The Trump Test for Principled Republicans Chris Christie flunked. Nikki Haley and Ben Sasse aced it. Let’s see how others do. By William A. Galston

Posted By on March 2nd, 2016

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-trump-test-for-principled-republicans-1456874942

‘……….They wonder whether they can accept as president a man who threatens a free press with libel laws redolent of the 1798 Sedition Act (which nearly destroyed the American republic in its infancy), openly advocates war crimes as an instrument of state policy, approvingly tweets a quotation from Benito Mussolini, and embraces Kremlin thug Vladimir Putin as a kindred spirit.

There is abundant evidence that Mr. Trump is, as Sen. Marco Rubio pungently puts it, a con man. But suppose we give Mr. Trump more credit than he deserves and take him at his word. It is abundantly clear that no Mexican leader or government would ever agree to pay for his border wall. What then? He would lack the legal authority to impose tariffs on countries such as China and Mexico that run persistent trade surpluses with the U.S. What then? He has proposed a massive tax cut and other programs that, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, would add between $11.7 trillion and $15.1 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. This plan, which would be ruinous if enacted, would not be adopted, and candidate Trump has no other economic agenda. What then?

Tom Coburn, a conservative Republican who retired from the Senate last year, said in a statement Monday supporting Sen. Rubio’s candidacy for the Republican nomination that Mr. Trump is “perpetuating a fraud on the American people. His empty promises, bullying and bloviating rhetoric will only deepen the frustration and disillusionment that gave rise to his campaign. He simply lacks the character, skills and policy knowledge to turn his grandiose promises into reality.”

If you think the American people are angry and mistrustful now, imagine how they will feel after three months of (God forbid) a Trump presidency.

Then there is the way Mr. Trump has chosen to conduct his campaign, which has degraded democratic discourse and made the U.S. a global laughingstock. CONTINUE AT SITE

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