If anyone still thought the law actually applies to the powerful as well as the powerless, that a semblance of justice still remained in the country founded upon the principle of equal justice for all, surely those illusions were dashed for good on Tuesday when FBI Director James Comey announced that neither Hillary Clinton nor anyone else would be charged in the State Department email scandal.
If anyone, especially those who remain anti-Trump, thought an indictment might save the nation from the churning tornado that is Hillary Clinton, that maybe she’d be replaced by a slightly more palatable Democratic candidate, the finality of Tuesday’s news should settle the matter for good.
At this point there is one thing and one thing alone that can save this nation from Hillary Clinton and her sickening, anti-American agenda — the election of Donald J. Trump.
That’s it, period, finito. You can skate around this unalterable fact any number of ways, and you’d be wrong, every single time.
But but but… Trump made fun of a handicapped guy once… he mocked John McCain’s war record… he brags a lot about himself… he’s immature… he’s not a “real conservative” and he might not even be a real Christian… he he he…
We could go on and on with the objections, but at the end of the day I’ve got three words for you, dear NeverTrumper – GET OVER IT.
Get over it. Grow a pair. Abandon the useless “principles” you’ve talked yourself into believing that are actually counterproductive and harmful. Hold your nose if you have to, but pull the damn lever for the ONLY thing that can stop the Hildebeast from getting her paws on the reins of Executive Branch.
By actively campaigning against Donald Trump, you are not only making a mistake that could very well ruin our country, you’re also mistaking the movement that is behind Donald Trump (a movement you should be supporting, not hindering) for the actual, very flawed, man.
In short, you’re falling for a classic fallacy, the red herring.
What is a red herring, you ask? In a debate, a red herring is defined as an irrelevant topic used to divert attention from the real issue at hand.
If Donald Trump the man is anything at all, he is that, and those who would see this country ruined are betting that you’ll continue to fall for it.
Consider this – whether you’re a Trump supporter or not, if you’re a genuine conservative you likely want the same things in the long run. We want Supreme Court justices who will interpret the laws, not make them. We want the unborn protected. We want our borders enforced. We want government out of our lives as much as possible. We want the right to defend ourselves. We want religious freedom to practice our convictions in all areas of life. We want free markets that reward performance and incentivize ingenuity and problem-solving. On and on we could go, but the bottom line is we aren’t and have never been all that far apart.
The question, and where we differ, is how do we get there?
Let’s imagine you get your way, dear #NeverTrumper. Imagine enough people in key States who would have otherwise voted for the Republican nominee take your advice and stay home, vote for a third party candidate, write Mickey Mouse in, or even (God forbid) vote for Hillary Clinton.
In this scenario, Hillary Clinton captures the Presidency. Pure and simple. You can tell yourself otherwise, but I doubt you even believe it. As fractured as the Democratic Party has seemed at times, there will be no dissent come November. Most will line up and vote for their nominee, period. Some might disagree with how they’re doing it, but to use a football analogy they know they’re moving the ball.
At the end of the day, in your best scenario, we get Hillary Clinton as President of the United States. I realize that such luminaries as Bill Kristol, George Will, Lindsey Graham, and Charles Koch actually prefer this outcome for a variety of insane reasons, but if you’re a SANE conservative please explain to me how this works out for our good?
If Hillary wins, there exists the very real possibility of a Democratic Senate that will confirm each and every Bolshevik she appoints to the high court, much less every other court and governmental regulatory entity. Want to roll back some of the ridiculous and myriad regulations eight years of an overreaching Obama Administration have given us, much less Obamacare itself? Forget it! Instead, let’s just add four more years of liberal legislation and administration.
In your scenario, the one where Hillary Clinton wins because you actively fought against the Republican nominee, conservatives get NOTHING. Zilch. Nada… no soup for you!
On the other hand, there’s Donald Trump, the candidate. Those who are voting for and even “endorsing” Trump are supporting something so much larger than the very flawed “man,” the red herring, we see before us. Maybe Trump himself doesn’t even realize that, but it’s the truth.
What we are endorsing is a complete shift in the Republican party, a move toward secure borders, limited foreign entanglements, and a sensible trade policy that actually puts Americans first instead of sacrificing our middle class on the altar of globalism. THOSE are the real issues. THOSE are the things that matter, not the red herring of Trump’s weaknesses as a person.
If Donald Trump gets in and betrays us, that movement will still exist, but if he does even a few of the things he has promised (I happen to believe he is just enough of a narcissist to want his supporters to keep liking him), America will be infinitely better off than we were before.
Are we better off without Trump’s list of Supreme Court nominees, without a repeal of Obama executive orders, without a secure border, without a complete rebuild of America’s infrastructure and industrial base? Then keep doing what you’re doing while America burns. You’ll still have your “principles,” after all, but they won’t be worth a whole lot when we’ve completely lost our country.
Meanwhile, please don’t blame me and others for asking – If your conservatism doesn’t actually “conserve” anything, what good is it to anyone? To continue with the football analogy, why do we have to have a touchdown? Why can’t we just get the ball and move it some in the right direction?
It was fine to do it in the primaries, but by continuing to introduce “Trump, the man” as a legitimate argument against supporting the only candidate who gives conservatives a snowball’s chance in hell of getting ANYTHING we want, #NeverTrump folks are, purposefully or not, utilizing one of the classic logical fallacies and giving the Left the perfect opening to continue to “divide and conquer” us.
And if you’re a conservative who insists on carrying on the fight against the Trump candidacy, you’ve completely fallen for this fallacy – hook, line, and sinker.
Scott Morefield is a news and opinion columnist for BizPac Review. Follow him on Twitter at @SKMorefield.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.