[My graphic, not part of the article TM]


Over the past week, as it’s begun to sink in that -- no foolin’ -- Donald Trump might really be the nominee, I began to notice a trend among family and friends who are stalwart Republicans. These are people who consistently vote, and consistently vote (R) straight down the line. And they are tortured because they cannot bring themselves to vote for the Republican nominee this year, if the Republican nominee is Trump.

“She’s beside herself,” my mother said of a near relation, who is apparently seriously considering voting for a Democrat for the first time. I wanted to understand this phenomenon better. I asked on Twitter whether this was a real thing, just as the hashtag #NeverTrump began trending. And I got an earful. So I invited lifelong Republicans who had decided that they couldn’t vote for Trump in the general, even if he got the nomination, to tell me their stories. Hundreds of e-mails poured in, and are still arriving. They're informative.

What surprised me? First, the sheer number of people who sat down and composed lengthy e-mails on a weekend.

Second, the passion they showed. These people are not quietly concerned about Trump. They are appalled, repulsed, afraid and dismayed that their party could have let this happen. They wrote in the strongest possible language, and many were adamant that they would not stay home on Election Day, but in fact would vote for Hillary Clinton in the general and perhaps leave the Republican Party for good.

Third was the sheer breadth. I got everything from college students to Midwestern farmers to military intelligence officers to former officials in Republican administrations, one of whom said he would “tattoo #NeverTrump” on a rather delicate part of his anatomy if it would keep Donald J. Trump from becoming the nominee. They were from all segments of the party -- urban professionals, yes, but also stalwart evangelicals, neoconservatives, libertarians, Tea Partiers, the whole patchwork of ideological groups of which the Republican coalition is made.

Fourth was what they didn’t say. Some people talked about economic liberty issues, like taxes, or Obamacare, but that was a minority. “Lack of substance” was another minor issue -- often present, but never alone.

The main arguments were his authoritarianism, his lack of any principle besides the further aggrandizement of one Donald J. Trump, his racism and misogyny, and his erratic behavior, which led a whole lot of people to write that they were afraid to have him anywhere within a thousand miles of the nuclear launch codes.

I spent Sunday chopping e-mails up into quotes and organizing them by theme. They are excerpted below, with minor edits for clarity, and the whole collection is here (anonymized, with any specific identifiers stripped out). You can see for yourself what people are saying about their decision. Maybe you'll see some themes I did not. Please join the conversation in a comment below.

Meanwhile, here is what I learned from asking #NeverTrump folks what they’re thinking.

They’re party stalwarts.

They understand that refusing to vote for Trump means that a Democrat will probably win.

Many will actually consider voting for a Democrat, rather than just staying home.

They understand that a Democratic win means that the Supreme Court will flip liberal, and probably stay that way for a while.

They think the GOP is better off losing the election than winning it with Trump at the helm.

They question his character and judgment.

one big huge well-deserved snip!!!

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/20...-say-nevertrump

I've copied the first six bullet points. It goes on for at least 13 more points including that he's actually a liberal!!!! oh my that one is so weird!!! and then there's the typical, he's an egotistical maniac, the character charges that he's a misogynist and he's authoritarian. The charges get more ridiculous as the article goes on. And each one of these topic points has paragraphs of material! We are witnessing loony times! TM

Quote: truthkeeper wrote in post #5

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Are you kidding? I am TOTALLY prepared to write in Trump.

I'll bet you 98% of his supporters would too.

And if the GOP elite keeps this up, more than that will.

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