#NeverHillary

I condemn no one for deciding otherwise. There are plausible arguments for not voting for him in November – to repudiate him and his style of politics, to uphold conservative principle. Staying home, voting for a third party, or writing someone in are all honorable alternatives. (Actually voting for Hillary is not.) And if you think his defeat is literally inevitable, these are easier choices to make.

But while his defeat is clearly likely, I do not think it inevitable. As president, Trump would not do half the things he’s promised his supporters, nor half the things his detractors fear. All the illegals aren’t going to be deported and the wall will be tied up in eminent domain litigation for years; likewise, he won’t nuke Belgium or seize the New York Times.

But he would make appointments, and personnel is policy, more so than ever in the post-constitutional era Obama has ushered in. There are hundreds of posts that matter, but two stand out. The first is obvious: the Supreme Court. We have no real idea whom Trump might nominate, but he or she could not help but be better than Hillary’s choices.

The second position is possibly even more powerful than the Supreme Court, albeit with shorter tenure: head of the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice.