Voters Have Been Wrong to Support Trump: Reasons Others Should Make a Better Choice

The ongoing spectacle of the presidential primaries has proven to be a never-ending source of consternation and disbelief.  The candidates for the Democratic nomination are fighting over which of them can most emphatically promise to ignore immigration laws and give away the most “free stuff,” and it would of course be absolutely awful if either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders were to follow Barack Obama as president and lead this country even further down the path to left-wing oblivion.  And yet, I really haven’t been able to spare much time or attention to even worry about the dangers posed by the Democrats because of the more immediate crisis on the Republican side, where an absolutely unfit and unconservative candidate is on the verge of becoming the nominee and supposed leader of the party.  It may be a  hopeless cause, but, until this officially happens, I believe that working to stop Trump and to secure the nomination for a far-better candidate is absolutely imperative.

We hear a lot about the anger and frustration with the government and the direction of the country that is supposed to be driving many people to support Donald Trump’s candidacy. Well, I also believe that we need to change course in many ways, including by moving away from the liberal policies that have increasingly been adopted by our government.  One of the most important steps necessary to allow this shift to happen is to stop electing liberal Democrats to the presidency and instead choose someone with conservative principles and ideas.  The opportunity to select a new president obviously only comes along every four years, and, unfortunately, Republicans seem to be at a disadvantage in these national elections, as a majority of voters prefer to elevate people like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama to the highest office in the land.  This year’s presidential contest, though, seemed to offer a much better chance for Republicans, as they could expect to face a Democratic nominee who does not enjoy the (undeserved) adulation and personal popularity of these men.  In addition, the large field of Republican candidates entering the race was incredibly impressive, filled with many admirable current and former officeholders.  And yet, at this crucial time, a sizable contingent of voters has decided to do its best to throw away this real opportunity to send a conservative to the White House by giving its devoted support to a completely unqualified and unconservative demagogue who has himself agreed with liberals for most (if not all) of his life.  As a result, it would be difficult for me to overstate how dismayed and frustrated I am with them.  If they are so convinced that Republican politicians are unwilling or unable to work toward solving any problems and have “betrayed” them, they were free to form their own Trumpophile party to try to win the election.  They have chosen instead to try to take over the Republican party while abandoning many of it’s core beliefs, and it is up to those of us who do not approve of this transformation, including whatever really exists of the party structure itself, to resist and fight back however we can.

Much of the conversation lately has focussed on what might happen at the national convention this summer if no candidate has secured a majority of delegates.  Donald Trump and his team have been complaining about the rules and processes when they don’t work to his advantage, as well as asserting that the nomination should be his if he simply has the most delegates, even if he doesn’t reach the total required for a majority.  This self-serving bluster, along with the threats and intimidation that Trump and his supporters are also attempting to use to pressure delegates and the party to hand him the nomination, should be dismissed and should certainly not influence anyone to decide in Trump’s favor.  If anything, these tactics are more evidence that Trump would not be a deserving nominee -- I can’t see how making a whining bully the standard-bearer for one’s party could possibly be the best option.  It should constantly be reinforced to the public and the delegates that a decision to select someone other than the frontrunner as the nominee would be perfectly legitimate at a contested convention, and I would urge them to make another choice should that situation arise.

Before any of these discussions can be relevant, though, the results of the entire slate of primaries and caucuses need to conclude with Donald Trump still short of the 1237 pledged delegates that he would need to secure the nomination.  With his big win in New York last week and more friendly-state primaries this Tuesday, I worry that media coverage and public perception, along with Trump’s inexplicably devoted base of support, may give him the momentum to keep racking up victories the rest of the way and to, as a result, gain the delegate majority required to become the nominee.  Whether or not this happens is up to the voters in the upcoming states, who will have to make better choices than their counterparts in many of the prior contests in order to give Republicans any chance of escaping the gloomy fate of a Trump nomination.  There are so very many seemingly obvious reasons that Republican voters should reject Donald Trump that it is baffling for approximately 40% of them to have embraced him instead.  One can only address a fraction of the problems with Trump at any one time, and it often seems that the public may not care to consider these factors, but we have to at least try again to convince voters in Pennsylvania, Indiana, California, and all of the other places that have yet to vote to turn away from Trump and select a true Republican instead.

So, let’s review just a sampling of Donald Trump’s fault’s in a few categories, shall we?

