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| Donald Trump |
Often over the last eight years I've said that our American system of government only works if the American people respect the results of elections and consent to be governed. I've also said that the current breakdown in both our governing and our politics can be traced back to the fact that the American people, particularly those in the Republican party, no longer respect the results of elections and increasingly refuse to consent to be governed. For eight years Republicans have acted as if President Obama had not been elected not once but twice by a majority of the American people. Despite those elections, they insisted that the American people preferred their policies, not his. They have virtually shut down the ability of our government to get anything done because they refuse to acknowledge that they lost the last two Presidential elections. Super Tuesday provides the latest example. Republican voters across the nation are sending a message through their votes that they want Donald Trump to be their nominee for President. But the Republican establishment is once again telling the voters "we don't give a damn what you want, we know what's best". It seems they will never learn.
Anybody who reads this blog knows that I'm no fan of Trump, but the fact is he is winning election after election fair and square. Yet all I see in the news this week are efforts by the GOP establishment to deny Trump the nomination. They appear to have conceded now that he will go into their convention in Cleveland with the most delegates, they are just hoping to keep him below the 1237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. All indications are that if that happens, there will be a concerted effort by the powers that be to nominate someone other than Trump (my prediction is Mitt Romney, because maybe the third time is the charm lol). Just how dumb are the people running the Republican Party?
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| Mitt Romney |
It's too late to stop Trump. The horse is out of the barn. The voters want him. The man has finished first in 10 of the 15 primaries and second in 4 of the other 5. There is no doubt that the people who voted in GOP primaries thus far want him to be the nominee more than any of the other candidates. Yet there is a concerted organized effort among the party leaders to stop him. The aforementioned Mitt Romney plans to give a formal press conference today for no other reason than to try to derail the Trump juggernaut. The time for this unified front against Trump was months ago, before the people started to vote. Now that the people are speaking, and saying unequivocally that they want Trump, what does it say to the voters if the party says no? What can the party possibly hope to achieve by denying the people their choice? We have seen this before, the Democratic Party tried it in 1968 and it didn't work out so well. If the Republicans have seen any of the footage of the crowds that are showing up at Trump rallies how can they expect not to have a repeat of Chicago in 1968 if they deny Trump the nomination?
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| Democratic Convention 1968 |
Now don't get me wrong, I completely understand why the grownups in the GOP don't want Trump. He's not what you want as the face of your party. He lies repeatedly, he's a blowhard, he's embraced racist and bigoted rhetoric to win support, he makes promises that will be impossible to keep, he's narcissistic, and he's basically funding his own campaign so he will be almost impossible to control as the nominee. I get all of that. But the people want him, and isn't that what this country is about, we the people (or in this case, they the people. I don't think Trump will win the general election)? Like I said, respect for elections and the consent of the people to be governed are the two fundamental principles that make our democracy work. I think what the Republicans should have learned by now is that if you keep encouraging people to ignore the results of elections, eventually those people will refuse to consent to be governed by those that won the elections (the Cliven Bundy incidents are great examples of this).
And what exactly does the GOP establishment expect Trump to do if they are successful in denying him the nomination, quietly go away and encourage all of those who voted for him to support the party nominee? Trump will launch a third party run quicker than a #blacklivesmatter supporter gets thrown out of one his rallies. There is no doubt his voters will go with him and he will get more votes than the GOP nominee in the general election. Denying Trump the nomination if he gets the most delegates is telling the voters of the party that we would rather Hillary Clinton be President than respect your votes. Is that really the message the party wants to send?
So my advice to the GOP? Ride it out. If the people elect Trump, you have to give them Trump. And the argument that he is only getting 40% of the votes so that means 60% of the voters prefer someone else is hilarious on its face. He's getting more votes than any two other candidates combined. Respect your voters and honor their ballots. There are many that voted in the Democratic primaries that do not necessarily want to see Hillary Clinton become the nominee, but it appears the majority of those voting prefer her. The Democrats are going to give their voters what they want. I don't think the GOP wins the White House with Trump, but I am 100% certain they lose the White House (again) if Trump gets the most delegates and they deny him the nomination. At least with Trump they have a chance. Of course then they would have to deal with President Trump. But one thing I've learned about the GOP, they have no issues obstructing everything a President wants to accomplish, despite what the voters say. I've seen them do it the last eight years very effectively. The one thing I know for sure is this, if we keep ignoring the results of elections in this country, eventually the people will refuse to consent to be governed. When that happens, the whole house of cards collapses.
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