The Context
While Donald Trump appears to be cruising toward becoming the eventual GOP nominee, there's no doubt he still has a fight on his hands. The #NeverTrump movement is still in full force, and according to Politco, top conservatives will meet in Washington D.C. on Thursday to explore their options. One possibility might even include putting forward a third party to challenge what looks like a Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump presidential race.
Who Are the Players?
While challenging these two progressive candidates for the White House might sound like a good idea, just who are these top conservatives who will be looking into things? The group includes Bill Wichterman, who was George W. Bush’s liaison to the conservative movement, South Dakota businessman Bob Fischer and the Resurgent’s Erick Erickson.
"I would say Erick Erickson, who is at the Resurgent now, by the way, makes me hopeful of this process," co-host Stu Burguirre said on The Glenn Beck Program Wednesday. "Because Erick is one of the guys who has stood up. And Erick is vocal about saying, you know, it's going to wind up being Cruz. Cruz is the guy you should go with."
Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program. Start at 1:39:39.
#NeverTrump
In a typical election, the party and its constituents will fall in line with the nominee. This year however, Donald Trump more closely resembles a Democrat than a Republican, and his policies aren’t that far off from the opposing candidate. When there is that much of a difference in values between the voters and the candidates, a solid block of voters certainly will not conform.
"There's no way. And I know a lot of people --- nobody in my family will vote for Donald Trump. No one," Glenn said. "And nobody in my family is bluffing on that. You know, Tania won't. My two older kids won't. My son-in-law won't. They just --- they're like, 'No. No way. I can't do it.'"
If you can’t pull the lever for either Hillary or Donald, what do you do? Do you "throw your vote away" and write in your favorite teacher from elementary school or do you look for a viable third option?
There Is Still Hope for Cruz
While it’s good to have a backup plan, it’s key to remember this is just a backup. Even those involved have stated this planning is in its early stages and there is still hope for the GOP and for Ted Cruz.
"People aren't giving up on the Republican Party yet," Stu said. "What they're saying is if you get Cruz or somebody good, this isn't going to happen. But we better start thinking about it. Because it looks like Trump is going to be the guy."
The odds might not look good, but the Republic doesn’t need another betting man, it needs men and women of faith and prayer.
Common Sense Bottom Line
Donald Trump looks like he very well could end up with the nomination. It’s going to take a miracle for Ted Cruz to pull this out, but Glenn outlined just how that might happen.
"If Ted Cruz could say, I've got Marco Rubio, me, and Rand Paul going to be the Secretary of Treasury and, you know, throw Carly Fiorina in and actually put your cabinet together and say, 'This is my team,' I think you could actually capture it," Glenn said.
"Remember, that's what George Bush did when he was running against John McCain. Remember? He was not winning. Then he came and he said, 'Oh, by the way, here is my team. It's Colin Powell. It's Dick Cheney is going to be my vice president.' And all of a sudden he went through the roof. Because he started showing, it's not just daddy's little boy here. This is a team."
It will take a team effort to beat Trump, and with Marco Rubio exiting the race, that team is now accepting new applicants.
Featured Image: Guests react while U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks at a campaign rally on March 14, 2016 in Decatur, Illinois. The Illinois primary is March 15. (Photo by Charles Ledford/Getty Images)
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