Character Flaws/Ethical Issues

Perhaps we’re not supposed to care about many of these things, but I do, so we’ll get them out of the way first.  Trump is a rude, obnoxious man with an extremely overinflated ego who resorts to insulting everyone from his opponents to party leaders to even the voters if they do anything he doesn’t like.  As a presidential candidate, he has mocked war heroes, disabled people, his rival’s wife, journalists, and many others.  Voters should not fool themselves into thinking that he truly cares about them and their interests -- Trump does what is best for himself, even if it results in negative consequences for others.  (I guess I shouldn’t mention the way he treated his wives and bragged about having many affairs with married women, but I think these are relevant examples.)  Trump thinks the bankruptcies in several of his companies are not a problem -- after all, he used the laws to make sure that he didn’t come out of tough business situations too badly, and it’s just tough luck for the creditors, contractors, and other “little guys” that were hurt in bailing him out.  If Trump can use his famous name to get people to pay lots of money for very little information from Trump University or to get involved in a supplement-selling pyramid-type scheme like the Trump Network, why wouldn’t he?  And, what could be wrong with trying to use eminent domain powers to take an elderly woman’s property for a casino parking lot?  While Trump now tells us that he blames illegal immigration, foreign workers, and companies that move jobs overseas for many of the economic struggles and concerns of Americans, he himself has been fined for using illegal labor and even now brings in workers on visas for his resorts and has his clothing products manufactured in other countries rather than employing Americans.  In addition, as mentioned above, Trump and his campaign have been trying to use intimidation to ensure that he gets the Republican nomination, suggesting that riots might break out if he is denied and that the hotel rooms of delegates who might not vote for him should be revealed so that Trump supporters could “discuss” the issue with them.  None of these personality traits or behaviors seem to be things one would particularly want in a president, and many polls show that much of the public views Trump very unfavorably.  All things considered, this disfavor is richly deserved, and it is just unfortunate that a sizable segment of the Republican-leaning electorate seems willfully blind to all of Trump’s character flaws.

Unqualified/Inconsistent/Phony

Donald Trump lacks any real qualifications to be president of the United States.  (Reality TV hosting doesn’t really provide the requisite skills.)  Many of his supporters want an “outsider,” but I think it would be very unwise to treat probably the most important job in the world as a position requiring no prior related experience.  Trump has shown throughout the campaign that he lacks even basic knowledge about the workings of our government, suggesting, for example, that judges “sign bills” or conduct investigations and that he would order cop-killers executed by executive order.  He is also unfamiliar with many important aspects of national security and foreign policy, among other issues, and has said that he’d be able to learn everything he’d need to know if he were elected.  (I guess he doesn’t want to waste his time on this stuff if he’s not going to get the job.)  No one should feel confident about what actions or policies to expect from a Trump presidency, because the candidate changes his positions with great frequency, sometimes within the same day.  He will make statements indicating that what he believes or intends is different from what is contained in the proposals issued by his campaign or posted on his website, even on the issue of immigration that supposedly propelled him to the front of the pack in the race, and he has declared that he would be “flexible” about issues and make great deals to get things done.  Trump has said before that he could become a completely different (“politically correct” or “presidential”) person if he had to, and his new campaign advisor said a few days ago that Trump has so far been projecting a persona, is someone very different in private, and will now evolve into a candidate that will be more acceptable to a wider portion of the public.  Do people really want someone who does not stick to any core principles and has been presenting a false image to gain primary votes but will now try to transform into something different for the general election?  Isn’t this the type of thing the “angry grassroots” supporting Trump are supposed to despise in politicians?  And, what does it say about Trump’s view of the primary voters if he thinks the way to win them over is to pretend to be a vile, ignorant, loudmouth?  Really, though, I think it’s quite clear from what we’ve seen of Donald Trump in the public eye for decades that he has only partly been putting forth a false image during this campaign.  He really is an offensive jerk, but he’s only recently been pretending (badly) to be some sort of Republican or conservative.

Liberal Democrat

So, perhaps Trump will soon be even more open about the fact that, to the extent he does have views on issues, most of them are more suited to a liberal Democrat than a Republican presidential nominee.  He has a history of liberalism throughout his life, but even while running for president he has taken many liberal positions.  For example, he has spoken in favor of affirmative action, government-provided or even “single-payer” healthcare, and raising taxes on “the rich.”  (Actually, in Wisconsin, he even criticized Governor Walker for not raising taxes to deal with budgetary issues.)  Like the Democrats, Trump is opposed to any efforts to reform entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, and he said he would be neutral in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.  On social  issues, Trump has praised Planned Parenthood, and just last week he both took issue with North Carolina’s law regarding single-sex bathroom use and suggested altering (weakening) the Republican party’s platform language regarding abortion.  While Donald Trump has displayed a remarkable lack of constancy during his campaign, his basic instincts about a great many issues are pretty consistently liberal.  I’m not sure why he even chose to run as a Republican, but I find it even harder to understand how he’s been able to find support among Republican voters and the (previously) “conservative” media.

