As Donald Trump edges closer and closer to the Republican presidential nomination, Michael Taube writes at National Review Online about one alternative available to those in the GOP who won’t support Trump.
The bigger issue is whether or not an Independent Republican ticket would be the right move for the Right to make. So, let’s look at the pros and cons of this strategy.
PROS
?It could create more choice for small “c” conservative voters in November. It’s a given that parts of the GOP base will be frustrated with Trump as the presidential nominee. Hence, the Independent Republican ticket could provide another voting option in support of a more mainstream and acceptable conservative alternative. ??
It might help middle-of-the-road conservatives shift away from voting for Clinton. A few self-identified Republicans have already indicated they will support Clinton over Trump. You would think (or hope) that a respectable Independent Republican ticket with mainstream appeal would change the hearts and minds of some or all of them.
It may protect the Republican party’s history, legacy, and public image, albeit in a different vehicle. A hard-hitting communications strategy could be devised to attack Trump as a political outsider with no history in the party, and no conservative ideas and values to speak of. …
… CONS
Abandoning the GOP because of Trump devalues the presidential primary process. If Trump wins the Republican presidential nomination, his detractors might have to grit their teeth and accept it. His methods, ideas, and language have been abysmal at times, but there’s no question he has followed the rules and hasn’t done anything illegal. He’s ahead in the primaries because of his populist appeal, a solid ground game, and top-flight organizational skills. If Trump’s detractors leave the party because they didn’t get their chosen candidate, it would be perceived as sour grapes by many people. Making life difficult for Trump and the party hardly seems like the mature, responsible thing for conservatives to do.
Rejecting Trump’s candidacy and supporting the Independent Republican ticket could tear the party apart. If the GOP loses its stature as a “big tent” outfit, where all views and ideas are supposed to be a welcome part of the intellectual discourse, some party members and donors would probably opt out. Hence, the Independent Republican campaign could ultimately lead to the birth of two (or more) small “c” conservative parties that would have smaller bases of appeal, permanently wiping out the GOP.
The American conservative movement could be derailed. Some conservative grassroots activists probably wouldn’t take kindly to an Independent Republican ticket that competed with the GOP. In this scenario, “Trumpism” would have replaced conservatism as the party’s guiding light, and his detractors simply proved unable to handle this ideological shift.
