Because He Could Win

The Republicans have made such a thorough hash of things thus far in 2016, it’s almost certainly too late for them to save themselves from the disaster of having Donald Trump as their standard-bearer. 

Or from the long-term damage he will do to their party if he loses.

But it isn’t too late for the once-Grand Old Party to save itself, and the country, from the worst that could happen should Mr. Trump win.

It only requires that the Republican leadership remember two things:

First, nowhere is it written that a Presidential nominee has a right to designate his vice-presidential running-mate.  It’s a tradition, yes.  But only that.

Second, the Vice-President of the United States is a constitutional officer, elected to office for a term of four years.  He can be impeached, but he can’t be fired.  The President can give him orders, but the Vice-President is free to ignore them.  The idea that the Vice-President works for the President is also a tradition, but only that.

If I were among the grandees of the Republican Party, I would gather my fellow grandees and give them a little history lesson – probably starting with Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson’s independent-minded Vice-President.

Then I’d invite them to help me devise a plan whereby the Republican National Convention nominated a genuinely solid, responsible, presidential individual to be Mr. Trump’s running-mate.

Not to help him win.  He’s on his own for that.  But to offer the Party – and the American people – a sort of guarantee.  If the unimaginable happens, and Mr. Trump becomes President, his constitutional successor would be someone in whom the country – and the party – could have complete confidence.

In other words, in November, the Party’s leaders would be able to sit down with a President-Elect Trump and let him know, in so many words, that he’d better conduct himself reasonably, legally, and constitutionally.

Give us one legitimate reason to impeach you, they could say, and we’ll do it.

In a New York minute.

If Mr. Trump is a reasonable man, he would probably take this warning seriously.  Indeed, he might decide to use his solid, responsible, presidential Vice-President to help him learn the ropes and govern effectively. 

If, on the other hand, Mr. Trump is what many Americans – including many Republicans – fear he might be, we’d have a way to get rid of him.  And he’d know that.

Now, imagine the Republican grandees arrive at this decision, move quickly and quietly, and put it into effect next week. 

They’d have to find a true patriot to take on the thankless job of being Mr. Trump’s potential Vice-President.  But there are such people.

Colin Powell.  Alan Simpson.  Mitt Romney.   You’ll think of others.

The nature of the assignment would be entirely non-traditional.  There wouldn’t be much of the usual “running-mate” stuff.  The grandees’ choice likely wouldn’t care to get too close to Mr. Trump during the campaign. 

But that’s not the important thing.  The important thing would only happen should Mr. Trump win.  In that case, he and his Vice-President-elect would have to carefully negotiate the nature of their relationship. 

Would the Vice-President be a trusted adviser?  A sort of nanny? 

Or the living embodiment of the Sword of Damocles?

At any rate, he or she would serve as a sort of national insurance policy. 

Having saddled us with Candidate Trump, that’s the least the Republicans can do for the country.

After all, he could win.