Miscellaneous

In addition to all of the problems already mentioned above, there are other things about Donald Trump that are deeply worrisome.  Trump has shown himself to be very rash, impulsive, and reckless.  He lashes out when he is upset or angry, and this could be extremely dangerous in the leader of a nation, especially when combined with some of Trump’s rather unorthodox views on international affairs.  He seems to think that the status of our relationships with other countries should be based on the types of deals that we can make with them, and he appears to focus too much on whether the U.S. benefits monetarily from an alliance or action.  I think there is a risk that Trump might hastily take actions that would alienate allies like Japan, South Korea, and the NATO countries or create serious conflicts with nations like China with which we might have disagreements.  I am also concerned about what Donald Trump’s view of the presidency may be.  He has said quite a few things that indicate he envisions a very powerful role for himself in the office, which is especially problematic when you also consider the positive comments he has made about authoritarian leaders, such as Vladimir Putin.  Republicans have, rightly, accused Barack Obama of exceeding his authority as executive and abusing government power.  But, if Donald Trump says openly during his campaign that he wants to change libel laws so that he can more easily sue newspapers that say things he doesn’t like, that the Speaker of the House will pay a big price if he doesn’t get along well with Trump, that the military will go along with orders to do things (like torture or the execution of terrorists’ families) that would violate international law if he tells them to, and so on, and the people then elect him, how empowered will Trump feel to go even further toward a dictatorial administration than the current president?  Now, maybe the mythical “new, improved, presidential” Trump wouldn’t be scary in any of these ways, but why on earth would we take such a chance??

Conclusion

The list of reasons Donald Trump should not be the Republican nominee is practically endless and growing all the time, yet Trump seems increasingly likely to win the nomination.  This can feel rather like a traumatic nightmare, but it is all too real.  To people in states that still have upcoming primary contests, I would make the following appeal:  If you really want to vote for a liberal candidate with some questionable past dealings, please make sure that you are eligible to vote on the Democrat side and cast your ballot there.  Let the rest of us have at least some chance of having our views represented on the ballot in November.  If, on the other hand, you do want to support a candidate on the Right side of the spectrum, please vote for Ted Cruz.  The senator actually holds Republican views, will not constantly say things that cause embarrassment or need explanation and correction, and actually is knowledgeable about government, law, and politics.  He would be a far better choice for the nomination and the presidency than the celebrity billionaire who claims to “tell it like it is” and to represent the people while actually lying to them and taking their support for granted in his quest to attain power and more attention for himself.  Please, voters, make the right choice:  reject Donald Trump and rekindle a spark of hope that we can yet start moving the country back in the right direction with a conservative election victory this fall.

No Time for Anti-Trump Forces to Relax After Wisconsin

For a Wisconsinite who has been rather obsessed with the Republican presidential primary process, the two weeks leading up to our contest on April 5th were pretty amazing, as the candidates and the media concentrated so much attention on our state.  For me, this year’s race has, unfortunately, been dominated by Donald Trump’s attempt to appropriate the GOP and it’s presidential nomination for his own self-serving ends.  Somehow, millions of people have chosen to support him in this endeavor, which, should it succeed, would be an absolute disaster for the Republican party and the country.  So, I am very glad that the voters of Wisconsin made a much wiser choice and gave Senator Ted Cruz a big victory, which was not expected just a short while ago.  It’s nice to be able to be proud of the voters of my state for something related to a presidential election for a change, since it has been opting for liberal Democrats in general elections for many years.  Some commentators speculated that the results in Wisconsin might indicate that we had come to a turning point in the race, with the momentum swinging away from Trump.  That would have been absolutely wonderful, but I can’t breathe easy yet.  Alas, we are still a very long way from escaping the looming threat of a Trump nomination, and it actually seems as if the atmosphere may have already become much more pro-Trump again.

