Why I'm Voting for Evan McMullin

A few years ago, I read the story of a man who attended a parent meeting at his children’s high school.  The meeting's purpose was to outline the school’s sex education program, and the father wanted to know what his children would be learning.  

After sitting quietly for a few minutes as various birth control methods were discussed, the man raised his hand and quietly asked, “what about abstinence?”  There was some scattered laughter and the instructor smiled smarmily as she informed the man that they were going to focus on more “realistic” methods.

After a few more minutes, the instructor indicated that there would be a short break for cookies and juice and encouraged the parents to introduce themselves and enjoy a snack.

Everyone stood up, except for the one father.  It wasn’t that he felt full, or that he didn’t want to meet the other parents, he just had this overwhelming feeling that he should stay seated.  The feeling perplexed him. He didn’t want to seem stand-offish and certainly didn’t want to offend.  But there he sat, rooted to his seat, alone while everyone else ate and mingled.  

After a few minutes, the instructor called the meeting together and once everyone was seated, she segued into a discussion about Sexually Transmitted Diseases.  She made it clear that the mix and mingle session was timed and designed to demonstrate how STD’s can be spread among a population.  She said, “I want you to imagine that STD’s are passed by a simple handshake, and that now each and every one of you now have an STD.”

The man stood up, and as humbly as he could muster, said, “we don’t all have an STD...one of us abstained.”  

For some reason, that story provides the context for my support of Evan McMullin.  I simply cannot hold my nose and vote for either Clinton or Trump.  

I believe that Evan McMullin is the best option, and thanks to Utah, voting for McMullin may actually make it possible to avoid Clinton and Trump.  Avoid Clinton and Trump?  Yes, please.  

People may feel that McMullin isn’t qualified, but I disagree.  I don’t actually believe there are only a handful of people who could adequately serve as President.  As an attorney I interact with a lot of people from a lot of different walks of life and I am frequently surprised by the depth of understanding, analysis, and common sense from what the political elites call the “masses” or the “sheeple.”  That being said, McMullin has a lot more experience than most.

According to Nate Silver at five-thirty-eight, McMullin only has a chance to win Utah, but that may be enough.  If McMullin wins Utah and neither Trump nor Clinton wins 270 electoral votes, those three candidates will be put before a House vote. But, who’s to say the House chooses McMullin over Trump?  

That is where the rest of the nation comes in.  Many House Republicans don’t like Trump, but they may be afraid of inflaming their electorates by voting for McMullin if it is put before the House.  By voting for McMullin in states other than Utah, moral Republicans send a message that they won’t punish their House Republican Representatives for voting for McMullin if it goes to a House vote.  

Some people say that a vote for McMullin is a vote against a conservative Supreme Court.  I say that I refuse to throw away the moral high road in the name of the moral high road.  There is no guarantee that Trump will appoint moral, conservative Justices, but there is a guarantee that by putting Trump into office, we lose the right to use private behavior to exclude from public office forever.  Liberal Emperor Laurence Tribe, a Harvard Law Professor, has said that Americans rely too much on the personal lives of its politicians in deciding whom to vote for.  I disagree. We have differentiated ourselves from most other foreign governments by historically refusing to consider adulterers etc.  

We cannot allow that ship to sail.  

Some might say that a vote for McMullin is a vote against women.  I hear all the time the accusation that people aren’t voting for Hillary merely because she is a woman.  I don’t doubt that there are some who feel this way, but I do not believe that most who oppose Hillary do so merely because she is a women.  

Liberals tend to divide Republicans into two camps: dumb Republicans, and (in their minds) a much smaller group of confounded “thinking” Republicans.  Even assuming this characterization to be true, the former group certainly didn’t hold Sarah Palin’s gender against her and the latter holds Margaret Thatcher up to legendary status.  I am no fan of Palin, but I suspect that most liberals accusing so called “dumb” Republicans of being prejudiced against Hillary have conveniently ignored their prior smugness about these same “dumb” Republican’s adoration of Sarah Palin.  

I personally would love for all the women in the world to know that a woman can be President of the greatest nation on earth.  But not Hillary.  There is a lot to dislike about Hillary, but at the end of the day the thing that I have the hardest time with, and this may sound odd, is Hillary’s treatment of staff and secret service agents.  There is a lot of evidence that she treats the people who work for her, and who protect her, horribly.  

