#NeverTrump GOP endorsements LATEST: Graham and Lee voted McMullin

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) may write in McMullin.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/republican-sen-jeff-flake-write-evan-mcmullin/story?id=43255597

[Mr. Morden]

Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) may write in McMullin.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/republican-sen-jeff-flake-write-evan-mcmullin/story?id=43255597

I just said that four posts above yours. 

[Mr. Morden]

Charlie Baker says he's not going to vote for anyone for president:

http://wwlp.com/2016/11/01/baker-to-leave-presidential-ballot-blank-but-is-still-very-involved-in-election/

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[Mr. Morden]

Jeff Flake finally confirms that he's not voting for Trump, saying that he'll write in a candidate instead:

http://knau.org/post/sen-flake-says-he-ll-write-candidate-instead-voting-trump

For months, Flake had criticized Trump and the campaign he was waging, saying that he probably won't vote for him, but holding out the possibility of backing him if Trump were to radically reorient his campaign on issues like immigration.  Now he confirms that he's not voting for him.

I also noticed that I had Adam Kinzinger in the "probably not" category, when he switched to the #NeverTrump category way back in August:

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/adam-kinzinger-donald-trump-226643

So I've updated the list accordingly.

[Ljube]

Never Trump renegades have no political future.

Particularly if Trump wins.

[Mr. Morden]

Never Trump renegades have no political future.

Particularly if Trump wins.

Ljube, what happened to all the #NeverTrump Republican politicians who were supposed to "come home" in the end, according to what you were saying months ago?  Very few of them have done so.  The #NeverTrump list in the OP of this thread is longer than it was six months ago! 

[Mr. Morden]

Toomey still not sure if he’s going to reveal who he’s voting for for president:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/pennsylvania-gop-senator-maintains-mystery-trump-vote-43275451

Meanwhile, McCaskill says that whatever they’re saying in public, she believes the majority of Senate Republicans will not actually vote for Trump:

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/claire-mccaskill-senate-republicans-not-voting-trump

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[Erich Maria Remarque]

It reminds me of Nate Silver's "endorsment model" in primaries

[Ljube]

Never Trump renegades have no political future.

Particularly if Trump wins.

Ljube, what happened to all the #NeverTrump Republican politicians who were supposed to "come home" in the end, according to what you were saying months ago?  Very few of them have done so.  The #NeverTrump list in the OP of this thread is longer than it was six months ago! 

Yeah.

Well, don't you think they are coming home? At least rank and file Never Trump Republicans?

What else could be fueling the Trump surge in the home stretch?

[ApatheticAustrian]

Never Trump renegades have no political future.

the same has been said about christie 2012 but in fact he has sunk himself.

[Mr. Morden]

Never Trump renegades have no political future.

Particularly if Trump wins.

Ljube, what happened to all the #NeverTrump Republican politicians who were supposed to "come home" in the end, according to what you were saying months ago?  Very few of them have done so.  The #NeverTrump list in the OP of this thread is longer than it was six months ago! 

Yeah.

Well, don't you think they are coming home? At least rank and file Never Trump Republicans?

What else could be fueling the Trump surge in the home stretch?

I’m not talking about rank and file (though most polls still have Trump doing notably worse among Republicans than Romney did).  I’m talking about #NeverTrump Republicans in Congress.  Remember this exchange?:

Unlike with the PUMAs, there are way too many high profile Republicans (both politicians and conservative media types) who've thrown in their lot with #NeverTrump for all of them to backtrack now.  There is no going back.

For that matter, I think #NeverTrump will grow among Republicans in Congress after Trump is nominated.  As of now, many of them have simply dodged the question as to whether they would endorse him if he's nominated.  But once he is nominated, it's no longer a hypothetical.  They'll have to choose.

There you go again.

Sometimes it seems like you live on another planet.
Perhaps you are just playing with us, Trump supporters.

It's just not happening in the real world. Can you give an example of anything remotely similar to what you're saying happening anywhere in the world ever?

I said that the number of #NeverTrump Republicans in Congress would grow rather than shrink after Trump was nominated.  You said that such a statement made it seem like I “live on another planet”.  You also said "It's just not happening in the real world."  Well guess what?  I was right. 

And then when I called you out on this months later, you kept saying that there was still time for them to change their minds.  We have less than a week now.  You really think all those #NeverTrump Republican politicians are going to fold now?

[Mr. Morden]

Incidentally, I think Heller and Toomey are the only remaining Senators who have not yet publicly stated if they'll vote for Trump or not.  Heller did say he was "99% sure" he wasn't voting Trump, but I guess that's not quite 100.  Toomey OTOH really doesn't want to talk about it.

