It is happening now

Republicans could win the White House this year, except for one seemingly inexplicable factor -- the party is on the verge of destroying itself.

Just last week a conservative magazine, National Review, once a very influential journal, published scathing articles from 20 conservative authors about why Donald Trump should be defeated. Get that; all these people are opposed to Donald Trump, who is currently leading in nearly every national poll.

These writers are joining a half-dozen candidates who are in a circular firing squad. The trouble is these writers are taking dead aim at Trump while the other candidates are aiming at each other, and with few exceptions, they are leaving The Donald alone. In my not so humble opinion, what all of them are doing will only lead to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory come November.

Rich Lowry, editor of the National Review, laid out his reasoning for opposing Trump with these comments: "We've spent our lifetimes opposing poll-driven Republicans, and here's a guy who's the single most poll-obsessed politician in the history of the U.S., judging by what he says, and we're going to put him in the White House and expect him to stand by anything he's said? It's an insane gamble."

The 20 columnists who joined Lowry are heavy hitters. I am surprised and disappointed by their actions. I usually enjoy reading most of them, but I guess they believe Trump is just an opportunist and is not conservative. I'm still not sure what to think about Trump. I don't like his braggadocio nature and his childish -- junior high school girl-like -- responses to anyone who happens to say something about him that is unflattering. One of these days I fully expect him to say to a critic, "You're mother wears Army boots."

But I side with Trump in his criticism of the National Review. It is not the magazine it used to be when William F. Buckley was alive and was its editor. What it has published in this issue is without precedence. It will hurt Trump, but it won't stop him. He's picking up speed because he has crossover popularity, meaning he appeals not only to Republicans, but also to Blue Collar workers from both parties and "just plain folks" who also admire him for his candor when he says things they are thinking about and that need to be said. While I believe it's too early to predict a winner, I will say if Trump wins big in South Carolina, he could run the table on March 1 in the SEC primary. If he does that I believe the only way he can be stopped is for a whole lot of conservatives to stay home and hand the election to Hillary.

Before the National Review event happened, I was wondering how the GOP could stop the Democrats from winning in November? Then I was reminded of a quote I heard a while ago: "Democrats have a coalition of Blacks, Latino's, Feminists, Gays, Government Workers, Unions, Liberal Media, Hollywood liberals, uninformed young people, uninformed old people, the forever needy, the chronically unemployed, Illegal aliens and their relatives and other fellow travelers who never believed in Norman Rockwell's America. How can we ever outvote these people"? I don't have an answer to this cogent question, but I know the Republican Party is dangerously close to self-immolation.

Those who wrote these vicious articles remind me of countless hanger-oners in both parties. Pure and simple they are opportunists, accustomed to receiving favors from politicians they cozy-up to. I admit they are good at what they do, the cream of the crop of writers, and they view Trump as an outsider. He's a threat to them because he will not feel obliged to grant them any favors. Being self-funded he doesn't need them. They risk being shut out, and their vitriolic editorials, almost guarantee it. I'll leave you with this quote from Forrest Gump -- "Stupid is as stupid does." Trump is the last guy they should have disparaged.

I opine, you decide.

-- Willie Williams is a Siloam Springs resident. He can be reached at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.

Editorial on 01/27/2016