The Trump Conundrum for the GOP

Finally, some parts of the GOP are saying that they will not support Donald Trump and will vote for the Democrat or not vote at all.  These appear to be mostly neoconservatives who might vote for Hillary but are not likely to vote for Bernie.

But Ross Douthat has a radical idea that was a normal part of party politics in the 1800's; the smokey back room party leadership should just nominate who they want to.  While this would upset the 30% to 40% of GOP primary voters who believe in Donald Trump and are angry at both party's leadership for failing to protect them from technological advance, globalization, and immigration, it would at least sustain the GOP as a party of some type of conservative standing at the likely cost of the 2016 Presidential election.  But so would a Trump candidacy, I hope and secularly pray.

What Douthat does not address in this idea, is how will the GOP ever address the real world concerns of these angry voters.  Doesn't it involve some concept of accepting a certain concept of the safety net? Doesn't it involve some concept that the Government has functions to perform and there is a need to pay for it with tax revenues?  Doesn't it involve some concept of tax reform so our tax structure is competitive with other nations?  Just campaigning on a pledge to cut taxes and never raise them again does not address these issues.

And let me say, I don't think anything would have protected many of these workers from: (i)  technological advance - that is a home grown development; (ii) from globalization - China is an enormous engine and multi-national companies are free to go where the growth is; and (iii) immigration - most jobs undocumented immigrants do are jobs an insufficient number of white American's want to do.

So finding some policies that appease these angry voters should be a point of policy debate.  I don't have the answer.

Link to Douthat column


And the Washington Post has 7 leaders of the GOP posting what they think.  Jim Leach agrees with me and Ari Fleischer puts forth my worst fear.  Also commenting are Eric Cantor, Newt Gingrich, William Kristol , Haley Barber and Danielle Pletka.

Link to 7 Conservatives


And lastly a view on how this may play out over time with a realignment of voters supporting which party.


Link to Realignment column