So those two are at least possible no's, and then you have 12 sitting Republican Senators who say they're not voting for Trump.  The remaining GOP Senators are all backing Trump.

[Ljube]

Never Trump renegades have no political future.

Particularly if Trump wins.

Ljube, what happened to all the #NeverTrump Republican politicians who were supposed to "come home" in the end, according to what you were saying months ago?  Very few of them have done so.  The #NeverTrump list in the OP of this thread is longer than it was six months ago! 

Yeah.

Well, don't you think they are coming home? At least rank and file Never Trump Republicans?

What else could be fueling the Trump surge in the home stretch?

I’m not talking about rank and file (though most polls still have Trump doing notably worse among Republicans than Romney did).  I’m talking about #NeverTrump Republicans in Congress.  Remember this exchange?:

Unlike with the PUMAs, there are way too many high profile Republicans (both politicians and conservative media types) who've thrown in their lot with #NeverTrump for all of them to backtrack now.  There is no going back.

For that matter, I think #NeverTrump will grow among Republicans in Congress after Trump is nominated.  As of now, many of them have simply dodged the question as to whether they would endorse him if he's nominated.  But once he is nominated, it's no longer a hypothetical.  They'll have to choose.

There you go again.

Sometimes it seems like you live on another planet.
Perhaps you are just playing with us, Trump supporters.

It's just not happening in the real world. Can you give an example of anything remotely similar to what you're saying happening anywhere in the world ever?

I said that the number of #NeverTrump Republicans in Congress would grow rather than shrink after Trump was nominated.  You said that such a statement made it seem like I “live on another planet”.  You also said "It's just not happening in the real world."  Well guess what?  I was right. 

And then when I called you out on this months later, you kept saying that there was still time for them to change their minds.  We have less than a week now.  You really think all those #NeverTrump Republican politicians are going to fold now?

Some of them have already caved, but you are right, there will be renegade holdouts.

Their political future is sealed, so it's their choice.

I assumed politicians were reasonable, but I guess I was wrong.

[Ljube]

Incidentally, I think Heller and Toomey are the only remaining Senators who have not yet publicly stated if they'll vote for Trump or not.  Heller did say he was "99% sure" he wasn't voting Trump, but I guess that's not quite 100.  Toomey OTOH really doesn't want to talk about it.

So those two are at least possible no's, and then you have 12 sitting Republican Senators who say they're not voting for Trump.  The remaining GOP Senators are all backing Trump.

Publicly declared Never Trump renegades that remain in office after Nov-8 will be primaried for their treachery.

[ApatheticAustrian]

Publicly declared Never Trump renegades that remain in office after Nov-8 will be primaried for their treachery.

publicly declared never trump renegades that remain in office are in such true blue states or so popular, that killing them would in fact offer seats to democrats.

but plz, be my guest and try to destroy Sens. murkowski, flake, sasse, mccain, graham, portman, and the govs of illinois, massachusetts and maryland.

[Mr. Morden]

Yes, not voting for the party's most recent presidential nominee is an act of treachery almost as bad as saying that the party's last president should have been impeached, and that he knowingly lied us into war and that he knew there were no WMDs.

Surely there's going to be a steep political price to pay for such things, right?

Oh wait...

[GeorgiaModerate]

Ari Fleischer, who opposed Trump in the primary but has reluctantly supported him in the general election, wrote an op-ed saying he'll leave his Presidential vote blank: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ari-fleischer-heres-how-i-figured-out-whom-to-vote-for/2016/11/04/7bcee1ec-a1fd-11e6-8d63-3e0a660f1f04_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions&wpmm=1

[Kingpoleon]

Charlie Baker says he's not going to vote for anyone for president:

http://wwlp.com/2016/11/01/baker-to-leave-presidential-ballot-blank-but-is-still-very-involved-in-election/

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Baker and Flake seemed the most likely to support Gary Johnson.

[Indy Texas]

I don't understand why these people could just vote for Johnson or McMullin.

It is completely meaningless to say you're "against Trump (and Clinton)" and then offer no alternative.

Of course, the GOP's MO in all things, such as healthcare reform, is to whine about the options and then not offer anything better.

[Indy Texas]

Historically, when a significant faction of one party is completely unwilling to support the nominee, they support the other party's nominee or a third party.

See: Liberal Republicans (1872); Silver Republicans and Gold Democrats (1896); Democrats for Nixon (1972)

[Fuzzy Bear]

Historically, when a significant faction of one party is completely unwilling to support the nominee, they support the other party's nominee or a third party.

