Why conservatives should unite behind Nikki Haley for president

Who would be a better standard-bearer for real conservatism?

Gov. Nikki Haley could be a strong presidential candidate.
(Image credit: AP Photo/David Goldman)

Conservatives are asking themselves if they should support a third-party conservative nominee if, as looks increasingly likely, Donald Trump ends up clinching the nomination. The short answer is yes. The longer answer is hell yes.

The first reason is honor. Donald Trump, in many ways, stands for everything that conservatives oppose. As Reihan Salam perfectly summarized, "While conservatives have traditionally emphasized the central importance of limited government, Trump has built his campaign around the promise of an unlimited government that will solve every problem that ails America, provided it is fully under his command." Once Trump has hijacked the movement and the party, it simply cannot let him get away with it. And conservatives have to redeem themselves, because they share some responsibility for the mess they've gotten themselves into.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.