The Responsibility of Trump Voters

It is absolutely true that Republican Party leaders paved the way for Donald Trump by failing to grasp and attend to the great unhappiness of a broad swath of the GOP electorate.  Principally, many felt they had been betrayed by leadership promises that the party take-over of the House and Senate in 2010 and 2014 would bring conservative change to Washington.  It did not.  So the “led” disowned the leadership. 

Donald Trump has been chosen to fill the void.

The GOP nominee is a crude, crass man whose Republican credentials are highly suspect and who seems incapable of delivering a consistent, coherent message unless glued to a teleprompter.

For that circumstance, GOP voters also are to blame.  Yes, the conservative rage is understandable – the failure of leadership to explain why change appeared not to have occurred – and there are good reasons -  is inexcusable.  Yet anger does not excuse irresponsibility.

Rage and anger usually subside when emotions cool, and common sense comes to the fore.

Like many other observers, The Sensible Conservative assumed that such a process would assert itself long before the primary season was over.  It seemed inconceivable that Donald Trump, so prone to calling others names and obviously uninformed on public policy matters, would be deemed an appropriate nominee for the Republican Party.

 

I was wrong.

One can explain what happened by noting that GOP voters are so disgusted with Washington that they simply wanted change and didn’t care who brought it about.  That lack of concern of what policy that change agent would follow or character he would display is illustrated by reports that some Sanders’ supporters have switched to Trump and that if Trump had not prevailed many of his backers would have gone over to the socialist senator.

But that is irresponsible.  In a democracy, the citizens choose their leaders.  They have a duty to do so with care. 

Having an extended temper tantrum will not do. 

Did not the children following the Pied Piper over the cliff bear responsibility for their fate?