Barry Goldwater’s unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1964, with his appeal to angry white male voters, and subsequent GOP pandering to the farthest edges of the right-wing fringe since, created the petri dish which has enabled the growth of the virus infecting American politics. The ascendancy of Donald Trump, with his misogynistic, racist bombast, is a natural outgrowth of that failed lab experiment—but, like an insane man, the GOP has kept trying the same thing over and over again, hoping for different results.
What they face now is the classic no-win situation. Either Trump will get the nomination, making him the leader of the party, and in the process alienating a significant number of voters, including women, minorities, and citizens of foreign birth; or, the GOP will pull a Hail Mary play at the last minute and deny him the nomination, in the process alienating many of the same people they have been courting for decades. Either way, they risk not only losing the White House, but also might lose a few congressional seats—endangering the majority they now hold in both houses—and could also upset the stranglehold they now have on state and local positions as the disaffected who slavishly hang onto Trump’s every tirade punish them for their betrayal.
The bottom line is, the GOP can’t stop Trump; or to put it a better way, they can’t undo the harm he’s already done, to the party and to the country. Looking at recent polls and news reports, my money’s on them being unable to deny him the nomination. Should they succeed, the other possible choice, Ted Cruz, while perhaps not as vulgar, would be just as dangerous. Unlike Trump, who rants for shock value, and whose values and beliefs are in himself alone, Cruz seems to actually believe the vile crap that spews from his mouth. Choosing between the two is like choosing between a bullet or poison—you’re just as dead either way.
What’s left, then, is to make sure this disaster waiting to happen is denied the grand prize. America is a strong country, but I don’t think it’s strong enough to quickly recover from the disaster that would be a Trump presidency. The only way to keep that from happening is for rational people to go to the polls in November and cast a ballot for the Democratic nominee—whoever that should be. If it’s Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton supporters should put aside any misgivings they have about him and vote. If it’s Clinton—which I, for one, sincerely hope it will be—the same should happen with Sanders’ devotees.
Once the July convention has made the call, it’s time for all Americans to put aside their minor political differences (and, major too, for that matter) and vote for someone who will not take the country into the Dark Ages.
The goal shouldn’t just be stopping Trump. It should be sending a clear message to the GOP that the two-party system in which the parties staked out clear opposing positions, but came together for the good of the nation when it counted. And, the only way we as a people can do that is to make sure that they get the message by voting for sanity, courtesy, and the true American way.