Republicans may throw away the presidency

Never look a gift horse in the mouth, or so the saying goes. If it applies to elephants as well, Republicans apparently never heard it or do not understand it. They have been given a gift.

On the Democratic side is an old socialist on the one hand, and a secretary of state who will probably be indicted on the other. The American people are not going to elect someone who would be taking the oath of office as a convicted felon, any more than they will elect someone who thinks the Soviet Union was a vacation paradise and that American would be better as a union of socialist states.

Yet Republicans, skilled at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, are not only looking the gift elephant in the mouth, they are pulling its teeth while feeding the jackass. It is political suicide for Republicans to dedicate themselves to the destruction of Donald Trump's candidacy or each other. Not only has the strategy not worked, but it has backfired on every candidate who tried it. The latest apoplexy over Donald Trump is the National Review broadside, another failed attempt to bring down Trump. He is surging again since the publication was released.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a Trump supporter. I have endorsed Ted Cruz for the Republican nomination. However, if we can believe the polls – and I do hope they are wrong – Sen. Cruz has lost ground in Iowa since his attacks on Trump started. Rubio has lost ground since starting to attack Cruz. Christie has gained nothing from attacking Rubio. The "eat-your-own" approach is not working.

Admittedly, Trump is a unique political phenomenon. He recently opined that if he shot someone on 5th Avenue in New York, it would not cost him a single vote. He may be right because that ridiculous statement certainly hasn't cost him any votes. Therefore, attacks against Trump are ineffective and counterproductive.

I am not without personal experience in this regard. When I ran for lieutenant governor of Virginia, there were seven candidates seeking the nomination, and they all stayed in the race until the convention. As one would expect during the campaign, various arguments broke out and attacks were hurled back and forth. I refused to join in. I was friendly and respectful of all of my fellow candidates and friendly with their staff and supporters, too. It wasn't a political strategy so much as a commitment to show Christian character.

In the first round of voting on the convention floor, I was the top vote getter by 2-to-1 over my nearest competitor. That did not guarantee me the nomination, however. As my colleagues fell out, neither they nor their supporters had any reason for malice toward me. I had never said a negative word about another candidate. Key endorsements came to me, and many delegates joined the Jackson camp. Contrary to "conventional" wisdom, which says the top vote getter weakens with each round, I grew stronger. The nominee must try to unite everyone, including former competitors. That is much harder when you've spent months turning them into enemies.

Yet Republicans persist in political fratricide. When I ran, many establishment Republicans including the sitting Republican lieutenant governor, did everything in their power to damage our ticket. They called us extreme and even encouraged their supporters to work for the Democratic ticket. They got their wish. We lost. The Commonwealth of Virginia has suffered for it.

The question is whether Republicans would rather have America suffer through four to eight years of a Democratic president than see the election of a Republican who is not their choice. The Democratic Party has become morally bankrupt, politically corrupt and socially extreme. They are hostile toward Bible-believing Christians and disdainful of God. They are racial demagogues. They are more interested in their political security than America's national security. They are elitists and egotists who believe that they, alone, using government for cover, have the right to confiscate from those they deem unworthy and give to others of their choosing. There is no possible Republican nominee who should not be supported over Hillary Clinton or any other Democrat.

In short, Republicans need to stop damaging each other or they will not only lose the presidency, but will also lose the country. Eight more years of an Obama-like administration and America will cross the Rubicon, and there will be no turning back.

More is at stake than the personal ambition of any candidate, including the one I support. The country is in peril. This election year is about saving America from the evils the Democratic Party has foisted on our country. Republican candidates would do well to stop attacking each other and attack the issues. Start painting a vision for America's future in contrast to the darkness that will increase with a Democratic president.

The elephant is in ascendency in America because the jackass has run the country into the ground. Republicans should be careful not to change the likely outcome by cannibalizing each other.