Senator Marco Rubio has suspended his campaign. Although I have anticipated this for a few weeks, now, it still hurt on Tuesday night to listen to his concession speech. The question is: what now? Who do I now endorse for the highest office in the land? Now that I am no longer a Republican, I feel freer to look outside of the party ranks for the person I believe would make the best president. After thinking it through, however, I have come to a simple conclusion: I am endorsing anyone except Trump. Each of the non-Trump candidates has strengths, but also some key weaknesses that prevent me from giving a full endorsement. Let us start with the Democrats, for once.
Hillary Clinton
Strengths: Aside from maybe John Kasich, Hillary has the lengthiest resume of any candidate still running. She is the more moderate and pragmatic of the two Democrats and has the clear path to the Democratic nomination, including a fresh string of victories.
Weaknesses: Hillary’s biggest weakness is that no one trusts her and most everyone prefers someone else. She also has the clouds of scandal hanging over her and a reputation as a pragmatist is a double-edged sword: it makes her look like an unprincipled calculating politician.
Verdict: I will vote for her in November if it looks like Virginia will fall to Trump.
Bernie Sanders
Strengths: He appears to be an honest guy who genuinely believes what he says.
Weaknesses: He is way too far to the left for me to consider voting for him except in the direst situation. I think his sled full of “gifts” will bankrupt the country, as a nation cannot tax itself into prosperity.
Verdict: Same as Hillary. If he somehow wins the nomination (which he will not), I would vote for him if I thought it could prevent Trump from winning Virginia.
Now for the Republicans…
John Kasich
Strengths: He is a conservative who could actually win in November and unite the country. He has a sterling resume and matches the positive tone that Rubio’s campaign had. Certainly of the remaining candidates, I think Kasich would make the best president.
Weaknesses: Like Marco Rubio, Kasich will find that the Republican Party is in no mood to be positive. Fire and brimstone dominate the current GOP climate and Kasich appears to represent their most hated of enemies: the GOP “Establishment.” Kasich is also mathematically incapable of securing the nomination before the convention, which now apparently means he should not pursue the nomination at the convention because it would anger Trump and Cruz supporters.
Verdict: I do not think Kasich will win the nomination, but I think he should stay in and try to win contests in the Mid-Atlantic and Rust Belt to siphon delegates away from Trump. If he somehow wins the nomination at the RNC, I will happily support him in any way that I can.
Ted Cruz
Strengths: He is the purest conservative still running and has the strongest claim to be the anti-Trump candidate behind whom conservatives should rally. He is the candidate who can tap into the type of anger that Trump champions, but orient it towards more conservative ends than Trump.
Weaknesses: I have detailed, at length, the problems I have with Cruz, as a person. I think he is arrogant, unlikable, untrustworthy, combative, rude, disrespectful, and I believe he has a tendency to exaggerate the truth. I also believe he has a tendency to view every political situation as a prisoner’s dilemma- where the rational move is for him to defect and stab his allies in the back. I think that, as president, Cruz’s past tactical betrayals would come back to haunt him. I also dislike the apocalyptic theme of Cruz’s campaign, in terms of the overly-religious themes trumpeted by people like Glenn Beck and Cruz’s father. It is one thing to openly profess a strong faith in God, like Marco Rubio often did, but another to essentially invoke end times theology and act like Cruz has some kind of divine right to rule. In sum, I dislike Senator Cruz as a person, across a number of dimensions.
But more than all that, my biggest problem with Cruz is that I think that while he is quite willing to try to defeat Trump, I do not believe he has a sincere desire to vanquish Trumpism from the Republican Party. Trump’s supporters represent the kind of base Cruz had targeted before Trump entered the race- angry lower and middle class white males who feel that the elites in Washington have betrayed them over and over. I believe that is why Cruz was so reluctant to attack Trump all those months; he simply believed he could win over Trump’s supporters once someone else destroyed Trump’s candidacy. It also explains why he is both denouncing the idea of a brokered convention and why he is so reluctant to not support Trump if Trump is the nominee (unlike Kasich and Rubio). Cruz, in other words, does not seek to cleanse the Republican Party of Trumpism, but rather, he seeks to harness it and wield it for himself. It is ironic, the man who spent years attacking his colleagues in the Senate for not being conservative enough has repeatedly held his punches against the guy who is bringing angry, unhinged liberals into the party. Personally, I would rather see the “establishment” retake control in Cleveland, drive Trump’s supporters out of the party and lose to Clinton in November than “win” with a coalition of angry white nationalists. Cruz represents a diluted version of Trumpism that is far more conservative than Trump, but depends on a noxious and obnoxious coalition of voters that, frankly, the GOP should eschew.