I once worked at a large, International law firm where I saw many attorneys treat the staff like furniture.  It broke my heart to walk by human beings who anticipated that I would ignore them. My life has been greatly blessed by incredible paralegals, secretaries and case managers over the years.  They are my co-workers and my friends and I am still in touch with many of them.  They are human beings who have been a great blessing to my practice, to my family, and to my life.  

Hillary’s treatment of those she sees as beneath her may seem a small thing, especially in comparison to Trump’s many misdeeds, but for me it is why I accept as plausible most of the other bad things said about Hillary.  Her treatment of those who help her hasn’t given me any reason to give her the benefit of the doubt.  It may be a straw, but to me it shows the direction the wind blows.  Again, I am not defending Trump in any way, but merely saying that Hillary, too, is unacceptable to me, independent of, and prior to this email fiasco.  

Some say that this is all too far fetched and that a vote for McMullin is a vote for futility.  To them I would cite the story of Helmuth Hubener...

Hubener was a German teenager who was born after his mother was raped by her boss.  Hubener spent a lot of time living with his grandparents, and one evening after they had gone to bed, he holed up in an attic room of their home and listened to a forbidden BBC radio news show broadcasted in German.  As he listened, Helmuth Hubener felt strongly that the BBC report was telling the truth about Hitler.  

Unable to stay silent, Hubener began a clandestine resistance to Hitler with two other teenagers.  He used a government typewriter and government stamped paper to denounce Hitler as a murderer and repeatedly posted the flyers all over his city in the dead of night.  

Hubener and his two young associates were eventually caught and tried before Germany’s highest court, the infamous Blood Tribunal.  The two other boys were sentenced to work camps, and Hubener was executed by guillotine on his mother’s birthday.  And to what avail?  What benefit did Hubener’s tiny, insignificant resistance serve?  Quite a lot, actually.

When Germany started to put itself back together after the war, the guilt was tremendous.  “How could we have done such horrible things?  How can we ever hope to move forward?”  Broken-hearted Germans clung to stories like Helmuth Hubener’s, “we weren’t all bad, we weren’t all blind, there was good among us, there is good among us, we can move forward, we can be better!”  

Helmut Hubener was a Mormon, like Evan McMullin.  McMullin’s candidacy may seem small or insignificant, but like he says, it’s never too late to do the right thing.  I, unfortunately, don’t see a lot of good coming from a Clinton or Trump presidency; however, I am encouraged that there is still a lot of good in this country and remain hopeful that the best is yet to come. I, like many across America, will abstain from Clinton and Trump, and will continue to work to pick up the pieces of my party and put it back where it belongs.

You are, of course, free to vote for a man who has made a mockery of marriage and women, but do not be offended if many of us Republicans abstain.  We will not allow this, the party of Lincoln, to be hijacked by the likes of Trump, Gingrich and Giuliani, who come to us like ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing.  By their fruits we already know them.  If they can’t keep their promises to their wives, how can we expect them to keep their promises to us? You might see them as men who have accomplished much, I only see them as men who picked the banner they thought would get them the furthest, for as long as it was convenient to them. Why is it that the term RINO is used most vehemently against those in our party whose policies seem less conservative and not against those whose morals are the most lacking?

I wish McMullin wasn’t the best option.  I wish another candidate had won the Republican nomination.  I wish Romney chose Rubio instead of Ryan, I wish Petraeus hadn’t pulled a Hamilton and had been available for Romney to choose instead of Rubio or Ryan.  I wish McCain hadn’t have pulled a Hamilton years ago so he could have been selected instead of Quayle.  Then the Clintons would never have existed beyond Arkansas….  

But I can’t have what I wish for, all I can do is vote my conscience, even if it is on a wing and a prayer. I don’t know about you, but I have seen amazing things happen on a wing and a prayer.  And so tomorrow I will be voting for Evan McMullin.  I invite you to do so as well.

An Open Letter to Evangelical Trump Supporters

This letter is written to all Evangelical Trump supporters.  It is specifically written to those supporters who feel a reticence, a tugging at the heart against supporting a known womanizer.  I believe a great many good, honest Christian men and women feel a genuine sense of disgust about voting for Donald Trump, but are trying to soldier on.  If that is you, I ask you to consider the following...

I was recently reminded that 54 million Evangelical voters stayed home in 2012 and didn’t vote.  54 million Christians turned up their nose to a good, decent, Mormon candidate, thereby allowing Barack Obama to stay in office.  

