(from the diaries by streiff)

Any regular RS reader has noticed by now that virtually all the front page contributors here have gone full-bore #nevertrump.  I wholly support them in this, not that they need my support one way or the other.  Still, as we’re seeing more and more reliably conservative politicos like Governors Perry, Jindal, and Haley offering at least tepid support for Herr OrangeKoph, I am noticing a trend in the RS comments that disturbs me.  Many commenters are  accusing them of disloyalty to conservatism, saying they’ll never support them again, and things along that line.

Friends, I beg you, let’s not train our guns on our own allies.  Choosing #neverclinton over #nevertrump is not an irrational decision. The damage Clinton can do through SCOTUS appointments alone is immense. Trump SCOTUS appointees may be more like Justice Kennedy than Scalia, but Clinton would give us Justice Ginsburg 2.0. Clinton will use the power of the Executive to advance her social agenda.  Trump is not our friend on social issues, but he’s not necessarily our enemy there either.  Trump’s view of executive power is frightening, but Clinton’s is equally so.  Rational minds may well decide to support Trump over Clinton, choosing short-term pragmatism over a long-term struggle for the future of the conservative movement.

Choosing to support the Tangerine Tyrant over Clinton is not a choice I am willing to make, but many of our friends will.  Loyal conservatives, regular RS readers and bloggers, tireless allies in the fight to advance conservative principles, may choose #neverclinton in November and support Trump in the months to come.  Many elected officials with long histories of fighting for our values on the state and national stage will do the same.  These are people who have given their time, their sweat, and their money to achieve conservative victories.  We may not agree with them, but do we really want to demonize people who agree with our principles in so many respects? These aren’t Vichy Republicans like Christie and Rick Scott; they’re more like Ukraine in WWII – stuck between Stalin’s Russia on one side and the Nazis on the other.

We have achieved amazing things in our states, and sent an unprecedented number of true conservatives to Washington.  Do we really want to kill and eat our own?  As we watch our friends and allies gradually move toward Trump, and they will, remember this.  They share our goals. Let’s not drive them away over a disagreement about strategy and tactics.