15 May 2016

Why Republicans are falling into line behind Trump

Across the nation, reports Politico, state and local Republican parties, with varying degrees of grumbling, are deciding that resistance is futile as well as disloyal, and are getting behind Donald Trump as their presidential nominee.

Anyone who is surprised by this might consider the behavior of Catholics (no, my name notwithstanding, I’m not Catholic) upon learning that their priests bugger choir boys and that some of their popes are reactionary tyrants. Their souls may be shaken, their hearts may be saddened, but they neither abandon their faith nor leave their church. Instead, they pray for reform, demand changes, but keep going to mass. Men of the church have failed, but their church and their love for it endure.

Thus it is with Republicans (and Democrats). A political party is as much a secular religion as it is an organization for seizing control of the government. Membership in a political party is a statement of agreement with a political philosophy; agreement with a set of principles and prescriptions for governing our worldly conduct with each other. Just as devout Catholics distinguish pedophile priests from their church’s greater glory, loyal Republicans distinguish a nominating mistake from the great truths they believe their political party represents. They will stand by a nominee they consider an embarrassment and menace because party loyalty is a Republican virtue, because they believe the party is larger than the nominee, and because they want to rescue their down-ballot candidates.