See: Liberal Republicans (1872); Silver Republicans and Gold Democrats (1896); Democrats for Nixon (1972)

That's not really been true in recent years.  And there's a difference between "prominent" members of a party supporting the opposition and current elective and appointive officials bolting the party, even to merely state that they're not voting for their party's national ticket.

If you look at the list of "Democrats for Nixon", the vast majority of them were former elected or appointive officials whose prospects as future Democratic officeholders was nearly nil.  There were a few elective Democrats that did not endorse the McGovern-Shriver ticket, and some who, clearly, were going to vote for Nixon, but few expressly said this.  Those that did were mostly conservative Southerners that were not seeking re-election.  The most prominent active elected Democrats that actively endorsed Nixon were Mayor Sam Yorty (D-Los Angeles) and Mayor Frank Rizzo (D-Philadelphia); both would later become Republicans.  Most of the "Democrats for Nixon" were FORMER elected officials and former LBJ appointees.

There were some Republicans that didn't endorse Goldwater in 1964.  George Romney, William Scranton, Jacob Javits, and Nelson Rockefeller come to mind.  They weren't run out on a rail right away, but they were all pre-empted by Nixon (who DID campaign for Goldwater) in 1968.  Most of the Democrats that endorsed Goldwater were Southerners, many of whom would ultimately switch parties.

I guarantee that SOMETHING will happen to EVERY major elected Republican that doesn't back Trump.  It may be a primary.  It may be stripping them of cushy committee assignments in the Congress.  But these guys will pay a price, and none of the #NeverTrumpers will ever be on a GOP national ticket.  Period.  There's a reason Rand Paul isn't a #NeverTrumper; he's learned from history.

[Indy Texas]

Historically, when a significant faction of one party is completely unwilling to support the nominee, they support the other party's nominee or a third party.

See: Liberal Republicans (1872); Silver Republicans and Gold Democrats (1896); Democrats for Nixon (1972)

That's not really been true in recent years.  And there's a difference between "prominent" members of a party supporting the opposition and current elective and appointive officials bolting the party, even to merely state that they're not voting for their party's national ticket.

If you look at the list of "Democrats for Nixon", the vast majority of them were former elected or appointive officials whose prospects as future Democratic officeholders was nearly nil.  There were a few elective Democrats that did not endorse the McGovern-Shriver ticket, and some who, clearly, were going to vote for Nixon, but few expressly said this.  Those that did were mostly conservative Southerners that were not seeking re-election.  The most prominent active elected Democrats that actively endorsed Nixon were Mayor Sam Yorty (D-Los Angeles) and Mayor Frank Rizzo (D-Philadelphia); both would later become Republicans.  Most of the "Democrats for Nixon" were FORMER elected officials and former LBJ appointees.

There were some Republicans that didn't endorse Goldwater in 1964.  George Romney, William Scranton, Jacob Javits, and Nelson Rockefeller come to mind.  They weren't run out on a rail right away, but they were all pre-empted by Nixon (who DID campaign for Goldwater) in 1968.  Most of the Democrats that endorsed Goldwater were Southerners, many of whom would ultimately switch parties.

I guarantee that SOMETHING will happen to EVERY major elected Republican that doesn't back Trump.  It may be a primary.  It may be stripping them of cushy committee assignments in the Congress.  But these guys will pay a price, and none of the #NeverTrumpers will ever be on a GOP national ticket.  Period.  There's a reason Rand Paul isn't a #NeverTrumper; he's learned from history.

The big question for the GOP after Tuesday will be who pays the price - those who opposed Trump or those who didn't. I don't think it's safe to assume it's the #NeverTrump folks who will be getting the boot. Needless to say it will be very ugly. Reince Priebus will hand in his resignation if he knows what's good for him.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Historically, when a significant faction of one party is completely unwilling to support the nominee, they support the other party's nominee or a third party.

See: Liberal Republicans (1872); Silver Republicans and Gold Democrats (1896); Democrats for Nixon (1972)

That's not really been true in recent years.  And there's a difference between "prominent" members of a party supporting the opposition and current elective and appointive officials bolting the party, even to merely state that they're not voting for their party's national ticket.

If you look at the list of "Democrats for Nixon", the vast majority of them were former elected or appointive officials whose prospects as future Democratic officeholders was nearly nil.  There were a few elective Democrats that did not endorse the McGovern-Shriver ticket, and some who, clearly, were going to vote for Nixon, but few expressly said this.  Those that did were mostly conservative Southerners that were not seeking re-election.  The most prominent active elected Democrats that actively endorsed Nixon were Mayor Sam Yorty (D-Los Angeles) and Mayor Frank Rizzo (D-Philadelphia); both would later become Republicans.  Most of the "Democrats for Nixon" were FORMER elected officials and former LBJ appointees.

