You asked for this, Republicans.
Did you really think that Donald Trump was going to "pivot" to something? Did you really think you could "manage" him? Did you really think he would suddenly turn into Mitt Romney once he got 1,237 delegates? It's the classic trick: The mark has to think that he's in on the con.
Remember when racism in politics was about "dog whistles"? Everyone is acting as though Trump has crossed some invisible line by saying that a Latino American citizen who took on drug cartels can't be a judge because he's a Latino, but the reality is Trump crossed the line for so long he's lost sight of the line.
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The only thing stronger in his psyche than his compulsive lying is his refusal to ever back down or admit fault, so he's not going to etch-a-sketch the racial appeals that (among other things) won him the nomination. Instead, he's going to double down — the media, who are in the tank for Hillary Clinton, will only goad him into doing that further.
Now, it seems, a few people are running for the exits. Paul Ryan has straightforwardly called out his comments as racist. (Follow-up question, Mr. Speaker: Why do you think a racist should be president of the United States?) Even his lackey Newt Gingrich has called him out. We even saw something we hadn't seen for so long we thought it was impossible — a Republican with cojones. Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.) un-endorsed Donald Trump over his racist comments. Lindsey Graham has also rejected him.
Like a battered wife who has given her abusive husband one too many chances, it's time for the Republican Party to face reality. He's not going to change. He's never going to change. This is who he is.
There's still time to escape. As talk radio host Hugh Hewitt pointed out, it's still possible for the GOP to change convention rules to allow for another candidate to be nominated. "It's like ignoring stage-four cancer. You can't do it, you gotta go attack it," Hewitt said. "And right now the Republican Party is facing — the plane is headed towards the mountain after the last 72 hours."
"They ought to get together and let the convention decide, and if Donald Trump pulls over a makeover in the next four to five weeks, great, they can keep him. It would be better if he had done so five weeks ago."
What's the argument against doing it?
That the GOP voters have "spoken"? Well, not really. Trump never got more than a plurality of the GOP vote, against a very divided field. Plus, party primaries are not democratic elections. A political party is a private organization, and it's entitled, both legally and morally, to decide its nominee however it wants, via Magic 8 Ball or drawing names out of a hat if it feels like it.
How about the idea that it would hurt the GOP politically? I mean, the question answers itself. Donald Trump is clearly on a crusade to destroy the GOP, and he would do much less damage from outside than inside.
Obviously, the GOP has already made an enormous, awful spectacle out of itself and has hurt its chances in the general. At the same time, Hillary Clinton is a terrible candidate, and the GOP would probably do better with a nominee who isn't, you know, the most hated candidate in history or have racist Tourette's.
Will Trump voters stay home? Maybe, maybe not. But the GOP apparatus is preparing to bully everyone who hates Trump with "Hillary is worse" — and if it's going to bully anyone with that line, why not make it Trump voters? Plus, who cares if they stay home? Trump's odds are pretty low to begin with. And even if he wins, for what? Do you really think he will do anything about Republican priorities, when he has kept no promises in his life, when he clearly has all the contempt in the world for conservative goals?
There's still time to save yourselves, Republicans. Do it.
