Endurance ahead

The Republican Party will now have to endure the unendurable. Donald Trump will be the party’s nominee for President of the United States.

The unendurable comes down the line as thousands of Republican office-holders, on the ballot this year – will have to decide how close to Donald Trump they want to stand. Will their chances of re-election be better by embracing this unusual and outspoken candidate – – or will they be better off standing as far away from him as possible.

And – what if he wins? It’s possible. Very few political pundits thought he’d get this far.

I chalk up his victory to the public’s need to find a leader. Even on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton still doesn’t have the nomination locked up – although she’s close. Bernie Sanders has an appeal.

Trump’s appeal is that of a strong leader, one who will get things done and “Make America Great Again.”

For all of his charm, Barack Obama was not the type of leader Americans wanted. In his first days in office, he won the Nobel Peace Prize simply because he wasn’t George W. Bush. He spent a great deal of time and effort trying to work with regimes full of hate for the United States and came out on the losing end. To many in our country, he appeared to want the United States to become more like Europe.

So Trump’s appeal is to those who believe in the exceptionalism of the United States. They believe that we are the best country in the world and that Obama and Clinton have reduced America’s prestige and standing around the world.

I have a little imp on my left shoulder telling me I should vote for Donald Trump for president. There’s nothing on my right shoulder telling me any differently.