With Trump or Cruz, kiss GOP goodbye

Many Republican leaders agree: Take a good look at today's Republican Party. Because if either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz becomes the nominee, the Republican Party won't exist anymore. And that's not good for the Republican Party, the country, or the Democratic Party, either.

This battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party is not new. There have long been reactionary forces, e.g. Barry Goldwater, who tried to drag the Republican Party so far to the right it lost touch with the vast majority of American voters. But until today, they were never successful. Saner voices prevailed.

I experienced this firsthand. My first political job was as chief of staff to California State Sen. Peter Behr, a Nelson Rockefeller Republican. One of the most respected politicians in the state, Behr's most determined political enemies were not Democrats, but far right-wing Republicans, who believed he was too willing to compromise.

Nevertheless, as a young Democrat, I was still proud to work for a Republican because this socially moderate, fiscally conservative party actually delivered on many important issues. President Eisenhower, for example, built the federal highway system, established the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and warned against the "military-industrial complex." Richard Nixon delivered the Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Air Act, and opened relations with China. Ronald Reagan granted amnesty to 3.2 million illegal immigrants. George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act and repudiated the NRA. George W. Bush raised the minimum wage and added prescription drug benefits to Medicare.

These were all actions Democrats could and did support – in an age, not that long ago, when Republican and Democratic leaders were willing to reject extremist elements in either party and work together for the common good. As recently as the 2012 Republican primary, when it looked like the party might veer too far to the right with an extremist candidate like Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain or Rick Santorum, party leaders once again came to their senses and realigned behind establishment candidate Mitt Romney.

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But that's not the case today. Look at the 2016 GOP primary. The inmates have taken over the asylum. Riding a wave of anti-Washington sentiment, outriders Donald Trump and Ted Cruz dominate the field, despite the fact that even most GOP strategists agree that Trump and Cruz are so far out of the mainstream that were either one to become the nominee, the Republican Party would get wiped out, lose the White House and Senate, and maybe even the House, and cease to be a real political force.

Don't take it from me. Veteran Republican operative Peter Wehner writes in the New York Times, Trump's nomination "could pose a profound threat to the Republican Party and conservatism in ways that Hillary Clinton never could." And GOP pollster Dave Sackett recently warned House Speaker Paul Ryan and his leadership team that Ted Cruz would be an even bigger drag on House Republicans.

Supporters of Trump and Cruz dismiss that concern, arguing that the success of two outsiders merely reflects the fact that America has become much more conservative. Which is nonsense. Whatever he is politically, Donald Trump's no conservative. He supports single-payer insurance. He says the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were a mistake. He supports the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage. He wants to raise taxes on millionaires. He's no liberal, but he's no conservative, either.

Ted Cruz, on the other hand, is definitely a conservative. But even if Americans have veered right, which I strongly dispute, they're nowhere near as far right as Cruz, Mr. Tea Party himself, who would shut down the government over Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, or anything else he doesn't like.

How to get out of this mess? So far, no Republican leader has called to ask my advice. But here it is anyway. If they want to win in 2016, and not just score points, they need to do two things. First, convene an old-fashioned "smoke-filled room," where all other wannabes agree to drop out and get behind one candidate against Trump or Cruz. Second, stop saying they'd vote for Trump or Cruz as the party's standard-bearer and vow to block them at the convention, if necessary.

In other words, Republican leaders need to do whatever it takes to prevent Trump or Cruz from getting the nomination. Otherwise, they can kiss the Republican Party goodbye.