Whether Republicans can vault to victory over the squabbling abyss depends upon everyone understanding and doing the right things. Here’s a path to a November win:
1. Embrace Trump Voters. Whether we’re white and middle class, or not, college-educated, or not, entrepreneurs or employees—or someone seeking the dignity of a good job—all of us must pull an oar with Trump, Cruz, Kasich, Carson, Rubio, Fiorina voters, and the RNC establishment. Like it or not, none of us can win this race rowing alone.
Like others, nearly all Trumpers are good and decent people who back him because he is firm about securing our borders, controlling all immigration, bringing back jobs, downsizing the government, reforming health laws, making sense of the tax system, and limiting abortion—just to name the biggies. Most GOP voters, conservatives (this writer included), a big swath of Indies, and some devout Democrats are for all these same principles.
What a majority of us have a problem with is not Donald Trump’s positions for the most part. It’s how he represents us to each other, to our children, and to the world. Most of the same people who nod their approval about his policies become uncomfortable when he says thoughtless things about Muslims, Hispanics, women (abortion penalties?), the disabled, and any opponent at all. Good ideas and meanness do not have to go together.
Just as Trumpers aren’t crazy about Cruzers, etc., none of us have to be crazy about one another. We just have to row together—do the right thing—or the ship sinks. The America we dream about will vanish—that’s certain.
2. Prepare for the Surprise. Republican candidates have geared themselves for a fight with Hillary Clinton, but that may not be what happens. All along, I’ve written HRC will not be the other party’s nominee, and that notion is getting closer to reality. Consider these near-certainties:
a. There has never been any love lost between the Clintons and the Obamas. Clinton owes Obama. He owes the Clintons nothing.
b. The FBI is doing an honest job of its investigation, but the FBI reports to DOJ, and the Obama Administration—rarely found doing the right thing until its done all the other things—will never indict someone about to become the sitting party nominee unless there’s a Plan B.
c. Obama will let DOJ indict HRC if there are solid leaks from within, if there’s a huge public outcry about the coverup, and if State Media does the right thing about coverage. The first two will happen. As to the third, State Media will go for Plan B.
d. The DNC will jettison HRC when it is convinced she is so damaged that a loss in November moves from “if” to “near certain.” It’ll be a beautiful thing!
e. Politically, timing is everything: if DOJ indicts too soon, Bernie sweeps to victory at the convention, but a likely loss in November. So, DOJ will wait until the GOP has its convention, then indict, and Plan B will roll out.
f. Plan B is that either Joe Biden becomes the party savior with Elizabeth Warren as VP (a sop to the Berners), or DNC internal polls show Elizabeth Warren can win in the top spot. By July, there’ll be little time for a GOP counter-strategy.
3. What’s the Winning Ticket? If Republicans end the nomination saga too soon, the party will be stuck with a choice that may not be the best given a different set of Democrats opposing them. If you were Obama or the DNC—sorry for that image—isn’t this how you’d snatch victory from a Clinton defeat? If, indeed, it looks like Biden-Warren or Warren-X, then the important question is which pair of Republicans could be most successful against that ticket?
For this reason alone, the most important, right thing for Trumpers and all other Republicans to do right now is not to vote for Trump. Think about it. By June, the pressure will be building for Obama and his DOJ to act, and the DNC’s Plan B will come into focus—whether it’s the gameplan described here—or another. However, if the GOP convention is sowed up for either Trump or Cruz by June, there will be no time for any other options.
So, between now and June, vote for Cruz or Kasich. Take your pick.
3.The Majority Rules.Let’s help everyone understand when this all started, there were 2473 delegates up for grabs and the magic number, as everyone knows, is 1237. Nobody, Trump included, has a claim on the nomination with anything less. Not with 1100 or 1230, because with either of those or any number short, a majority of the delegates could not be persuaded, by hook or crook, to make X the nominee, and in fact, voted for someone else.
It’s an old story, but it’s why primaries and caucuses choose delegates. Every faction needs to let the delegates do the right thing when there is no first ballot choice, and when they have the clearest picture about the DNC’s ultimate ticket.
4. Support the Ticket. This will be the most difficult for some who call themselves Republicans, Conservatives, tea partiers, Trumpers or Cruzers—if neither is the choice—but the only way to win in the present circumstances is to insist the ticket fight like hell for us on the economy, the borders, immigration, jobs, taxes, health, and life issues. Then everyone who’s fought the bitter election battle must fight again to turn principles into policies after January 2017.
5. Win on November 8th. Want to win? Then, do all the right things—right.