For NeverTrump Republicans, Election 2016 presents nothing but intolerant options.
Hillary Clinton is corrupt and stiff.
Gary Johnson is marginal, but libertarian.
Jill Stein is a true believer (albeit a socialist).
But Donald Trump? He’s a boorish, opportunistic, alt-right hatchet man ready to make deals and ruin our country!
Well …
What can we do to get the conservatives who still call themselves #NeverTrump … to vote for Trump?
I get where they’re coming from. I was not a Trump supporter during the primary. He was not my sixteenth choice for president (I was never going to pull the lever for Jim Gilmore, Lindsey Graham, Jeb Bush, George Pataki, etc), but Donald Trump hovered towards the middle of the pack for me. Now he’s the top dog.
With less than two months left before Election Day, here are 10 tips for getting NeverTrumpers in your circle of connections on board.
1. Do not shame NeverTrumpers with arguments like: "If you don't vote for Trump, then you are voting for Hillary."
Look, it's not their fault that the front-runner candidates are Clinton, Trump, Johnson, and Stein. If they choose not to vote, they are choosing not to vote. How can anyone accuse a NeverTrumper of voting for anyone?
It’s a losing game to push conscientious voters to do something that would violate their conscience. A vote for Trump has to look like something they want to do, a decision that will further their underlying long-term goals.
Besides, I know about facing two unpalatable choices. In California, Prop 14 has created top-two jungle primaries, which has left me choosing between left-wing Democrats.
I chose not to vote. Part of the voter franchise is the right not to vote! So, forget the “You’re voting for Hillary” rant.
2. List for NeverTrumpers the net positives about Trump’s campaign.
One distinct positive about Trump is his outreach and support for the Remembrance Project. Why not rely on this connection to get friends on board?
Trump brought immigration to the forefront, along with a searing focus on national sovereignty, security, and sanctity. The Remembrance Project is a hard-core non-profit demanding secure borders and a policy that puts Americans first. We need to feel pride in our country. We needed a healthy dose of nationalism in this country once again, and Trump doled out the treatment.
Donald Trump was the only candidate who responded to the group's pleas.
He knows the parents who lost their beloved children to illegal aliens. I came face to face with this horrific destruction in June, when an illegal alien named Johnny Sanchez set fire to an abandoned Los Angeles warehouse and killed five Americans.
Today, it’s clear to me that Trump means to win and to govern.
I shared this connection with a staunch NeverTrumper, a famous and well-respected conservative. He conceded the value of Trump’s cherished respect for those families.
3. Show how Trump has hastened the much-needed demise of destructive political correctness, and has some solid conservative ideas.
Let the NeverTrumper know that it’s okay, even respectable, that they have not been vocal Trump supporters.
Anyone can look over my previous articles, blog posts, letters, and recordings.
I wanted anyone else but the Trump a rodeo clown, a Democrat, everything but presidential material.
Give me some credit. I never thought he was racist.
He was funny, if not un-serious.
At least at the outset.
I am supporting Donald Trump, not just because he is the Republican nominee, and not just because he has the best (and getting better) chance of defeating the corrupt and crooked Hillary Clinton.
I like his policies on taxes, military, and the Second Amendment. I liked his list of potential Supreme Court nominees. I do not believe he poses a pre-eminent threat to conservatism, either.
He is an invigorating tonic for public discourse. I didn't have a big problem with an undercard and mainstream debate. I did object to 10 people competing for attention on one stage. But that's a major media problem for another team. During the earlier debates, presidential candidates savaged Hillary Clinton and each other as well as the media.
4. Yes, you can trust Trump to govern as a conservative.
He has sacrificed business contacts. His image, his brand has endured an unprecedented assault from the left, from the media, from every special interest and big government establishment front out to get rich at everyone else's expense. And he has made the left-wing "mainstream media" look like the bought-and-sold corrupt frauds that they are. The outreach to the Remembrance Project has not brought him free press, either.
5. If your NeverTrumper was a Carson supporter, point out Carson’s endorsement and leadership in the Trump campaign.
6. If your NeverTrumper is a Cruzer, acknowledge that Cruz had every right not to endorse Trump. Share your appreciation for Cruz’s efforts in the U.S. Senate, like fighting for free Internet and defunding sanctuary cities. Tell him that you hope Cruz gets re-elected to the U.S. Senate and runs for president in eight years.
7. If your NeverTrumper is a Johnson supporter, ask him to explain that Libertarian candidate’s support for a carbon tax, Obama’s executive amnesty, and wavering on religious liberty. Ask him—but do not argue—to explain why Johnson boasts about agreeing with Bernie Sanders 73 percent of the time.
8. If your NeverTrumper is—God forbid—voting for Jill Stein, walk away. Rejoice that Hillary Clinton has lost another LIBERAL voter.
9. Talk about all the swing states. Clinton is now plummeting, and Trump is ascending. Trump is gaining in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and Florida.
Trump has already sewn up Iowa and North Carolina, too.
10. Tell them how Donald Trump is continuing to savage Clinton’s corruption, health, and integrity without holding back. NeverTrumpers want a conservative fighter. Show them how Trump is taking down the Democratic nominee and the party with her.
These are the ten ideas that worked with me.
Let’s get more conservatives on board and Make America Great Again!