There were some Republicans that didn't endorse Goldwater in 1964.  George Romney, William Scranton, Jacob Javits, and Nelson Rockefeller come to mind.  They weren't run out on a rail right away, but they were all pre-empted by Nixon (who DID campaign for Goldwater) in 1968.  Most of the Democrats that endorsed Goldwater were Southerners, many of whom would ultimately switch parties.

I guarantee that SOMETHING will happen to EVERY major elected Republican that doesn't back Trump.  It may be a primary.  It may be stripping them of cushy committee assignments in the Congress.  But these guys will pay a price, and none of the #NeverTrumpers will ever be on a GOP national ticket.  Period.  There's a reason Rand Paul isn't a #NeverTrumper; he's learned from history.

The big question for the GOP after Tuesday will be who pays the price - those who opposed Trump or those who didn't. I don't think it's safe to assume it's the #NeverTrump folks who will be getting the boot. Needless to say it will be very ugly. Reince Priebus will hand in his resignation if he knows what's good for him.

The #NeverTrump folks will get the blame for downballot losses.  Some of the folks I see as being toast are Kasich, Flake, Collins, Kirk, Toomey, and a few others. 

Those who backed Trump will be viewed as folks who did what they had to do in service to the GOP.  Much like the Democrats who sucked it up and didn't trash Mondale or McGovern. 

After McGovern's loss, House Democrats became more unified.  After the 1974 elections (a MASSIVE Congressional landslide for the Democrats), the Class of 1974 ended the Seniority system by dumping three (3) key conservative Democratic committee chairmen.  I guarantee you that should the #NeverTrumpers up for election this year make it back, they will be denied the choice committee assignments they want. 

Parties do this for a basic reason; they are composed of egomaniacs who see a President when they look in the mirror and they don't want their party to dump them if they're the nominee.  This is how party loyalty is compelled, at least at the Congressional level.  No #NeverTrump Republican will ever sniff the odor of a place on the GOP national ticket.

[Indy Texas]

Historically, when a significant faction of one party is completely unwilling to support the nominee, they support the other party's nominee or a third party.

See: Liberal Republicans (1872); Silver Republicans and Gold Democrats (1896); Democrats for Nixon (1972)

That's not really been true in recent years.  And there's a difference between "prominent" members of a party supporting the opposition and current elective and appointive officials bolting the party, even to merely state that they're not voting for their party's national ticket.

If you look at the list of "Democrats for Nixon", the vast majority of them were former elected or appointive officials whose prospects as future Democratic officeholders was nearly nil.  There were a few elective Democrats that did not endorse the McGovern-Shriver ticket, and some who, clearly, were going to vote for Nixon, but few expressly said this.  Those that did were mostly conservative Southerners that were not seeking re-election.  The most prominent active elected Democrats that actively endorsed Nixon were Mayor Sam Yorty (D-Los Angeles) and Mayor Frank Rizzo (D-Philadelphia); both would later become Republicans.  Most of the "Democrats for Nixon" were FORMER elected officials and former LBJ appointees.

There were some Republicans that didn't endorse Goldwater in 1964.  George Romney, William Scranton, Jacob Javits, and Nelson Rockefeller come to mind.  They weren't run out on a rail right away, but they were all pre-empted by Nixon (who DID campaign for Goldwater) in 1968.  Most of the Democrats that endorsed Goldwater were Southerners, many of whom would ultimately switch parties.

I guarantee that SOMETHING will happen to EVERY major elected Republican that doesn't back Trump.  It may be a primary.  It may be stripping them of cushy committee assignments in the Congress.  But these guys will pay a price, and none of the #NeverTrumpers will ever be on a GOP national ticket.  Period.  There's a reason Rand Paul isn't a #NeverTrumper; he's learned from history.

The big question for the GOP after Tuesday will be who pays the price - those who opposed Trump or those who didn't. I don't think it's safe to assume it's the #NeverTrump folks who will be getting the boot. Needless to say it will be very ugly. Reince Priebus will hand in his resignation if he knows what's good for him.

The #NeverTrump folks will get the blame for downballot losses.  Some of the folks I see as being toast are Kasich, Flake, Collins, Kirk, Toomey, and a few others. 

