photo credit: observer.com
Back
in December, and shortly before Jeb! dropped out of the race, Guy Benson at Townhall reported
on the GOP candidates' loyalty oath to support whoever became the eventual nominee for
President. The headline then was “Jeb: I'm Considering Breaking My GOP Loyalty
Pledge if Trump's the Nominee":
By declining to raise their
hands when prompted by Fox New anchor Bret Baier, every other candidate on
stage that night made a promise to voters: No matter who is nominated,
they'd throw their backing behind his or her campaign, and would rule out an
independent run.
Ironically, that question was
crafted specifically for Trump, but now it applies at least as much to
moderates like Bush and
Kasich as it does to the capricious frontrunner. If you're
seeking the Republican nomination, and if you've vowed to endorse and support
the Republican nominee, you shouldn't go back on your word -- neither out of
genuine frustration and disgust, nor as a campaign tactic.
Not only would this be a breach
of trust, it would reek of spite. Trump's been smacking Jeb around as a low
energy loser for weeks; if the former governor were to follow through on this
quasi-threat, Trump could tweak his taunt and cast Bush as a low energy sore loser.
Jeb and friends have spent tens
of millions of dollars so far, yet the campaign has failed to gain traction
with voters (to
put it kindly). Reneging on the pledge now would be akin to pouting
in the corner -- yet another indignity.
Sure, guys like Bush and Kasich
could use Trump's odious conduct and controversial
proposals as
a fig leaf to justify their potential reversals, but that would require them to
feign shock that Donald Trump is comporting himself like...Donald Trump
has always comported
himself.
Plus, it would infuriate a
large segment of the Republican base, who would accuse the establishment of
demanding party unity in support of "safe" nominees, then refusing to
abide by the same standard when they don't get their way.
Today,
The Hill reports that Jeb! has reneged on his pledge.
“In November, I will not vote
for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, but I will support principled
conservatives at the state and federal levels, just as I have done my entire
life,” Bush wrote in a Facebook post.
Jeb!
does not seem to have a clue about “conservative” principles, nor why Trump
would appeal to conservatives who are sick and tired of “conservative” GOPe
legislators who promise conservative values on the campaign trail and embrace
the liberal agenda once in office.
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