My Point of View by Brian Hensley

So it looks pretty clear to me that Donald Trump is going to win the Republican nomination for president. There are paths that still lead for other outcomes, but those are tough paths and I believe they will not occur. Some (and many from Minnesota) will argue it’s not over yet, and Trump may not have enough delegates at the convention, but I believe he will. Some are cheering, others are not.

Now what?

For Democrats or those who have had a continuing love affair with Clinton, nothing has really changed. If the nominee was Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson or Abraham Lincoln himself, the message would have remained the same.  “Too conservative, too pro-life, too in favor of the rich, too much a believer in the Constitution, too _____.”  It would not have even mattered what the truth was, the message would have been the same. Clinton supporters were never going to vote Republican.

For Democrats who felt “the Bern,” and supported Bernie Sanders, a Clinton versus Trump ticket will make choosing sides quite difficult. There’s a reason Sanders got the support he did from the far-left of the Democrat believers. Clinton has proven untrustworthy. She is the definition of “establishment candidate.” You can’t say the economy is broken and then choose to have Clinton/Obama policies continue. To say otherwise or to believe a Clinton presidency would be any different than the past eight years is choosing to ignore her positions. College tuitions and unfair college loan programs are a gift of President Obama. The economic gap widened under President Obama. Sanders supporters will not have any enthusiasm toward Clinton and will either choose to not vote or support Trump. Probably not vote.

For Independents, the choice might get a little more interesting. If you believe in Clinton, if you believe in the past eight years, you probably aren’t an Independent. Many, many, many citizens bought the political hype in 2008 of hope and change. There was an incredible up swell of excitement and possibility.  Maybe President Obama was the leader who could change the future of this country. Maybe he could bring races together. Events of the past two years have shown the racial, economic and educational divide has widened under the Obama/Clinton policies and agenda. Why vote to continue the failed policies? If Independents believe the past eight years have been great to them and their family, and they trust the established Clinton machine, they will support Clinton, otherwise they will not vote or support Trump.

Now the analysis gets more difficult. Republicans have to begin the healing process after a hard primary. This isn’t the first difficult primary, but it has been unique.

For Trump supporters — this time and campaign has been energizing. They accomplished something many in the media and long-time Republicans didn’t feel was possible.  They won the nomination. Now they have to work harder than ever before.

For non-Trump supporters, healing will take some time.  Some supporters will disappear for the next six months. They have no desire to help or support Trump, and today they can’t even imagine or believe what has happened.

They are still Republicans.  They will still volunteer at fairs and parades, and they will still consider themselves Republicans.  Then, the fall debates will begin, and they will be reminded they have three choices. A) Vote for Trump, B) Vote for Clinton or C) Don’t vote, which is the same as voting for Clinton.

Republicans still stand for principles. Personal responsibility. Lower taxes. Smaller government. Many are pro-life. The current nominee may not be what has been the normal for the past but the alternatives are simply unacceptable.

Non-Trump supporters will have gone through the stages of grief by October: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and will have moved on to acceptance. I think many Republicans are already through denial, some are currently angry. Depression set in for many Tuesday nights after Florida voted. Acceptance will come this summer and early fall.

Come November some Republicans will still be shaking their heads. They may not have had the enthusiasm for this candidate as they did for others, but in the end, they will look at the positions and decide who more closely aligns with their personal beliefs. That’s what all voters will do.

It seems pretty clear the Republicans will maintain control of the United States House and United States Senate.  So the questions are quite simple:

Who would you rather have working with Sen. McConnell and Speaker Ryan?

Who would move legislation through Congress to make this country secure?

Who would bring new innovative ideas to spark the economy and to correct a broken tax code?

Who would help bring high quality manufacturing jobs back to the United States?

Who will negotiate deals that are win-win for all countries involved, versus always having the U.S. be on the losing side?

Who would stop apologizing for being a great country, with great hard-working people, who want a peaceful world?

When voters ask those questions, they will be left with a clear answer. President Obama’s agenda and a future President Clinton will not move hard-working middle class families forward. As hard as it is, even for me, to say or to accept — a Trump presidency, tempered by a Republican-controlled Congress, provides the hope and change many have been hoping for. He just might be the candidate this country needs.  Let’s see how we feel as we walk through the five stages of grief.

 

Brian Hensley is chairman of the Freeborn County Republican Party.