Instead of asking Rand Paul to support Mike Huckabee if he’s the nominee, what about a pledge that the leaders in Congress pick one thing to work on and actually get done. I’m not sure people would even care what it was, so long as it wasn’t, you know, “once again help out crony corporate interests.” Just pick one thing. One thing to show that there is a reason to be loyal to the GOP. Maybe something worthwhile on foreign policy. Maybe something worthwhile on the budget. Immigration. Maybe something to do with the harvesting of human organs from federally funded Planned Parenthood. I don’t think it matters what it is. But it should be something of note. Maybe it’s simply communicating a message about conservatism and the threats posed by the expanding administrative state. Or standing up to President Obama. Or standing up to a media establishment more or less completely aligned with the Democratic Party. They can take their pick!

If the GOP leadership wanted to stop Trump and the other hemorrhaging, they wouldn’t enact a pledge, they’d do something to make voters want to stay. There’s simply no substitute for actually doing something or communicating something conservative.

Let’s say, however, that House and Senate leaders are truly incapable of doing any such thing. Here’s another, somewhat counterintuitive idea for the GOP. Stay with me for this as I tell a quick story.