Still against Trump

I wrote my first anti-Trump column in August. I wrote another in December. It is apparent that many Republican primary voters don't share my disdain for the man. Trump supporters are gleeful that he appears on the verge of the Republican nomination. I accept that. It's fun to see your guy win in politics, and it's more fun when your guy was viewed as a joke by "establishment" types (as a former George W. Bush appointee and longtime Republican, I likely qualify). But as Trump careens towards the nomination, it is time for many Republicans and conservatives to consider whether, although Trump is not their guy, he is acceptable enough to support if he becomes the Republican nominee. He is not.

Obviously, "electability" questions evaporate once there is a Republican nominee. That nominee, not someone who was your first choice, becomes the only chance for Republicans. I supported Jeb Bush in the primary, in part because I thought he had the best chance to win against Hillary. But if, for example, Ted Cruz (who I viewed as having a more difficult road as a general election candidate) becomes the nominee, he's easy for me to support. The worry for conservatives and Republicans about Cruz was whether he was electable, not whether he would support conservative policies while in office. If he's the nominee (and he certainly looks like the only non-Trump with a chance), the only choice is to try to elect him. This is typical party politics.