I have been a Republican since I have been registered to vote. I have voted for Republican candidates at every level from State Assembly to Governor. I have given money to the Republican Party, and I have donated to the NRSC as well as a plethora of Republican candidates. By no means am I wealthy - all of these contributions have come from my gas money budget, from my grocery budget, and in some cases from my rent budget. I have felt so strongly for the Republican cause that I have sacrificed time, money and energy from donations to countless hours knocking on doors in the Summer heat.
But I cannot support the Republican nominee for president, and I am not alone.
Ben Shapiro, Editor in Chief of the Daily Wire, is committed to the #NeverTrump movement:
Really? #NeverTrump. Pretty easy. https://t.co/zjvtWb0jUB
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 3, 2016
As is Ben Sasse, a Republican Senator from Nebraska:
Reporters keep asking if Indiana changes anything for me.
The answer is simple: No.
This from Febr. still holds:https://t.co/yUNSZTHW7E
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) May 4, 2016
Erick Erickson, former CEO and Editor in Chief of RedState.com, agrees:
Reporters writing about the "Stop Trump" effort get it wrong. It's "Never Trump" as in come hell or high water we will never vote for Trump
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) May 3, 2016
And in case that isn't clear enough, this tweet from Tony Fratto, former Bush White House official, should make it abundantly clear:
For the thick-headed: #NeverTrump means never ever ever ever ever under any circumstances as long as I have breath never Trump. Get it?
— Tony Fratto (@TonyFratto) May 3, 2016
This exodus from the Republican Candidate, and in some cases, the party altogether, comes with good reasoning. In order to understand why we are fighting back, one must first understand why we are Republicans:
1. We are Republicans because we believe in the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, and equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all under the law. Donald Trump doesn't.
2. We are Republicans because we believe that free enterprise and individual initiative should be encouraged because it has brought this nation exceptional economic growth, prosperity and freedom. Donald Trump doesn't.
3. We are Republicans because we believe America can best promote peace, prosperity and freedom throughout the world by setting the best example of free enterprise productivity, and individual liberty and responsibility. Donald Trump doesn't.
4. We are Republicans because we believe government and its citizens must practice fiscal and monetary responsibility. Donald Trump doesn't.
5. We are Republicans because we believe that being a good neighbor through compassionate action at the personal, family, faith, and community level, remains the cornerstone of our nation’s social foundation. Donald Trump doesn't.
So what do we do when the Republican candidate no longer represents the values, goals and beliefs of the Republican Party? Simply put, we leave. We may not leave the party in its entirety; we may still work to get Republicans elected at the State Senate level, or at the State Assembly level. But there will be no action by us to support the Republican Party or its nominee at the Presidential level. We are Republicans because we have a vision for America, and Donald Trump takes that vision, coats it in a fake spray-tan, and chucks it out the window in favor of hate-filled populist rhetoric and vile egoism.
The main reason that some Republicans are throwing in the towel and acquiescing to "The Don" is that they fear the alternative: Hillary Clinton. What these partisan loyalists do not understand is that Hillary and Donald are, for all intents and purposes, the same. They fear that a Clinton presidency will equate to "four more years of Obama," so they are willing to commit to becoming jackbooted thugs in support of a renowned bigot and chauvinist whose policies are antithetical to everything they stand for. Simply put, Trump has been able to tap into the hates and fears of the Republican party, rather than its hopes and dreams.
Furthermore, the idea that a vote against Trump is a vote for Hillary is an absurd one. A vote against Trump not only is not a vote for Hillary, it is a vote for the salvation of the Republican Party and the Conservative movement as we know it. As Shapiro puts it:
In every election cycle, the establishment insists that we unify behind a candidate who does not reflect conservatism because elections are always a choice between the two worst options. They blackmail conservatives into supporting candidates who undermine the message and morality of our mission. Now Trump does the same….Now is the time to say no. “No” is a useful tool. If conservatives don’t say “no” to Nelson Rockefeller in 1964, there is no Ronald Reagan. If conservatives don’t say “no” to Gerald Ford in 1976 and George H.W. Bush in 1980, there is no Ronald Reagan. And if we don’t say “no” to Donald Trump now, we will continue drifting ever further left, diluting conservatism into the vacillating, demagogic absurdity of Trumpism. Conservatism will become the crypto-racist, pseudo-strong, quasi-tyrannical, toxic brew leftists have always accused it of being.
Lastly, if Trump loses to Clinton, so what? The responsibility of winning an election is not on the voters - it is on the candidate. It astounds me that the individuals who are in an uproar because we refuse to vote for Trump are the same individuals who refused to vote for Romney in 2012 because he didn't "represent our interests." The onus of winning is on the Trump campaign, and if he's as good at winning as he says he is, our conscientious objection to his vitriolic and authoritarian vision for America should do his made in China, gold-plated campaign no harm.
