Donald John Trump...

...is a chump-- enough said.

Obviously, I won't stop there because I also think Hilary is the wrong choice.  Yes, she is the wrong choice but she is a known quantity-- not a wild card.  And before we move on-- I apologize for the name calling, but my fear of the damage Donald Trump's already wrought upon our country's standing in the world is upsetting to say the least considering that he hasn't even taken office yet. 

I say to you Republicans-- you have just over one week to mount a final, true offensive against Trump.  I implore you to throw everything you've got at him and split this party asunder if need be.  Use whatever tactics available to prevent him from getting the nomination (Minus violent ones of course.  I just don't want anyone to mistake my language to be interpreted as something else.)  All of these tactics will probably fail to prevent the nomination at this late stage, but the damage will be done and then once Trump is ruined maybe the healing and rebuilding can begin.  This will most likely guarantee a Republican failure to win the White House this election, but this is about playing a long game and winning the larger engagement not just this one battle.

From the ashes, let's build a new party that sloughs off the extreme right wing of near fascists and is instead a coalition of reasonable conservatives, fiscal conservative, hawkish patriots (but not war hungry ones), Libertarians, moderate Southern Democrats (who are still pretty much Republicans just not in name), people of color, people who believe in conserving our planet but not forcing people to drive smart cars or eat vegan, heck lets even accept vegans so long as they don't believe in forcing their view on others!  It can again be a party that honors inclusion and brings back people of color most of whom left the party over 50 years ago by tackling issues important to them-- poverty, police shootings, and gun reform. When I say gun reform, I mean reform that protects more citizens than ever while being sensitive to a core constituency in the NRA.  Let's not build a wall, but let's stop involving ourselves in expensive foreign wars and put more of our resources into helping build up countries in our hemisphere.  Then, rather than being countries that people try desperately to escape from, they will be valuable trade partners with strong economies that are no longer more allied with oligarchies, communism, and the Chinese than they are democracy, captitalism, and the U.S.A. 

And before I go too far, I need any readers to understand that true Libertarians are much more than what is exemplified by the dying but still very strong TEA party movement.  Libertarians definitely do like minimal government involvement, but not just when it comes to taxes.  Their views extend to no government involvement in religion, sexuality, marriage choices, how to raise your children, getting too entrenched in expensive foreign wars, etc.  The point is Libertarianism is basically the conservative answer to anarchy, but with the realization that some government is absolutely necessary.  I digress, but I wanted to clarify what role this wing of the party really does play.  It is not about racism, shipping foreigners out, building walls, hating Europe or any of the ridiculous views that have been espoused by the most radical elements of the right wing.

Perhaps it is time the Republican party dies.  I hope not, but I don't think it can be sustained at its current trajectory.  Perhaps we let the radical elements have the party and finally pool remaining resources to start a viable third party that seeks to consolidate moderate conservatives and right-leaning liberals into a broad coalition thereby allowing the extremes of the Republican and Democratic parties to fight it out with each other while the third party sets about making real change.  Most likely this party would have to form a ruling coalition with one of the other two parties to really get anything done but at least we'd learn something from the other multi-party countries where compromise is essential to making their governments operate.  Perhaps this would set the United States back a bit initially, but I think the ultimate good would greatly outweigh the bad.  Something has to finally break our nation of its gridlock and seething anger towards people with other viewpoints. 

The United States has already had experience with being a military and economic superpower, but never with truly living up to the words inscribed on the statue of liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"  For those in the Republican party that hold fast for religious reasons (particularly Christian)-- tell me what other inscription at one of our national land marks more exemplifies the example of Christ?  I only say this because I often hear deeply religious people being very supportive of close-minded demagogues spouting off what amounts almost to near hate speech.  Until we can stop such rhetoric can we work on making American great again.  For some time, the U.S. will continue to be a great power regardless of who wins office of the presidency.  But there's a good chance that power will start to wane without support from the rest of the democratic world.  That does not have to happen so long as the U.S. takes the high road.  Not only can the United States of America be the greatest economic powerhouse and military stronghold the world has ever seen, but it can also be the most open and accepting country in all of history-- a true light to the rest of the world.  Make America Great again-- why stop there??  I say MAKE AMERICA GREATER-- greater than it's ever been!!