Today, many of those same Christians are surprised and offended that Utah is turning up its nose to Donald Trump.  There is no evidence that Romney was racist, that he ever refused to pay small business owners, was ever unfaithful to his wife, or was ever inappropriate with a single woman in his entire life.  There is a lot of evidence that Romney is a better businessman that Trump, more charitable than Trump, a better husband than Trump, a better father than Trump, and a whole lot more Christ-like and God-fearing than Trump.  

The same pastors and ministers who told you not to vote for Romney for the horrible sin of being Mormon are now telling you it’s okay to hold your nose and vote for a known adulterer and womanizer.  These are the same leaders who have taught full lessons in your churches about why the Mormons are bad/wrong/evil.  These are the same leaders whose livelihoods depend on your donations.

Did you know that Mormon Bishops don’t depend on our donations for their livelihood?  Our local leaders are called Bishops and they have normal jobs. They volunteer their time for 5 year terms, keeping their jobs at the same time.  They are married with children and don’t make a dime for their service.  They aren’t wholly responsible for weekly instruction, either, rather we members ourselves take turns giving sermons, or “talks”, each week, and teach the sunday school classes to the adults, youth, and children.

Did you know that we don’t have classes teaching us why you guys are bad/wrong/evil in our church?  Your leaders tell you that the Mormons believe in prophets and continuing revelation, and that there is no modern revelation.  If there is no modern revelation, then how do your pastors know God wants you to vote for Trump?  They deny the very ability to receive such guidance.  

If even for a moment you have wondered at the inconsistency of someone telling you not to vote for Romney one year and then four years later demand that you vote for Trump, then please read on.

As your sincere brother in Christ, I invite you to have a change of heart.  I don’t believe the Lord is happy with how Evangelical Christians have been taught to think of Mormons.  We Mormons don’t bear ill well towards you, and we don’t deserve yours.  Most of us, or our ancestors, were you at one time--good, mainstream Christians who loved Jesus and tried our best to follow the Bible.  

The difference is that one day we came to believe that no man alive since Martin Luther had a right to tell God when enough was enough.  Like you, we honor and revere Martin Luther for protesting the Catholic Church. Catholic leadership wasn’t following the bible, and they weren’t putting God’s word into the hands of the people.  Tyndale, who translated the Bible into English, said that he would make it so that a plowboy would know more of God’s word than the Catholic priests.  

Mormons honor and love the reformers, each of them did their best to restore God’s church to the earth, to follow the Bible as closely as possible.  But since all of the reformers denied continuing revelation, who among them was authorized to declare the reformation “complete?”  Who among them was authorized to deny God’s word in Matthew 7, wherein we are all provided with a perfect method for testing any future prophets?  

Your leaders deny the existence of prophets in violation of Matthew 7.  Matthew 7:15-20 says:

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

If there were to be no more prophets, then the Lord could have simply stated as much.  Instead, he gives us a perfect way to test those who claim to be a prophet, “by their fruits ye shall know them.”  

Mormons are applying this test to the election, and that is why many of us are not voting for Trump.  We have asked ourselves, “can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit?”  We don’t believe that Trump will be good for our nation.  And, we are concerned that Evangelical Christians are not applying this same test.  What bad fruits did Mitt Romney bring forth?  And yet you judged him to be evil.  What good fruits has Trump brought forth?  And yet you judge him to be good.

I suppose we Mormons should not be surprised, because this is the same thing you do with the Book of Mormon.  Your leaders tell you it is evil and not to read it.  Our leaders don’t tell us not to read the Bible, we love and honor the Bible.  In fact, I personally believe that Mormons honor the Bible more than Evangelicals and I’ll tell you why.

In Shakespeare’s Henry V, the triumphant English King wooed Princess Katharine of France shortly after defeating the French army at Agincourt.  The princess is skeptical of Henry, which is understandable considering his recent takeover of her country.  The following interchange occurs:

KATHARINE

“Is it possible dat I sould love de enemy of France?”

KING HENRY V

“No; it is not possible you should love the enemy of

France, Kate: but, in loving me, you should love

the friend of France; for I love France so well that

I will not part with a village of it; I will have it

all mine: and, Kate, when France is mine and I am

yours, then yours is France and you are mine.”

Many Evangelicals look at Mormons and ask, “is it possible that I should love the enemy to the Bible?”  Mormons are dumbfounded by this attitude and see it as misinformation fed to you by your pastors.  We are not enemies of the Bible, we love the Bible so much that we refuse to part with not only its commandments, but also with the world described in the Bible.  When we read the Bible we see a God who loves and interacts with His people.  A God who is deeply involved in the day to day affairs of those who love and follow Him.  We refuse to believe that miracles have ceased, that the heavens are closed, and that God no longer sends his holy prophets to guide His people.  We refuse to accept that the world that existed in the Bible no longer exists today, especially when those telling us as much deny the ability or willingness of God to communicate such things.

