In the category of “you can’t make this sh*t up”, this must rate very highly. Today on the NPR show All Things Considered, no less a GOP stalwart than Erick Erickson proposed a third-party alternative to Trump for the presidency. While there have been plenty of speculations about the GOP establishment running a third-party pick, or about Trump himself making such a run if he were denied the nomination, this is the first serious proposal to do so that’s come from a well-know Republican figure. And just in case someone thinks that Erickson isn’t serious about this, his own words will clear that misconception right up. Go listen to the interview at NPR (since I can’t embed the audio player here): Erick Erickson Urges Republicans To Prepare 'Third-Party Alternative'
Ari Shapiro interviewed Erickson today and got a surprisingly blunt set of answers. What Erickson is proposing is that, should the GOP establishment be unable (or unwilling, through a contested convention) to deny Trump the nomination, the traditional constituencies of the party come together to field a compromise candidate running on a third-party line. He makes special note of the opposition to Trump within the GOP, pointing out that “40% of Republicans won’t vote for Trump under any circumstances, and I’m one of them.” He rails against Trump as anti-immigrant and protectionist. He also, on the converse, excoriates the establishment for being “tone-deaf to Republicans in the heartland” and making the opening for Trump. He’s claiming that he’s rallied a group of like-minded party faithful who are soon to meet to make his proposal of a third-party candidate a planned-for possibility, should Trump prove unstoppable.
What really tells, though, is that his main issue is what Trump will do to down-ballot Republicans. He’s actually worried that if Trump is the nominee, then that 40% he cites as unwilling to vote for him will stay home rather than turn out for other races. His entire focus of the third-party gambit seems to be ensuring against other losses while essentially conceding the presidency to the Democrats (and Hillary, form whom he also states he will not vote.) This is an interesting measure of just how desperate the GOP establishment has become. We can only hope that Erickson’s fears are well-founded and that a Trump nomination will either split the party (if his gambit gets off the ground) or helps usher in a Democratic wave year that will sweep our candidates into offices across the board. While I don’t think any of us would mind the first result, the second would be a much more satisfying outcome. Given the usual fate of third-party runs, that just might be what we’ll see come November.