An Open Letter to Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio et al:
Dear (Former) Presidential Candidates:
I hope this letter finds you well, but I suspect it will find you in a rather dark place. I am writing this on May 4th, the day after the Indiana primary and the day that Donald Trump became, both in the eyes of the media and the feckless Chairman of the GOP, the “presumptive nominee” for your party’s nomination for President of the United States.
You fought the good fight. Your campaigns were, by and large, driven by a substantive vision for the country and the Republican Party's role in fulfilling it. Your conduct was with few exceptions the classic definition of presidential. You waged vigorous debates based on ideas, policies and an understanding of the mechanisms of power in the 21st century.
Unfortunately, what was unclear to both you and many of us was the mood of the electorate. In the words of The Federalist’s Ben Domenech, “it turned out that everyone was angry.” The country’s anger is deep, based on decades of industrial and cultural decline, and sadly has proven itself to be irrational. And so, through a confluence of events we have come to a point where a narcissistic, billionaire ex-game show host devoid of principle has hijacked the party of Lincoln for his own selfish, incoherent ends. In so doing, he has all but assured our country’s election of a corrupt socialist and our continued lurch towards the moribund socioeconomics of Europe.
I have spent the entire day in a fog of despair. A little about me: I’m not a Republican. I am, however, someone who identifies as conservative. I believe in both the structure and the limits of the Constitution, and its underlying philosophy that human rights are not granted by a government, but are innate and not to be infringed. I am worried that these inalienable rights are under attack – not only those found in the second amendment, but also those of the fourth, fifth, ninth and tenth. I would no doubt disagree with you on some points of social policy; for example, my wife and I have had some life experiences that have led me to the conclusion that a woman must retain a measure of choosing what happens to her in pregnancy. But in the basic principles of our republic, we are very much allies.
I have voted in every election for which I was eligible since I was eighteen years old. With each passing cycle, I have resorted more and more to writing in candidates that I believed represented my principles, knowing that the choices remaining to me were anathema to my idea of American leadership. And I have arrived, in 2016, at a place that leaves me wondering whether or not I should even continue to fulfill my most important duty as a citizen. I wonder if the words of a late, great radio host of my region are true: “If voting mattered, they wouldn’t let you anymore.”
Those of us who believe in constitutional ideals are growing increasingly disenfranchised. There is no longer a prominent political entity that represents us. This cannot stand. Because of this, I humbly suggest you consider the following proposal.
As prominent members of the Republican Party, I assume that you will have a correspondingly important place at the convention in July. Please attend. Perform any and all functions asked of you – until Donald Trump addresses the convention to accept the party’s nomination. At this time, take the best remaining action left to you.
Leave.
Stand up from your seat. Without a word or glance to a camera, walk away from the podium. Take as many delegates with you as you can. I believe that many of them will follow.
I realize that this will in effect destroy any future you may have in the GOP. But ask yourself: what are you leaving? To paraphrase Reagan’s explanation of his departure from the Democratic Party: didn’t the GOP leave you long ago? What do they stand for other than winning? In that, how are they any different from Democrats? This is the heart of what so many of us in America have grown to despise about politics. To us, there are no more public servants; only opportunists, consultants and lobbyists. It is, ironically, what explains in part Trump's popularity, though you know most of all that this is a ruse.
Change that. Walk away from the system that has failed, and the next day call a press conference to disavow the GOP’s nomination and declare your independence from the party. Start a new coalition based not just on principles rooted in our country’s timeless desire to be free from all forms of tyranny, but on a sincere belief that to lead our country is to serve.
The GOP will hate you. The press will denigrate you. Popular culture will mock you. But I truly believe that history will admire and thank you.
I desperately want to hope for and believe in America again. Thousands – millions of us – want the same thing. Step away from the old constructs and find us. We’re out here… And we know that no one man makes America great again. We all do.