Tell me, which reformer from Martin Luther onward had the authority to say that the reformation was over?  Which reformer received the revelation that there would be no complete restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, with prophets, apostles, revelation, temples etc.?  

The answer is none.  

So, your leaders told you not to vote for Romney, that Mormons were evil, and that Trump is good.  But they don’t believe in revelation?  Then they are giving you their own opinion, not God’s.  They expressly deny the ability or willingness of God to guide His people through continuing revelation.   

The fact is that I know that you have received and continue to receive guidance from God in your life.  Think of the many prayers God has answered for you.  Think of all the miracles, big and little, that you have seen in your life as a result of your faith and hope in Christ.  Think of the grace you have felt as you have sought and received forgiveness of your sins through the sacrifice of Christ.  Are not these revelations?  Yes!  God is not dead and nor is His interaction with His children.  The Bible is not dead either, and nor is the world it describes.

You say that a vote for Evan McMullin is a vote for Clinton.  I say there is a pathway to victory through the electoral college.  You say that such a victory would only happen on a wing and a prayer.  I say that you and I have both seen amazing things happen on a wing and a prayer.

You say that Hillary is far worse than Trump and that we Mormons are deluding ourselves.  I say that Romney is much better than Obama, Hillary, AND Trump and where was your vote for Romney four years ago?  

Again, I invite you to consider your prejudice, to accept that your feelings about Mormons are not based in truth.  This is not a political post, my goal is not to convince you to vote for Evan McMullin.  I have other intentions.  I believe that you have dismissed the Book of Mormon and the Mormon church out of hand due to misinformation given to you by a paid clergy who depend on your donations.  

The massive double standard from Evangelical leaders who dismissed Romney and who are now embracing Trump is the best evidence I have ever seen that perhaps you cannot trust all that they have told you about Mormons.

They were wrong about Romney, they are wrong about Trump.  Perhaps, just perhaps, they are wrong when it comes to Mormons.  

I know the Bible to be the word of God and I will not part with a single miracle of it.  I know that Christ died for all of us, just like the Bible says He did.  I also know that He resurrected in Jerusalem and 1800 years later actually appeared to a teenage boy in upstate New York.  You dismiss Joseph Smith and ask “why should I believe in him?”  I say that I don’t care who Joseph Smith was as much as I care that Christ took the time to come down and appear to someone again.  I'm not asking you to worship a man, but to humbly consider that God once did speak to His children and that He is free to do so again. Are you 100% sure that Christ did not appear to Joseph Smith?  

I know that Christ has restored his Church to earth, and that the Book of Mormon is true.  He is no respecter of persons and He loves us today as much as he did in the days of Daniel, the days of Hezekiah, the days of Caleb, and the day when Peter left his nets behind.  Both the first day Peter left his nets, and the second.  I know Christ came to Peter at the beach that second time, after His resurrection, because He knew Peter and knew Peter’s story.  Christ was personal enough to work within Peter's personal, individual story. And, He knows my story and He knows yours.  Is it possible to betray Christ by accepting His power in our lives and His ability to guide His people on earth today just as He did in the Bible? Does He love Peter more than you? I don't believe so.

I promise that if you will read the Book of Mormon and ask God in humble prayer if it is true like the Bible, that he will answer you.  

You say that the story of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon is just too fantastic.  I say, you’re right, just like the Bible.  Isn’t it wonderful?  

Today, Kasich Chooses Our President

Remember that time John Kasich chose the President of the United States?  Oh wait, that’s this year.  This week, to be precise.  If Kasich stays in the race, it will be because he endorses Trump and accepts whatever Trump is offering him this morning.  If Kasich leaves this week, it will be because he endorses Cruz and accepts what hopefully will be a VP offer from Cruz this morning.  

If you place these last three GOP candidates on a continuum of reasonableness, Trump would be on one end and Kasich on the other.  It may surprise you to think that Cruz may actually be grateful for Trump’s candidacy, as Trump makes Cruz seem much safer than many thought him just a few short months ago.  Cruz looks like your favorite uncle next to Trump.  Should Kasich bow out this week, his supporters are much more likely to join the Cruz camp than the Trump camp.  

