To be clear, if I have no other real alternative, I am prepared to make the excruciating choice of voting for Donald Trump. I will never support Trump, but I would vote for him in the presumptive two-candidate election because I find Hillary Clinton more objectionable and I believe there is a chance Trump would surround himself with solid people who would make better decisions for the country. I don’t do mind-games, and I will not engage in a symbolic gesture that has no chance of achieving anything other than letting me pretend I did not, in effect, vote for Clinton.

If, however, there is a credible alternative – preferably, a Republican who can unite conservatives, independents, and Reagan Democrats who surely have disagreements, including disagreements with me, but reject the direction in which the Left is taking the country – I am on board. I don’t need the certainty or even probability of success; I need the possibility of success coupled with confidence that the effort would promote down-ballot success for congressional candidates who would form a solid opposition in the event Clinton or Trump wins.