Verdict: If Cruz is nominated, Hillary wins in November. I do not think Cruz’s strategy of running up the score in states like Oklahoma will help him win Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. That said, he should stay in the race and try to siphon delegates away from Trump in western and plains states that have not yet voted. To earn my support beyond just a grudging, vain vote in November (he is FAR from my top choice out of all the candidates who ran this cycle), he would have to expressly denounce Trumpism, humble himself and try to rebuild bridges with MAINSTREAM conservatives (i.e. those who do not share his mentality of burning everything down). I think Cruz should try to reach some kind of agreement with Kasich that they stay out of each other’s territory and work together to deprive Trump of delegates and then leave it to the delegates to pick the party’s nominee in Cleveland.
Conclusion
Any of the four remaining candidates would be better than Trump. I think Kasich would make the best president of the four, but I also do not think he can win the nomination. I think Cruz can win the nomination, but I do not believe for one second that, even with an indictment of Clinton, he could defeat her, and I doubt his commitment to purging Trumpism from the Republican Party. In a normal year, I would sooner munch on glass than vote for Clinton, but if it comes down to it, I will vote for her in November (same with Sanders). So, ultimately, I will not endorse one particular candidate, but I will support the efforts of anyone who is in a good position to defeat Trump. In the interim, that means that both Cruz and Kasich have my support, as I think it would be better for the country to not have Trump on the ballot in November. If Cruz can stop Trump by winning the nomination, outright, so be it. If Kasich winning states like Pennsylvania leads to a brokered convention that stops Trump, then I whole-heartedly support Kasich’s efforts. If Trump is nominated, I hope the Democrat wins. Politics is the art of the possible and I am not one to let the perfect become the enemy of the good. The election of any of these four individuals would be so much better for the country than the election of Trump, so I will support their efforts to defeat Trump. For now, I wish success for both Cruz and Kasich, and I hope that they can work together to save the country from the national humiliation of having Donald Trump at the top of a major party ticket and the terrifying thought of having Donald Trump sit in the Oval Office.
Hillary Clinton
Strengths: Aside from maybe John Kasich, Hillary has the lengthiest resume of any candidate still running. She is the more moderate and pragmatic of the two Democrats and has the clear path to the Democratic nomination, including a fresh string of victories.
Weaknesses: Hillary’s biggest weakness is that no one trusts her and most everyone prefers someone else. She also has the clouds of scandal hanging over her and a reputation as a pragmatist is a double-edged sword: it makes her look like an unprincipled calculating politician.
Verdict: I will vote for her in November if it looks like Virginia will fall to Trump.
Bernie Sanders
Strengths: He appears to be an honest guy who genuinely believes what he says.
Weaknesses: He is way too far to the left for me to consider voting for him except in the direst situation. I think his sled full of “gifts” will bankrupt the country, as a nation cannot tax itself into prosperity.
Verdict: Same as Hillary. If he somehow wins the nomination (which he will not), I would vote for him if I thought it could prevent Trump from winning Virginia.
Now for the Republicans…
John Kasich
Strengths: He is a conservative who could actually win in November and unite the country. He has a sterling resume and matches the positive tone that Rubio’s campaign had. Certainly of the remaining candidates, I think Kasich would make the best president.
Weaknesses: Like Marco Rubio, Kasich will find that the Republican Party is in no mood to be positive. Fire and brimstone dominate the current GOP climate and Kasich appears to represent their most hated of enemies: the GOP “Establishment.” Kasich is also mathematically incapable of securing the nomination before the convention, which now apparently means he should not pursue the nomination at the convention because it would anger Trump and Cruz supporters.
Verdict: I do not think Kasich will win the nomination, but I think he should stay in and try to win contests in the Mid-Atlantic and Rust Belt to siphon delegates away from Trump. If he somehow wins the nomination at the RNC, I will happily support him in any way that I can.
