Clueless in the GOP

Many among the Republican Establishment are not getting the message. POLITICO reporters Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan wrote, in an article entitled “Ryan Abandons Trump,” that:


"Ryan stopped short of formally rescinding his endorsement of Trump – but just short. His move carries immense risk and Ryan faced blowback from all sides: Trump and his surrogates preemptively warned Republican leaders they would pay a price for breaking from the nominee."

 
“It's a huge risk as well for Ryan and House Republicans, as they could face a potential backlash from Trump supporters.”

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There is a backlash coming

The left-leaning pundits at POLITICO got it right. There is a backlash coming. And I’m part of it. This morning, I sent Spencer Zimmerman a donation. Zimmerman is a US Air Force vet running as a "Trump Conservative" against Ryan in the general election. There are four candidates on the ballot: the “quisling” (more on this later) Paul Ryan (R), Ryan Solen (D), Jason Lebeck (L) and Spencer Zimmerman (running as a “Trump Conservative”). 
Why Zimmerman? After several decades in the US Army, being a team means something to me. Like many Republicans, in past elections I've made my choice known in various primaries, yet when my preference didn't get selected, I didn't whine. On election day, I marched down to the polling place and voted for my party's standard bearer. 
 I understood and supported the Republican Party's decision to exact a loyalty signature from all Presidential primary contenders, requiring each of them to pledge support to the eventual nominee. Although this was meant to be a shot at Trump – which has backfired – it brought a positive result. It put on full display the hypocrisy of the Mandarin class of the Republican Party establishment.

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Ryan's pusillanimous conduct of denouncing Trump

Ryan's pusillanimous conduct of denouncing Trump, refusing to campaign with and help him defeat Clinton, while telling House members to 'save themselves," demonstrates how cowardly he and his cronies are, and just how little they respect Republican voters. Clearly, the example of Eric Cantor didn't send a clear message. It's time to send a stronger one, and not just to Paul Ryan. National Review provided an "An Updated Roster of Anti-Trump Republicans" If Hillary Clinton wins this election, many Republican voters will hold these folks responsible, along with Paul Ryan. Here is the list as of the time I read the article: Sen. Kelly Ayotte (NH); Gov. Robert Bentley (AL); Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL); Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (WV); Rep. Jason Chaffetz (UT); Sen. Mike Crapo (ID); Gov. Dennis Dauggard (SD); Rep. Rodney Davis (IL); Sen. Deb Fischer (NE); Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (NE); Sen. Cory Gardner (CO); Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ); Gov. Gary Herbert (UT); Rep. Cresent Hardy (NV); Rep. Joe Heck (NV); Rep. Frank LoBiondo (NJ); Sen. John McCain (AZ); Rep. Erik Paulsen (MN); Rep. Tom Rooney (FL); Rep. Martha Roby (AL); Rep. Chris Stewart (UT); Sen. Dan Sullivan (AK); Sen. John Thune (SD); Rep. Ann Wagner (MO).  If Trump wins the election, their names will be largely forgotten. If Trump loses, they too will lose in the long run.

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