Conservatives should be sure to check out Michael Gerson’s column on what the nomination of Mr. Trump would mean for the Republican party. Agree or disagree, he raises important arguments with which conservatives need to wrestle.
As for me, I agree with Mr. Gerson that the defining elements of Trumpism are not compatible with conservatism or with the Republican party’s current and long-standing self-conception. Mr. Trump’s nomination would be a disaster for the conservative movement.
With Mr. Trump at the helm of the GOP, Gerson’s prediction is a real possibility.
American political parties are durable constructions. But they have been broken before by powerful, roiling issues such as immigration and racial prejudice. Many Republicans could not vote for Trump but would have a horribly difficult time voting for Clinton. The humane values of Republicanism would need to find a temporary home, which would necessitate the creation of a third party. This might help elect Clinton, but it would preserve something of conservatism, held in trust, in the hope of better days.
In the hope of better days, indeed.