Donald Trump is the projected Republican nominee. Even though many in the GOP are in support of him, the #NeverTrump movement and the recent push for a brokered convention have definitely spotlighted the many Republican members who are strongly against Donald Trump.
For Republican figureheads, Donald Trump is a public relations disaster for the party, perpetually marking it as the political party that is brass, bigoted, and intolerant. It’s not an image that the party wants, especially since most millennials and young Americans are largely liberal, with a strong opposition to conservative views. But who are these white knights that tried, but ultimately failed, to stop Donald Trump?
1. Paul Ryan, A Crowd Favorite
Paul Ryan has hinted at running against Donald Trump, with many Republicans and even Democrats being open to his presence on the ballot. Paul Ryan publicly decried how horrendous his party has become, positioning himself as a force that can actively push back against Donald Trump and his rhetoric. Unfortunately, he has explicitly said that he will not run.
2. Michael Bloomberg, The Independent That Never Was
His encyclopedia of policies at Bloomberg View paint a man who cares about climate change, has had an interest in socially liberal values, clashed with teachers’ unions and drawn the ire of Republicans with his public support of gay marriage. At one point, he teased the idea of running as an Independent after covertly launching operations to benchmark his chances to win the presidential race. Nevertheless, Bloomberg would actually split the vote, inadvertently helping Republicans like Donald Trump or Ted Cruz – which is the risk that he will not take.
3. Ben Sasse Has Heart
At a time when many Republicans were not sure what was going on, Ben Sasse was one of the first national lawmakers to explicitly say that he will not support Donald Trump, even if he wins the Republican primaries. Social media soon exploded, with the dedicated #DraftSasse hashtag making its rounds. A super PAC was even created to help him. Sadly enough, Ben Sasse has said that he will not run for President.
4. Rick Perry, The Failed Obstructionist
Even though he ran and ultimately failed to secure the White House during the 2012 and 2016 presidential cycles, Rick Perry has been cited by many conservative representatives as the best hope in dethroning Donald Trump. He was projected to win Texas, and possibly get in the way of Donald Trump securing a large portion of the 155 delegates in Texas. However, he did not run, and Donald Trump ending up winning 48 delegates out of 155.
5. Corp. Gen. James Matts, Failed Military Intervention
Neoconservatives and military leaders are particularly against Donald Trump’s scaling back of U.S involvement in international inventions. There was even a concerted push for Corp. General James Mattis to run against Donald Trump, even drawing a proposed strategy to ensure that Mattis would win the Republican seat. He decided not to run, saying that he preferred younger Americans, and veterans, to run for president.
A Brokered Convention Is The Only Possibility to Stop Donald Trump
Donald Trump is will most likely obtain the required 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination. However, if he falls short, then a brokered convention will commence in July 2016. During a brokered convention, the votes will go a second round, with delegates re-purposing their votes to whomever they want. Consecutive rounds will allocate delegate votes on a whim until Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, or John Kasich are given the 1,237 delegates.
John Kasich represents the media’s preferred Republican, with many thinking that he has a fighting chances against Donald Trump in a brokered convention. However, ruling by the Republican National Committee crippled his chances at winning in a brokered convention.
A Brokered Convention Is Not Democracy
Yes, it may seem like an achievement for American decency if a brokered convention can scrape Donald Trump from political existence. But is it democracy, if such a powerful organization can do that to a Republican front runner, regardless if you agree with his politics or not?
Featured image via Getty/Jessica Kourkounis
