By Sal Bommarito
The current state of the Republican Party is the talk of the town. In short, Donald Trump is leading and needs to obtain about 55% of the remaining delegates to lock up the nomination.
But, Trump’s march to the presidency is not going to be without peril. Acquiring the requisite delegates is not a sure thing as his popularity is waning. Ted Cruz and John Kasich have increased in the polls dramatically since Bush, Rubio and Carson suspended their campaigns.
In particular, Kaisch is expected to do well in midwest and western states while Cruz will hold his own among his conservative base of support. Jointly, they need to acquire about 45% of the remaining delegates to force a contested convention.
Republicans should be thoughtful about supporting Trump and giving into their desire to change the status quo in Washington. Disappointment and disgust among the populace has taken Trump to this point. The problem is that recent polls suggest that Trump will lose big time to Hillary Clinton in the general election. Clinton has been pounding away on Trump’s demeanor, outrageous statements, wild promises and vicious attacks on women, immigrants and his competitors. This strategy is gaining traction.
Unhappy Trump supporters may enjoy a temporary rush if the Donald wins the nomination but will be unfulfilled when Clinton trounces him in November. A derivative impact of this likelihood is the possibility that either or both houses of Congress could be lost. Democrat congressional candidates will ride the coattails of a Clinton landslide victory.
Exacerbating the situation further is the impending appointment of a new Supreme Court justice. The new member of the court nominated by President Hillary Clinton will certainly be more liberal than Obama’s nominee. This eventuality would dramatically effect every aspect of our lives for decades as the court’s decisions would be dominated by a newly formed liberal bloc. Keep in mind that there are a few other elderly justices who might opt to retire, or pass away during an eight year Clinton presidency giving her opportunities to fill the court with more liberal justices.
There’s a lot on the table that Trump supporters may not be taking into consideration. I would add that a Trump presidency, if he somehow pulls it off, could be equally as terrible as a Clinton administration. It’s just a bad idea to elect an unpredictable, inexperienced egomaniac to be president.
All this can be avoided if the voters in the remaining Republican primaries, who currently favor Trump, consider the potential ramifications of supporting him. He will lose to Clinton by a large margin (current polls indicate that Cruz and Kasich would defeat Clinton), the House and Senate could flip to the Democrats in a Clinton landslide victory and Clinton will surely select an ultra-liberal justice to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court.
Republican voters in the upcoming primaries should cast their ballots for Cruz or Kasich. The only thing that matters is that Trump not obtain 1,237 delegates before the convention. If he does not, the convention will be contested opening the possibility of a more desirable candidate who can beat Clinton.
Beyond the first round at the convention, most delegates can vote for whomever they wish. Obvious choices besides Trump are Kasich, Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney. Regarding Cruz, Republicans need to consider whether they really want an ultra-conservative, inexperienced senator who is derided by most of his colleagues in the Senate.
This is it. Time is running short. The next few primaries will be critical to the growing effort to waylay Trump’s candidacy. Do the right thing voters. Don’t cast your ballots for Trump.