Even after Kasich’s impressive win in Ohio, he can’t believe he has a realistic shot at the nomination.  Had Kasich also won Illinois, that would be something else entirely.  Kasich’s loss in Illinois highlights the limit to his “midwestern appeal,” making it unlikely he’ll repeat his Ohio success in the few remaining contests that are proximate to his home state (Indiana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania).  Had Kasich won Illinois in addition to Ohio, he would have had an argument for staying in the race in his own right.  But that ship has sailed.  Make no mistake, from today on, Kasich is only in the race if he wants Trump to win.  

Trump is a lot of things, most of them bad, but he isn’t stupid.  Naming Kasich as his running mate gives Trump much needed integrity, experience, knowledge, appeal and on and on.  Kasich also just demonstrated how popular he is in Ohio, a major swing state.  This fact was not lost on Trump or Cruz.  Perhaps no one in history nailed a VP audition quite like Kasich did in Ohio last night.  A Kasich VP nod makes a lot of sense for both Trump and Cruz, and no doubt they are both wooing him more this week than they are Utah and Arizona voters, who are on deck.  

If Cruz can convince Kasich to bow out now, Cruz has a strong chance at the nomination.  He is about to benefit from the “Mormon Firewall,” with Utah and Arizona voting next Tuesday.  Both states boast high numbers of Mormon voters.  Trump lost Idaho largely because Idaho is predominantly Mormon and Mormon voters are admirably immune to Trump’s opportunistic overtures.  If Kasich suspends his candidacy, Cruz is likely to absorb almost all of the Rubio/Kasich supporters in Utah and Arizona and add them to the anti-Trump voters and hardcore conservatives he already has.  A Cruz landslide next Tuesday would change the whole tenor of the GOP nomination, supporting the notion that the anti-Trumps outnumber the Trumps, and permanently eroding any air of inevitability Trump has staked.  

The combination of Kasich withdrawing and the Mormon Firewall could spell the end of Trump’s candidacy.  Of course, Kasich has to play along.  This article assumes that Clinton will win the Democratic nomination and that the Republican nominee will beat her.  It’s hard to imagine any woman voting for Trump; nevertheless, he enjoys broad swaths of appeal across both parties.  In the end, I predict Trump would narrowly beat Hillary if only because he owns his mud while she ignores hers.  Cruz would beat Clinton because of Hillary’s high unfavorables, Cruz’ debate skills, and the prolonged Benghazi and email server scandals.  In debates, Cruz is relentlessly reasonable, and Hillary will be forced to address both her scandals and her many reversals over and over again.  Hillary will have nowhere to hide.  If Trump wins the nomination, it would be a very close general election.  If Cruz wins the nomination, he will trounce Hillary.

So, John Kasich...who do you want to be President?

Stop Saying Trump Supporters are Stupid!

Many Republicans are terrified that Trump will win the nomination, and blame it on the stupidity of their fellow party members. But calling Trump supporters stupid does not help. Accusing them of falling for Trump’s manipulation is not productive. Many Trump supporters see all the same things you and I see, they just believe they are in on the joke. Whose joke exactly? Trump’s.

When I was at Duke Law School a decade ago, we had class officer elections just like everyone else. One of my peers ran a wild, entertaining campaign. His tag line was, “I promise to take the position seriously, but not the election.” His methods resonated with a lot of my classmates, but eventually he lost to a more “establishment” candidate. The difference between him and Trump was that this friend of mine had no prior history with any of us, no track record of success, real or imagined. Perhaps the result would have been different if we had come into law school already knowing about him and his history. Many Trump supporters believe that Trump’s "wealth" gives him a track record of success that allows them to believe he will take the position seriously, if not the election. Trump's real wealth is certainly up for debate, but let's ignore that for now.

Trump supporters are not uninformed voters. We can argue all day about the quality of the sources of their information, but the fact is they are consuming a lot of information, and much of it is the same as you and I. So why aren’t they reacting negatively to Trump’s wild behavior? Frankly, they don’t buy it. They don’t think Trump actually believes the things he says, but instead believe that he is systematically duping the media and the country generally. Most Trump supporters secretly believe they are in on this grand joke, and they revere Trump not for his platform or opinion, but for his ability to rise above the system and turn it on its head. "Isn’t that what Washington needs?", they say. "Someone who can analyze the bureaucratic labyrinth and figure out an end around? A “Trump” move?" Trump supporters truly see him as a master of satire who refuses to play by the tired, worn out rules of the game, and “just win baby.”

