As the days go by and we get closer and closer to Election Day, one thing fills me with great dread: Donald Trump will be the Republican candidate for President.
I hate this. This is not what was supposed to happen. Rubio should have swooped in and saved the day. By calling out Trump on his hypocrisy and hateful rhetoric, Rubio would have turned the tide and won the nomination.
Now, it’s not over yet. As of this moment, we still have the Florida and Ohio primaries, among others. If Rubio wins Florida and Kasich wins Ohio, then we can go to a brokered convention and, hopefully, get a different person to win the nomination.
Alas, it does not seem hopeful. So, I have to think ahead and see what my options are. If Trump does get the nomination, will I vote for him?
The answer is yes. I really do not like it, but it has to be done. Why is that? It's for one reason only: the Supreme Court.
If the Republicans in the Senate stick to their guns for once, the next president will be nominating at least one new Justice (replacing Antonin Scalia) and, at most, four. Other than Scalia, it looks like Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Clarence Thomas, and Stephen Breyer will be looking to retire. The balance of the court can either shift to a 7-2 right wing majority or a 6-3 left wing majority. The next president will, essentially, decide how the Supreme Court operates for the next 20-30 years. As a Republican, I would prefer a right wing majority for that time.
Now, it’s a crapshoot as to whether Trump can deliver conservative justices. Not only are Trump’s conservative and Republican credentials in question, but Republicans have a history of picking justices who don’t vote the way that they would like (Reagan with Sandra Day O’Conner and Bush with John Roberts). On the other hand, when Democrats nominate their justices, they tend to vote exactly as planned: supporting Democrat ideas. So, it seems to me that the only way to ensure that I get what I want on the Court is to risk a Trump Presidency.
I hate that it has reached this point, but, beyond a brokered convention, I will have no choice. As disgusting as voting for Trump will be, it’s all that I can do.
