Imagine that you are a prominent PBP politician, and that it is the middle of 2023. The economy is stuck in neutral, Biden has announced he’s not running for re-election, and Harris is being challenged from the left. Things are looking up for you and the GOP.
Except, of course, for Donald Trump. It appears that he is serious about running. His campaign is focused on avenging himself on the RINOs who accepted the results of the 2020 election. He has as good as promised to be a true authoritarian next time around, and to ignore the Constitution whenever he sees fit. The polls say he has substantial support among GOP voters in spite of his ongoing legal and public relations problems, and he has no meaningful primary opposition as yet.
You know as well as anyone that Trump isn’t fit to be president–hell, he wasn’t fit last time. But you are afraid of his base, and he starts with vast advantages in resources and public support. So, what do you do? Do you rush to kiss his ring in the hopes that he will forget about your past disloyalty, even though you know he will destroy the country if he wins? Or do you stand and fight for the soul of the GOP, even with unfavorable odds?
This could happen. If it does, the answer to the questions will have a major impact on the fate of our country.