Even though there has been some positive, encouraging news during the last few weeks, including the outcome in Wisconsin and the success Senator Cruz has had securing delegates at state and local conventions, there are still plenty of troubling circumstances and developments surrounding the race to cause great concern.  For one thing, despite his recent successes, Cruz won’t really have a chance to build momentum, because the next primary is in New York, where Trump has a big lead in the polls and is expected to pick up many delegates with a win in his populous home state.  A week later, elections will be held in more states favorable to Trump, and I worry that each Trump victory might be the one to precipitate the stampede of support to the frontrunner that we usually see much earlier in a race.  As spring proceeds, how much longer will less-intense skeptics of Donald Trump continue to treat the contest as undecided and competitive rather than “accepting” Trump as the presumptive nominee and preparing to back him in November’s general election?

It has been clear for many months now that, no matter what Donald Trump says or does, and no matter how terrible a time observers believe he is having during a particular stretch of the campaign, Trump still maintains a very significant level of support, generally about 35-40% of those voting or being polled as Republicans.  It’s bad enough that these members of the public obviously don’t care that Trump lacks the knowledge, experience, and character to be anything other than an abysmal president, but a great many of them are also willing to join on to whatever ridiculous argument or position he might take next.  For example, Trump has been complaining extensively about the various rules and procedures involved in the process of choosing a Republican presidential nominee.  He was already unhappy about the requirement to have the support of an actual majority of delegates in order to win the nomination, but lately he has also been critical of the processes taking place in various states to select the people who will serve as delegates, railing especially against the recent caucuses in Colorado.  Of course, Trump doesn’t like what has been happening because Ted Cruz and his campaign have been much more successful than Trump has in winning delegates chosen directly through means other than popular primaries as well as in getting actual supporters chosen to serve at the national convention in states that have voted.  All of the rules that different state parties have adopted have been in place for some time and were not secret.  They apply equally to all candidates and were certainly not adopted to hinder any particular “businessman”/reality TV star that almost no one would have expected to be in contention.  The Cruz team learned the rules and put in a lot of effort to do as well as they could under them, while Trump and his people did not.  None of this has stopped the staggeringly self-centered Trump from brazenly and dishonestly calling the process “rigged” and “undemocratic” and accusing Cruz of cheating and of stealing “his” delegates.  Regardless of the fact that what Trump is saying is (as usual) not true, many of his supporters are willing to believe and echo his claims.  Since Trump still gets such excessive media coverage without remotely balanced counter-arguments, I worry how much of the rest of the public may also come to believe the laughable story that Trump is somehow being treated unfairly in the Republican primary process.

In the last couple of weeks, there have been several discouraging stories about the responses Republican primary voters have given to various poll questions.  Because of his many flaws, it is perfectly reasonable for a large number of Republican voters to say they would not support Donald Trump if he were to become the nominee, but, sadly, there were also many people who said they would not back Ted Cruz if he were to win the nomination.  This wouldn’t particularly surprise me if the sentiment is coming from Trump fans who think that only he is deserving of their votes, but I find it quite disheartening to think that some others who may see Cruz as too conservative or polarizing may also take this position.  Polls of Republicans also reportedly show that people aren’t really interested in having a fight for the presidential nomination at the national convention and that most think the candidate who has won the most delegates should get the nomination, even if he does not have a majority.  This past week, an RNC member offered up the opinion that Trump would probably win if he had at least 1100 delegates, and we’ve also been hearing that some party “insiders” and officials are again saying things that suggest they may be moving toward some sort of acceptance of the idea of a Trump nomination -- that now, despite all the polls showing Trump would be easily beaten by the Democrats, they think that perhaps, with help from the Republican party and associated organizations, he could actually win.  Sigh...

What all of these things tell me is that a lot of people, including voters and even party officials and officeholders, still are not taking this election and the jaw-dropping awfulness of a potential Donald Trump nomination seriously enough.  First off, Republicans who are not under Trump’s spell need to accept that the person who has a chance to stop him from accumulating enough delegates to win the nomination is Senator Ted Cruz, and they should not undermine his efforts to do so.  (Memo to John Kasich:  Since the chance you believe you have to be nominated at the convention requires limiting Trump’s successes in the remaining primaries, maybe it would be in your interest to criticize him  rather than Cruz.)  Since the race began with so many candidates, many voters will have previously preferred other candidates to Cruz, but there is no reason for any traditional Republican to oppose or refuse to vote for him should he be the nominee.  He is a solid, conservative Republican who could represent the party well in the general election campaign and as president, if given the opportunity.  Any concerns people might have about Cruz’ style or about past conflicts with Senate colleagues should certainly not be strong enough to make sensible voters refuse to support him and to let Trump or a Democrat win instead.  The election is far too important for that.

