The Grand Old Party is very nearly the Grand Dead Party.
This presidential primary has revealed deep rifts in a polarized Republican party that appear every bit as extreme as those dividing the nation. The lack of leadership and the disconnect between the party’s establishment and an enormous faction of its base now mobilized for Donald Trump means that there is little chance the GOP will do anything but limp along after this election, forgotten if not quite gone.
Conservatives must face this reality, and the choice between attempting a Republican rebranding and founding a new party entirely. Hillsdale College played a prominent role in founding the GOP, and the Hillsdale community should lead in building its replacement.
Edmund Burke Fairfield, Hillsdale’s second president, and professor Ransom Dunn led an 1854 convention in Jackson, Michigan, that created the first Republican platform and nominated the party’s first candidates. It was that platform’s central plank of opposition to the spread of slavery, and the centrality of the Hillsdale community to its formation, that led to Frederick Douglass’ two visits to the college.
Should Trump receive the Republican nomination, the party will split when #NeverTrump conservatives who cannot stomach it back third-party candidates, all but guaranteeing a Democrat in the White House. A probable eight-year exile from the presidency would destroy whatever cohesion congressional elections or legislative victories might provide.
Should Trump be rejected in convention, his supporters will never forgive the party, perceiving such an event as proof positive of every grievance they profess. Whether that guarantees a Republican loss in the general election or not, it would kill what is left of working-class loyalty to the GOP. Rebellion through congressional elections will follow.
We members of the Collegian’s editorial board recognize the responsibility we have to share Hillsdale’s gifts to us and perpetuate the college’s legacy as we sail forth into our careers. Part of that gift is an appreciation for tradition and heritage and an understanding of politics centered around man in community. We cannot sacrifice our principles for victory, nor can we fail to hear the voice of the people and understand their needs. We can neither support Trump nor the Republican establishment, and have no desire to resuscitate a dead political faction.
Today Hillsdale students and faculty have the opportunity to take the lead at a crossroads of organized political conservatism in America. We can help provide a platform for statesmen like Lincoln.
After all, we have done it before.
