This is not a matter of "the lesser of two evils." I believe the man is legitimately evil. I would never say that about the Democrat candidates I have intensely disliked over the years, but I believe it is true about Trump. If I can never again call myself a Republican because of this, so be it. It will be hard enough this year to vote for or root for the victory of those in the GOP who feel they have to lend support to Trump or even appear to do so enthusiastically at his side. I have to try to realize just how much of a difficult position so many "official" Republicans are in because of this and when the dust settles, we will all have to try to find a way to re-build. That is all but those who legitimately thought Donald Trump should be the Republican candidate for President. They can leave as far as I am concerned.

Let me be clear. If the Democrat candidate for President was worth voting for, I would do it, in this one race, one time. Sadly, that is not the case. I believe very strongly that Hillary Clinton is dishonest, corrupt, and disqualified to be President of the United States in every way, but one. She is not Donald Trump. I cannot bring myself to ever vote for her, but I can understand and would have a hard time judging why other Republicans, especially those in swing states, might feel they have to. I deplore the concept of her nominating more candidates to the Supreme Court and continuing or expanding the the policies of Barack Obama, but if America will ever be what it should be, one day, Trump must be defeated regardless of the consequences.

I said nearly a year ago that I suspected that Donald Trump began his race for President, at some level of concert with his old friends, the Clintons, and had the harm of the Republican Party as part of that agenda. Almost nobody, including myself, ever thought he could actually be nominated. Maybe he is in this for himself now and has tossed the Clintons aside. Maybe he will continue to act in a way that paves her inevitable victory or maybe he is somehow shocked by all of this himself, and was hoping to be able to cry fraud after the convention as his "out." I do not really know. I just know that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton deserve each other and America deserves better.

Some believe that Trump has beaten the odds this far and will continue to confound his critics all the way to victory. They think he can throw her off her game by saying provocative things and by running an asymmetrical race, conservatism be damned, by getting to her left on some issues. It is hard for me to be totally convinced that America has not truly lost its mind in that regard and is not just all taking part in a giant reality show for the highest office in the land. If it happens, and Trump wins, Democrats might as well close their doors. They will never have an easier path than they will this year, if they get to face Trump, with the Republican Party intensely divided. Hillary Clinton is a truly weak and unlikable political candidate. However, I expect her to win with ease this November, if her opponent is Trump. I think it has the potential to be one of the largest landslides, in American history. Again, I do not "want" her to win. I just want him to lose, more than anything else.

If this continues down this path, I will not spend one second this year stressing about polls (and if I am polled, I will lie and say I am voting for Clinton, as any pressure to get Trump out of the race must be used), but my concerns are with all the good and honorable Republicans who will lose along with Trump, just because of the R next to his name. To think, it was just two years ago, that the GOP won races from coast to coast at historic levels. There are tons of good and honorable Republicans of promise throughout all levels of government and the 17 candidate GOP field contained what should have been some really good ones, who even the most partisan of Democrat would have to admit might have made it difficult for them to keep the White House. They might have made great Presidents, but experience and accomplishments and electability  were just not what the plurality of Republican voters, including those who never were among them before, wanted. So, here we are.

At this point, I hope that there is some sort of independent or third party alternative that I can support or vote for in November, but the conventional wisdom is that it is too late to get that off the ground and the stomach for such a fight is not there. Nobody wants to be blamed for assuring the election of Clinton. Gee, I think nominating Trump will have already accomplished that. The fact of the matter is that while liberals have a candidate and populists have a candidate, and racists and xenophones have a candidate, a conservative like me does not. Neither do moderates. There is a huge vacuum out and with that in mind, I will have to at least consider possible alternatives on the ballot, such as the Libertarian Party. I am not really a fan of their likely nominee either though, but he is better than Clinton or Trump.

Most likely, I will cast a write in ballot, that in the State of Illinois will not register as counted, for Mitt Romney for President, as America and the GOP would be better off today with him at the helm. For Vice President, I would write in his old running-mate, Speaker Paul Ryan. That is as long as Ryan stands by his convictions and never endorses Trump. If he does, I will write in Jeb Bush for Vice President, the best candidate out of any who ran this cycle. He, like Romney, have said they will not support Trump. I was most particularly disappointed that 93 year old Bob Dole, a true American hero and the first candidate I ever voted for, has decided he will vote for Trump. After Senator Dole eventually passes away, I had planned to issue a fawning tribute to him on this blog. I will have to overlook this chapter.

As I wrap up, there are still many days until the convention and many days beyond that until the election. I think every day should matter. To be very clear, I believe in the rule of law in every respect. We live in a democracy (at least for now), and there is no place for violence. However, I believe it is perfectly fair and legitimate to put pressure on Trump to drop out of the race or to be kicked out of the race by the Republican Party. Yes, they have the power to do it. They should have done it months ago as Democrats once did to Lyndon LaRouche, who like Trump, is big on Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories. Until the last possible day that the ballots are printed, I will hope and pray to have a Republican candidate to vote for President, other than Donald Trump.

Many votes, in both major parties, are at varying levels of dissatisfaction over their presumptive nominees. Democrats know that only the FBI or the Justice Department can alter things for them and for Resistance Republicans, it may only be G-d. Whatever lesson or end result we are supposed to learn from this ordeal, I hope is one day clear.