The future direction of the party and the nation are at stake here, and everyone really needs to realize that as soon as possible and act accordingly.  Of course this is something worth battling about at the convention.  Far from being treated unfairly in the nominating process, Trump has benefitted from a system that was set up to favor front-runners, and this needs to be broadcast far and wide.  The need for a candidate to win a majority of delegates at the convention should be explained, reinforced, and defended at every opportunity.  The nomination should not be given to someone who cannot gain this much support just because he insists he is entitled to it or because some people think, “Gosh, he’s kind of close, we should just be generous and let him win.”  We’re not talking about awarding the prize for best pie at the county fair here -- this is about choosing the person who will be Republicans’ and conservatives’ standard-bearer in a fight to lead the country in a better direction.

If there is no majority winner on the first ballot, we can only hope that many delegates initially bound to Trump will abandon him at the first opportunity and vote instead for a far better option, such as Ted Cruz.  I don’t think the party should at all hesitate in welcoming such an occurrence.  It certainly should not give in to the idea that it might look better to TV viewers and be “less trouble” to go along with the Trump “highest total should win” attitude, avoid the disruptions his outraged supporters might cause if he isn’t nominated, and just try to minimize the coming electoral damage at all levels.  For one thing, there are also large numbers of Trump opponents who would be extremely upset if he is nominated, especially if there was a chance to avoid doing so.  Also, it would just be wrong to reward a campaign that has tried to use not-so-subtle threats of personal exposure and large-scale unrest to intimidate delegates and the party into giving Trump what he wants.  Furthermore, if concessions are made to Trump regarding the rules and the convention nominating process due to his “popularity” with a certain segment of the public and a fear of what might happen if he doesn’t get his way, I can only imagine the wide array of traditional Republican values and policy positions that will be cast aside from the party platform to accommodate Trump’s liberal, unorthodox, or even bizarre views.

Should that happen, what would be the point of still having a Republican party, and how could other GOP candidates, office-holders, and voters deal with the conflicts between what they have always believed and the things being said by the new supposed “leader” of the party?  To those whose main goal is not the destruction of the Republican party, this would be a terrible thing, so every effort should be made to prevent Trump -- someone who is not really a Republican, let alone a conservative -- from assuming the position at the top of the ticket.  After all, if Trump does become the nominee, Republicans and conservatives will have already been defeated, no matter what the outcome of November’s general election may be.

Wisconsin's Chance to Help Right the Ship

Wisconsin has been the focus of attention in the presidential primary process for the last couple of weeks.  This is something new for us, since the nominations are usually essentially already decided by the time our state votes.  On the Republican side, in particular, we have the chance to make a significant statement about the direction of the race and the party, and I hope that we will take that opportunity to move things in a more sensible direction.  

There is no rational explanation for the success that Donald Trump has had to this point in the Republican presidential contest, as he is completely unqualified and is not really a Republican, let alone a conservative.  Still, inexplicably, this man has managed to garner more votes and delegates than anyone else, and it will take a lot of things falling into place for his opposition to prevent him from becoming the nominee.  A victory for Ted Cruz in Wisconsin would show once again that Republicans as a whole are not ready to fall in line behind the front-running Trump and hand him the nomination, and it would be one important step toward making a different outcome possible.

The choice before voters should not be a difficult one.  Early on, perhaps the presence of so many Republican candidates in the race led some of the public astray -- unable to focus on all of the options, they may have paid attention only to the person constantly in the limelight.  Now, however, there are three candidates remaining, and voters should certainly care enough to look into each of them sufficiently to see the differences among them and learn which might be worthy of a presidential nomination.  For many months now, Trump has repeated vague intentions of winning, negotiating good deals, and "making America great again," while demonstrating that he has no clue how to actually go about improving things should he (heaven forbid) become president.  In contrast, many of his opponents, including Senator Ted Cruz, have put forth actual plans regarding taxes, health care, and many other issues and shown that they in fact do have relevant knowledge with which to approach America’s concerns.

