Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is really pushing hard to win the approval of Lord Trump and that #2 spot on the ticket.

His tirade against those who oppose Trump as nominee and hope to overthrow him at the convention in July is equal parts ironic and laughable.

“You know, if you can’t vote for the nominee of the party and the person who got the votes, don’t go to the convention,” Gingrich said during a Facebook livestream on a trip to Hungary with his wife, Callista. “Don’t think you can safely get away with imposing your values, your judgment, your wisdom on the people of the United States. That era’s over, and in fact, you’re going to look very foolish arguing that the voters — your voters — back home don’t count because you’re so much smarter.”

The rules of the convention allow for a backdoor for delegates to take, as a protection against such things as unserious, uninformed voters using their vote as a form of protest against the government and voting for parody candidates, like Mickey Mouse, John Wayne, or reality TV stars.

That Gingrich apparently has a problem with injecting wisdom into the electoral process is a bit curious.

“An elite delegate is a person who says, ‘You know, I’m so smart and my judgment’s so good, I don’t care what the voters back home say. I don’t care who they voted for. You’re telling me that Donald Trump got 13.5 million votes, I don’t care. You tell me it’s the most votes any Republican has ever got, I don’t care. After all, why should I listen to the people when I have my elitist superior wisdom,'” Gingrich said, characterizing the position of a Republican opposed to Trump.

That is not likely to go well, Gingrich said, urging his fellow party members to not decide “that you’re smarter than the American people.”

While I have a real problem with “elites” who would otherwise try and overthrow the will of the people, I have an equally strong reaction to the bumper sticker politics of Trump and his devotees.

Trump never gives a solid, substantive answer to policy questions, shows authoritarian tendencies, and there is no indication he is actually trying to become involved and aware of the process. This is dangerous not just for the party, but for the entire nation.

At such times, having those who actually don’t count wisdom as a vice step in may be preferable to the chance actual elites like Gingrich are willing to take with our republic, all because there’s something in it for them.