To make it clear, this is the primary source of Trump’s support: if he can manipulate the election process better than anyone else for his own benefit, can’t he do the same to Congress?
Yes, this reasoning is probably beyond the understanding of some of Trump’s supporters, but I believe that number is smaller than most people think. The political elite are notorious for not giving the American public enough credit for political savviness, and this election is case and point. Are some of Trump’s supporters deluded? Of course, but most Trump supporters see Trump as brilliantly manipulating the sheep of the party to achieve his own ends. In the end, “What good is a reasonable candidate who can’t win the nomination?” If unreasonableness is necessary to win the nomination, then unreasonableness is what it takes, right? There’s time enough for reasonableness when you’re in office. And, in fact most of Trump’s supporters believe he will be reasonable in office. Why? Because of the very reason many decry Trump: his ego. His supporters are not blind to his ego, they rely on it. They don’t ignore his insecurities, they depend upon them. Trump supporters know he wants to be considered the best and they believe his ego will keep him close enough to the center so as not to drive the country into the ground.

“But what about Trump’s racist rants!” you ask? "How can these so-called reasonable, smart Trump supporters tolerate his racist rants?" They don’t tolerate them, they simply don’t believe them. Trump supporters aren’t buying his racism for three reasons, (1) they don’t believe Trump is truly racist because there is little prior history of racism and no anecdotal evidence from ex-employees supporting a racist Trump; and (2) they believe Trump’s anti-everything rhetoric is just a tool to control the right-est 15% of the GOP and get them to vote for him; and (3) they are tired of “Gotcha” politics and don’t believe any candidate’s true feelings are as pure as the driven snow anyway. Point number three is especially true, as Trump supporters are reacting to a long history of establishment candidates not truly saying what they feel or believe. They are reacting to the Kabuki dance done by every Supreme Court nominee on abortion. They believe Trump basically says exactly what he thinks, but just dials it up a notch on racism to beckon the nationalistic section of the electorate. Once again, Trump supporters believe he is just gaming the system and not actually racist.

This may seem far fetched, but it is in fact the only reasonable explanation for Trump’s support. And, if you accept it as true, or even as possibly true, that means you can see what is compelling about Trump’s campaign. His slogan should be, “I turned the election on its head, and I can do the same to Congress.” To many people, that is extremely attractive.

But, this blog post is not intended to convince anyone to vote for Trump, but rather an intervention. This is an intervention meant to validate Trump supporters while at the same time convince them to walk away. There is a weakness to Trump that I believe is fatal, that “Trumps” everything he has done in business and everything he has done in the election process.

A great man once said, “No success can compensate for failure in the home.” Right now, at least until the convention, the GOP has staked a claim to the moral high ground. We don’t have the Clintons, the Anthony Wieners, the Eliot Spitzers. Sure, there is the occasional GOP deviant, but for the most part we don’t continue to revere them once they have fallen from grace. If we Republicans nominate Donald Trump here and now, we forsake the moral high ground forever.

In my Constitutional Law class a decade ago, we were discussing the advent of gay marriage. I made the comment in class one day that heterosexuals were to blame for gay marriage. The high divorce rate and high level of infidelity eroded heterosexuals’ ability to claim the moral high ground. In class, I said, “homosexuals look at people like Donald Trump and say, ‘you’re calling me deviant?!” I cannot even fathom that this man is now on the precipice of the GOP nomination. Laurence Tribe, Harvard Law Professor and liberal emperor, once said that the American public puts too much emphasis on the private lives of their public servants. I disagree.

So, Trump supporters, are you willing to cede the moral high ground forever? Three marriages, “a different woman every night”, the owner of the Miss American pageant? Is this the man we hold up as a symbol to our children? Do you honestly believe Trump can earn broad support from women voters during the general election? Does he deserve such support? Surely he does not. Sure, Reagan had an early divorce, but he was with Nancy forever and all indications point to him being good to her. For all of George W. Bush’s failings, he loved Laura and she stuck with him. For many voters, Laura’s was the most important endorsement of all. Even Barack Obama’s marriage is a benefit to our country. I don’t agree with most of his policies, but it’s clear that even though their marriage isn’t perfect, they work on it together. We can all relate to that. The Obama’s commitment to their marriage is good for our country. I wouldn’t vote for Obama just because he is a family man, but I will withhold my vote from Trump because he is not. No success can compensate for failure in the home.

Trump never has been and never will be a family man. And that, my fellow Republicans, is no joke.