Election 2016: Toward the Cliff

Ben Shapiro at the Daily Wire says that those conservatives who deliberately sold out conservatism in this primary shouldn’t be allowed or accepted as leaders after this trainwreck.  He’s not talking about those who will hold their noses and vote for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, acknowledging that he’s a pathetic excuse for a Republican while hoping he’ll be better than the alternative. No, he’s talking about the conservatives (who, more than anyone else, should have known better)  who drank a fifth of Trump-whiskey in one setting and enthusiastically bellowed about what a great candidate and president Trump will be–in defiance of voluminous, documented, verifiable evidence to the contrary.

Though the feasibility of cutting off a self-appointed “leader” who already has the ear of the public is dubious, I totally agree.

But for those of us who don’t believe we can support such a brazen fraud even as “the lesser of two evils” and for those who are still wrestling with that question for themselves, Shapiro’s column also contained information useful in calculating this question.

Shapiro paints an analogy that I and many other conservatives have used before:

Here’s the logic: Obama has put the pedal to the medal, Thelma and Louise style, and we’re speeding at 70 mph toward the cliff; Hillary will ram the pedal through the floor and jack the speed up to 90 mph; Trump will speed it up to 75 mph. It’s better to speed at 75 mph toward destruction than 90 mph.

This ignores that Trump will burn out the reverse gear. By empowering Trump to stop Hillary – by handing him the keys to the car – the Republicans usher in an era of Trumpism, and raise it as a legitimate opposition to a conservative future.

This is short-sighted, obviously. It will cripple the Republican Party for election cycles to come – unless people stand aside from this train wreck and rebuild.

I understand the “lesser of two evils” logic. I understand the “better than a Democrat” logic. I’ve been there, done that myself.

But the hour to turn back this nation from the path of destruction is getting very late, and the kind of crap we’re willing to put up with as “Republicans” is getting beyond pathetic.  In an age where massive amounts of information is available from all sources including the internet, there’s simply no excuse for us to be this stupid.

Fear. Fear is the only possible explanation for this kind of stupidity (other than stupidity itself). Fear that (despite what we claim in the light of day) we really DON’T believe conservatism is the best cure for our nation’s ills, fear that we really DON’T believe the modern American people can understand the tremendous benefit of conservatism and be sold on it, fear that we really DON’T believe that the best candidate can win.

If we’re allowing that kind of emotionalism to drive our actions, then we have no business being involved in politics or even voting–because voting is serious business that helps determine the future of liberty and prosperity for ourselves and our posterity.  It’s too important to squander because we’re too busy quaking in our shoes to aim the weapon of our vote with accuracy. Emotionalism of this level is as detrimental to our republic as the touchy-feely standardless emotionalism of the Left.

My fellow conservatives, if you are gripped by that kind of fear, then you’d best just stay home and stay out of the way of people who are committed to preserving this priceless gift of liberty from God that we call America.  God has not given his people a spirit of fear, but rather one of boldness and confidence because we stand on what is right. Fear in battle gets people hurt and killed, and loses us vital ground. Fear that controls us has no place on the battlefield.

If you are a conservative, either purge the spirit of fear from yourself, or purge yourself from the field of battle so that you do not place your comrades and your cause in jeopardy–as has already been done this election season.

Myopia and fear are killing us, and killing this great nation from the Right. Let’s resolve to end the myopia and fear in our ranks, or let’s just all resign ourselves to staying home and watching this last, best hope of earth slide into the cesspool of squandered history.

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Bob Ellis has been the owner of media company Dakota Voice, LLC since 2005. He is a 10-year U.S. Air Force veteran, a political reporter and commentator for the past decade, and has been involved in numerous election and public policy campaigns for over 20 years. He was a founding member and board member of the Tea Party groups Citizens for Liberty and the South Dakota Tea Party Alliance. He lives in Rapid City, South Dakota with his wife and two children.

Bob Ellis

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