Since the beginning of the race, Trump has run a campaign of insults and attempts at intimidation aimed at his opponents, protesters, the media, the Republican party, and anyone else that gets in his way.  He also is serially dishonest and changes his stories and positions constantly, sometimes even within a few hours.  These tendencies have certainly been on display during the last two weeks in unpleasant episodes such as Trump’s Twitter targeting of Cruz’s wife, which he tried to justify with the false claim that Cruz had been involved in an outside anti-Trump group’s ad that used a photo of Mrs. Trump.  In another example, Trump’s campaign manager was recently charged with misdemeanor battery for his rough treatment of a female reporter in Florida in an incident that both Trump and the staffer had at times downplayed and at times denied, while accusing the journalist of making things up.  After the charges were filed, Trump not only defended his campaign manager, but also suggested that his actions were justified because the journalist and her pen (which could have been a small bomb, after all!) might have been a threat to Trump.  In the last few days, Trump has also stated at least four different opinions about abortion laws, and he has once again said that, despite pledging to do so, he might not support a different nominee if he doesn’t think he’s treated “fairly” at the Republican convention.

Recent days have also brought even more evidence against Donald Trump’s candidacy for the GOP nomination.  When asked about important functions of the federal government, in addition to security, he listed everything from health care and education to housing and the creation of strong neighborhoods.  While campaigning here in Wisconsin, Trump persisted in using discredited liberal criticisms to attack our own Governor Scott Walker, putting Trump on the same page as Sanders and Clinton.  Trump has also casually suggested radical changes in our foreign policies toward allies if they don’t contribute more financially to the arrangements, and he has been rather nonchalant in his discussions of the possible spread or use of nuclear weapons.  This is clearly not a man who is in any way a limited government conservative Republican, and his uninformed recklessness would be extremely dangerous on the world stage.  Trump has shown little regard for the way our system of government is intended to work, and the main premise of his campaign seems to be that putting him in charge will solve everything.  Donald Trump's statements have been so inconsistent that we can’t really have any idea what goals or policies he would actually pursue if in office, but his extreme self-centeredness coupled with the positive things he’s said about authoritarian governments and leaders suggests that a President Trump might well exceed the boundaries of executive authority to a far greater degree than even the current occupant of the White House already has.

In contrast, Ted Cruz has a long-standing appreciation of the U.S. Constitution and its principles of limited government.  He intends to undo Barack Obama’s unconstitutional executive orders, protect the rights and freedoms of citizens, reform taxes and regulations, and rein in the federal bureaucracy.  Unlike Donald Trump, Cruz is knowledgeable about foreign and domestic policy issues and has spent time thinking through his positions and proposals for goals such as economic improvement and the rebuilding of the military, among many others.  Cruz understands the importance of maintaining our relationships with Israel, NATO, and other allies and also recognizes the need to deal with threats from our enemies by, for example, more aggressively targeting ISIS and rejecting Obama’s “agreement” with Iran.  The current Supreme Court vacancy is a reminder of the importance of presidents in shaping the direction of the courts.  Ted Cruz will seek to appoint judges who follow the law and the Constitution, and his legal background as a clerk at the Supreme Court and as Solicitor General of Texas makes him particularly well-suited to choose strong people for the bench.  While in Washington, Senator Cruz has demonstrated his willingness to stand up for what he thinks should be done, even in the face of harsh criticism, sometimes from his own party.  Throughout the campaign, Cruz has shown a level-headed demeanor and a focus on issues.  He is not easily distracted from making his points by unfriendly reporters or hostile opponents, and he does not fly off the handle and hurl insults every time things do not go his way.  It took an unfair attack on his family to prompt  him to, understandably, call Trump a “coward” for dragging Cruz’ wife into his Twitter war.  In short, Cruz has the experience, preparation, convictions, and temperament to qualify him for the presidency, while his chief opponent clearly does not.

Of course, there is also a third candidate seeking votes in the Republican primary.  Governor John Kasich is an experienced politician with considerable success during his career, and he would certainly be a far better nominee or president than Donald Trump.  However, some aspects of his record and positions, including Medicaid expansion in Ohio and a proposal to once again pursue comprehensive immigration reform early in a presidential term, are not ideal.  In addition, his track record so far during this primary season has not been strong, as he has won only in his home state and has often received very low levels of voter support.  With Ted Cruz’ stronger conservative message and better results in this year’s elections, he is the best available choice for Republicans.

After the seemingly unprecedented amount of candidate visits and media attention Wisconsin has received lately, our voters now have the chance to make a crucial choice about the future of this year’s presidential election and our country.  I am hopeful that we will reject the disastrous candidacy of Donald Trump and help to steer the Republican nomination process back in the right direction by providing a much-needed victory to the genuinely conservative and infinitely more presidential candidate, Senator Ted Cruz.