Only Two Republican Strategies to Defeat Trump But That Is Not Winning

Common Sense is very difficult to ascertain amidst the mountainous tangle of Republican candidates, personalities, promises and arguments. It is, however, far easier to see some Common Sense there than in the Mount Everest sized pile of lies, deceptions, corruption and contradictions in Sir Hillary's entire history from a wild eyed Hippie to the Benghazi tragedy, and now, possible President of the strongest nation on earth.

Today's Republican Poll by Reuters/Ipsos

Trump: 31 percent (down sharply in last week)

Ben Carson: 14.9 percent ----> l

Marco Rubio: 8.4 percent --->  l--- The Triad

Ted Cruz: 8.4 percent -------->  l

Jeb Bush: 6.5 percent

Mike Huckabee: 4.8 percent

John Kasich: 4.5 percent

Chris Christie: 4.3 percent

Jim Gilmore: 2.8 percent

Rand Paul: 2.6 percent

Carly Fiorina: 1.8 percent

George Pataki: 1.7 percent

Rick Santorum: 1.5 percent

Lindsey Graham: 0.3 percent

Wouldn't vote: 6.5 percent 

One Republican strategy would be the negative of discovering some major flaw, crime or corruption in Trump's closet before he is nominated. You can be sure the Democrats already have found some, if there are any there, and will use it ... later.... after he is nominated and it is too late to change horses. So someone better let the cat out of the bag now if its not just cat hair or a kitten.

The second strategy is for Carson, Rubio and Cruz, a Triad, who have a slightly higher total percentage of Republican support (31.7%) than Trump (31%), to join forces, before the July Convention, with two or three lesser candidates.... Bush, Huckabee, Kasich, Christie, Gilmore, or Paul to out poll Trump and agree on which two of the "triad" will be the Republican ticket. That done, most of the bottom 10 polling candidates would fall in line with that ticket in preference to a Trump ticket. The flaw in this strategy would be if one of the "triad" candidates accepted Trump's offer of the Vice Presidential spot. Trump might also offer a cabinet post or Ambassadorship to several other of the lesser, co-operative candidates, to lock in the nomination. I don't think either of the "triad" would accept an offer from Trump of Vice-President, but that is possible.  They are all quite young and might take the offer to get in line for top spot later. However, considering the fragile, explosive condition of this nation, risking your career and reputation to become President, with a shot at fixing the Titanic, might be worth the risk. But risking all for the position of Vice President "is not worth a bucket of spit" according the our 32nd Vice President, John Nance Garner.

The wild card in this slick new deck is also the Trump card. If he wins the Republican nomination with 50%, he still hasn't won the Presidency and his chances of doing so are severely narrowed, having alienated the supporters of all the other Republican candidates to a degree not seen in the a hundred years. If he hadn't been so vicious in his criticism of the other candidates, and flaunted his enormous ego in every sentence, he might have been able to unite the party against the Hillary horror movie. But that damage is done and like four years ago, a lot of Republicans and Independents will stay home if Trump is the candidate. In my mind he is so much preferable to Hillary that I would vote against her by voting for him. But a lot of wounded Republicans just will not vote for Trump and will cut off their noses to spite their faces and get Hillary by default. That nail in the national coffin would seal our political fate til resurrection day.

The final insult to rationality would be, if Trump is not nominated and runs on a third party ticket. He said he wouldn't but recently said he might. That will split enough Conservative Republican and Independent voters off from voting for the Republican Candidate that Hillary would win with a minority of votes.

One final comment. I am in a dilemma between desperately wanting a solid Constitutional Conservative as President and yet not wanting to destroy his party. Knowing that our country is now in such an impossible to remedy mess, that even the best of all candidates, not only can't fix it, but will get the blame, with his party, when this ship of state goes down at sea after the election. Therefore, I would almost hope no such good man would be thrust into the Captain's chair of the USS Titanic since it has already hit the iceberg at midnight and the crew is just rearranging the deck chairs... and the band plays on. It happened with Herbert Hoover, a Republican. He became President in March 1929 and the Stock Market crashed soon after and the Great Depression began. Hoover has been blamed for it ever since. So I would prefer to see the crash now, when Democrats would get the blame, than after January 2017.