Those who backed Trump will be viewed as folks who did what they had to do in service to the GOP.  Much like the Democrats who sucked it up and didn't trash Mondale or McGovern. 

After McGovern's loss, House Democrats became more unified.  After the 1974 elections (a MASSIVE Congressional landslide for the Democrats), the Class of 1974 ended the Seniority system by dumping three (3) key conservative Democratic committee chairmen.  I guarantee you that should the #NeverTrumpers up for election this year make it back, they will be denied the choice committee assignments they want. 

Parties do this for a basic reason; they are composed of egomaniacs who see a President when they look in the mirror and they don't want their party to dump them if they're the nominee.  This is how party loyalty is compelled, at least at the Congressional level.  No #NeverTrump Republican will ever sniff the odor of a place on the GOP national ticket.

If you think Trump is comparable to Mondale or McGovern, your party is going to stay stuck in this ditch, keep nominating psychopaths and keep losing at the national level. Good luck with that.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Historically, when a significant faction of one party is completely unwilling to support the nominee, they support the other party's nominee or a third party.

See: Liberal Republicans (1872); Silver Republicans and Gold Democrats (1896); Democrats for Nixon (1972)

That's not really been true in recent years.  And there's a difference between "prominent" members of a party supporting the opposition and current elective and appointive officials bolting the party, even to merely state that they're not voting for their party's national ticket.

If you look at the list of "Democrats for Nixon", the vast majority of them were former elected or appointive officials whose prospects as future Democratic officeholders was nearly nil.  There were a few elective Democrats that did not endorse the McGovern-Shriver ticket, and some who, clearly, were going to vote for Nixon, but few expressly said this.  Those that did were mostly conservative Southerners that were not seeking re-election.  The most prominent active elected Democrats that actively endorsed Nixon were Mayor Sam Yorty (D-Los Angeles) and Mayor Frank Rizzo (D-Philadelphia); both would later become Republicans.  Most of the "Democrats for Nixon" were FORMER elected officials and former LBJ appointees.

There were some Republicans that didn't endorse Goldwater in 1964.  George Romney, William Scranton, Jacob Javits, and Nelson Rockefeller come to mind.  They weren't run out on a rail right away, but they were all pre-empted by Nixon (who DID campaign for Goldwater) in 1968.  Most of the Democrats that endorsed Goldwater were Southerners, many of whom would ultimately switch parties.

I guarantee that SOMETHING will happen to EVERY major elected Republican that doesn't back Trump.  It may be a primary.  It may be stripping them of cushy committee assignments in the Congress.  But these guys will pay a price, and none of the #NeverTrumpers will ever be on a GOP national ticket.  Period.  There's a reason Rand Paul isn't a #NeverTrumper; he's learned from history.

The big question for the GOP after Tuesday will be who pays the price - those who opposed Trump or those who didn't. I don't think it's safe to assume it's the #NeverTrump folks who will be getting the boot. Needless to say it will be very ugly. Reince Priebus will hand in his resignation if he knows what's good for him.

The #NeverTrump folks will get the blame for downballot losses.  Some of the folks I see as being toast are Kasich, Flake, Collins, Kirk, Toomey, and a few others. 

Those who backed Trump will be viewed as folks who did what they had to do in service to the GOP.  Much like the Democrats who sucked it up and didn't trash Mondale or McGovern. 

After McGovern's loss, House Democrats became more unified.  After the 1974 elections (a MASSIVE Congressional landslide for the Democrats), the Class of 1974 ended the Seniority system by dumping three (3) key conservative Democratic committee chairmen.  I guarantee you that should the #NeverTrumpers up for election this year make it back, they will be denied the choice committee assignments they want. 

Parties do this for a basic reason; they are composed of egomaniacs who see a President when they look in the mirror and they don't want their party to dump them if they're the nominee.  This is how party loyalty is compelled, at least at the Congressional level.  No #NeverTrump Republican will ever sniff the odor of a place on the GOP national ticket.

If you think Trump is comparable to Mondale or McGovern, your party is going to stay stuck in this ditch, keep nominating psychopaths and keep losing at the national level. Good luck with that.

Trump is comparable to Mondale and McGovern in the sense that many elected figures of their party are not endorsing him and avoiding him.  Trump is NOT comparable to those men because they were dead in the water at this point in the campaign, whereas Trump's only a point or two behind, and he has a real chance to win (although he's the clear underdog; I'm not in denial of that). 

Even if Trump loses, he's likely to lose by a lesser margin than Romney or McCain.  That he's this close with so much of his party off the reservation is what really puts him apart from McGovern, Mondale, and even Goldwater.