Ted Cruz
Strengths: He is the purest conservative still running and has the strongest claim to be the anti-Trump candidate behind whom conservatives should rally. He is the candidate who can tap into the type of anger that Trump champions, but orient it towards more conservative ends than Trump.
Weaknesses: I have detailed, at length, the problems I have with Cruz, as a person. I think he is arrogant, unlikable, untrustworthy, combative, rude, disrespectful, and I believe he has a tendency to exaggerate the truth. I also believe he has a tendency to view every political situation as a prisoner’s dilemma- where the rational move is for him to defect and stab his allies in the back. I think that, as president, Cruz’s past tactical betrayals would come back to haunt him. I also dislike the apocalyptic theme of Cruz’s campaign, in terms of the overly-religious themes trumpeted by people like Glenn Beck and Cruz’s father. It is one thing to openly profess a strong faith in God, like Marco Rubio often did, but another to essentially invoke end times theology and act like Cruz has some kind of divine right to rule. In sum, I dislike Senator Cruz as a person, across a number of dimensions.
But more than all that, my biggest problem with Cruz is that I think that while he is quite willing to try to defeat Trump, I do not believe he has a sincere desire to vanquish Trumpism from the Republican Party. Trump’s supporters represent the kind of base Cruz had targeted before Trump entered the race- angry lower and middle class white males who feel that the elites in Washington have betrayed them over and over. I believe that is why Cruz was so reluctant to attack Trump all those months; he simply believed he could win over Trump’s supporters once someone else destroyed Trump’s candidacy. It also explains why he is both denouncing the idea of a brokered convention and why he is so reluctant to not support Trump if Trump is the nominee (unlike Kasich and Rubio). Cruz, in other words, does not seek to cleanse the Republican Party of Trumpism, but rather, he seeks to harness it and wield it for himself. It is ironic, the man who spent years attacking his colleagues in the Senate for not being conservative enough has repeatedly held his punches against the guy who is bringing angry, unhinged liberals into the party. Personally, I would rather see the “establishment” retake control in Cleveland, drive Trump’s supporters out of the party and lose to Clinton in November than “win” with a coalition of angry white nationalists. Cruz represents a diluted version of Trumpism that is far more conservative than Trump, but depends on a noxious and obnoxious coalition of voters that, frankly, the GOP should eschew.
Verdict: If Cruz is nominated, Hillary wins in November. I do not think Cruz’s strategy of running up the score in states like Oklahoma will help him win Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. That said, he should stay in the race and try to siphon delegates away from Trump in western and plains states that have not yet voted. To earn my support beyond just a grudging, vain vote in November (he is FAR from my top choice out of all the candidates who ran this cycle), he would have to expressly denounce Trumpism, humble himself and try to rebuild bridges with MAINSTREAM conservatives (i.e. those who do not share his mentality of burning everything down). I think Cruz should try to reach some kind of agreement with Kasich that they stay out of each other’s territory and work together to deprive Trump of delegates and then leave it to the delegates to pick the party’s nominee in Cleveland.
Conclusion
Any of the four remaining candidates would be better than Trump. I think Kasich would make the best president of the four, but I also do not think he can win the nomination. I think Cruz can win the nomination, but I do not believe for one second that, even with an indictment of Clinton, he could defeat her, and I doubt his commitment to purging Trumpism from the Republican Party. In a normal year, I would sooner munch on glass than vote for Clinton, but if it comes down to it, I will vote for her in November (same with Sanders). So, ultimately, I will not endorse one particular candidate, but I will support the efforts of anyone who is in a good position to defeat Trump. In the interim, that means that both Cruz and Kasich have my support, as I think it would be better for the country to not have Trump on the ballot in November. If Cruz can stop Trump by winning the nomination, outright, so be it. If Kasich winning states like Pennsylvania leads to a brokered convention that stops Trump, then I whole-heartedly support Kasich’s efforts. If Trump is nominated, I hope the Democrat wins. Politics is the art of the possible and I am not one to let the perfect become the enemy of the good. The election of any of these four individuals would be so much better for the country than the election of Trump, so I will support their efforts to defeat Trump. For now, I wish success for both Cruz and Kasich, and I hope that they can work together to save the country from the national humiliation of having Donald Trump at the top of a major party ticket and the terrifying thought of having Donald Trump sit in the Oval Office.