President Donald Trump has proved beyond a reasonable doubt he is incapable of learning or living up to the requirements of the job. In the aftermath of last week's elections, Republicans each day show beyond a reasonable doubt that they do not intend to check him, break with him or, certainly, impeach and remove him. What then do Republicans or ex-Republicans or people who usually voted Republicans do in the new political order in which the GOP has been reduced to a party of know-nothingism and blatant racism? I'd suggest there are three options.
First, such Americans can try to mount a primary challenge — to Trump and his worst flunkies in the House and Senate (e.g., Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina). The benefit of challenging House representatives and senators is that it might exert some pressure on incumbents to act more responsibly now. If some “independent conservatives” prevail, there would be a toehold from which to battle against Trump and Trumpism from within.
The idea of the GOP nominating a Nikki Haley or a John Kasich sounds enticing. However, let’s be honest: Primary-voting Republicans love Trump. If anything, with so many voters in the suburbs abandoning the GOP, the task gets even harder. The GOP is shrinking and getting more Trumpized. It is now a party of cultists.
Another option is to mount independent conservative campaigns for the House, Senate and presidency. A Kasich or a Brian Sandoval or a Jeff Flake would offer a center-right candidate running on a reform platform. The challenges are obvious — fundraising, ballot access, the institutional advantages of the major two parties. Nevertheless, I have come to see that this has a greater chance of success than trying to wrestle the GOP away from Trump. Could conservatives try this and an internal primary challenge? There is only so much money, organizational strength and interest in carving out an alternative on the right; my strong suggestion is to pick one of these strategies, at least one at a time.
The third option is to at least for 2020 join with centrist Democrats (who did very well in 2017 and 2018) to push for a moderate presidential nominee. The nightmare scenario for these voters would be Trump vs. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). However, what if the choice was Trump vs. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock? Trump vs. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper? Trump vs. Former New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu? The problem here is twofold — Republican refugees are unlikely to make a difference as a voting bloc in the Democratic Party primary and, worse, their support might kill the chances of a moderate.
There are some combinations here — run a primary challenge to Trump and then go third party if it fails. (Be prepared to challenge sore-loser rules in states.) Get a third-party contender out there to induce Democrats to nominate a more centrist candidate in order to capture the middle of the political spectrum.
Sitting here in 2018, I do not have a perfect answer. The good news is that disaffected Republicans don’t have to decide this moment what to do. Instead they should act methodically, polling specific names in a possible GOP primary, feeling out donors, assembling the ballot access paperwork well in advance of 2020, speaking to potential conservative independents and to those moderate Democrats who may or may not want their support, building or borrowing a grassroots networks of supporters in 50 states, and seeking advice from both nonpartisan groups (e.g., No Labels).
There is plenty to do, and it would be helpful if independent conservatives could operate if not as one group then as a loose association of groups with a common purpose: defeating Trump and Trumpism. Someone needs to call a conference, send up the bat signal and get everyone talking. Who is game?
Jennifer Rubin | The Washington Post
Jennifer Rubin writes reported opinion for The Washington Post. @JRubinBlogger
