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LDAHL
5-8-16, 1:18pm
If you want to understand what's going on in the Republican Party, this is a good place to start. At what point do you sacrifice principle for expediency? Especially if you're in the business of seeking and exercising power; when do you determine that party unity is more important than suffering the ignominy of supporting a poltroon like Trump? I suspect the way Ryan resolves this problem will mark him as the most important conservative of his generation. How far do you hold to principle if the cost is decades of practical irrelevance in the Bernie Sanders mold?

I understand Sarah Palin has already promised to work toward ousting Ryan from his house seat (although how that will play in Janesville remains to be seen) for "defying the will of the people".

Teacher Terry
5-8-16, 1:22pm
Many of the Republicans are not endorsing Trump with good reasons.

LDAHL
5-8-16, 1:34pm
Many of the Republicans are not endorsing Trump with good reasons.

And I agree with most of those reasons, but I don't think it's a simple matter of Trump's many departures from Republican orthodoxy. Expecting a political party to consistently place principle over votes is as silly as expecting corporations to act like social service agencies. However in the case of Trump it appears to me to be a choice of abandoning principle nearly completely for a low probability of victory.

Power is the whole point of politics, but at the same time I would hate to see the GOP degraded to the point where their beliefs are as quick to "evolve" as contemporary Democrats.

creaker
5-8-16, 1:41pm
And I agree with most of those reasons, but I don't think it's a simple matter of Trump's many departures from Republican orthodoxy. Expecting a political party to consistently place principle over votes is as silly as expecting corporations to act like social service agencies. However in the case of Trump it appears to me to be a choice of abandoning principle nearly completely for a low probability of victory.

Power is the whole point of politics, but at the same time I would hate to see the GOP degraded to the point where their beliefs are as quick to "evolve" as contemporary Democrats.

Actually the reason I like Sanders has been his consistency over time. But then again, he's only running as a Democrat.

LDAHL
5-8-16, 1:46pm
Actually the reason I like Sanders has been his consistency over time. But then again, he's only running as a Democrat.

But as Barney Frank has pointed out, what does he have to show for it? While it may feel good to think of yourself as a nation's conscience, isn't it more important to actually make a difference?

Williamsmith
6-5-16, 8:18am
If you want to understand what's going on in the Republican Party, this is a good place to start. At what point do you sacrifice principle for expediency? Especially if you're in the business of seeking and exercising power; when do you determine that party unity is more important than suffering the ignominy of supporting a poltroon like Trump? I suspect the way Ryan resolves this problem will mark him as the most important conservative of his generation. How far do you hold to principle if the cost is decades of practical irrelevance in the Bernie Sanders mold?

I understand Sarah Palin has already promised to work toward ousting Ryan from his house seat (although how that will play in Janesville remains to be seen) for "defying the will of the people".

Do you still think Ryan is marked as the most important conservative of his time? Could a real conservative endorse Trump? Or is Ryan just as unprincipled as Palin, same result but taking his good old time getting there. I bet he checks every morning what Trump said the night before. So exactly where are the "principled" conservatives and who supports them?

LDAHL
6-6-16, 8:56am
Do you still think Ryan is marked as the most important conservative of his time? Could a real conservative endorse Trump? Or is Ryan just as unprincipled as Palin, same result but taking his good old time getting there. I bet he checks every morning what Trump said the night before. So exactly where are the "principled" conservatives and who supports them?

I still think Paul Ryan is the most important conservative of his generation. After thinking about it, he seems to have decided to put party unity above the ignominy of supporting Trump. He's making the best of a disgusting situation.