Hatred of Clinton, Republicans hope, will be the magic elixir that unites the party and delivers the White House to Trump — the only presidential nominee in decades of polling who is less popular than Clinton.
But no matter how much Republicans try to convince themselves that the lesser of two evils argument will save them from a rout in November, it won’t heal the deep fissures that exist within the party.
When Republicans gathered here, it was already clear that they were not united in any true sense of the word. Dozens of prominent lawmakers skipped the convention. Trump opponents spent the week leading up to the convention — and the first day of the convention itself — in open rebellion against his nomination.
And one of the most talked-about moments came when Sen. Ted Cruz, Trump’s chief rival, was booed off the stage for failing to endorse Trump, causing fierce clashes on the floor between pro-Trump and anti-Trump delegates.
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