Just think about the most common complaint about the Establishment among conservatives — Republican elites are too willing to compromise and sell out rather than stand up for conservative principles. This propensity of the Establishment, however loathsome to the Right, makes it a lot easier for the elites to unite around a single candidate.
That is, if a Republican candidate that members of the Establishment are supporting falters, they have few qualms about jumping ship and supporting another candidate. They’re much more willing to overlook disagreements they may have on some issues as long as they think a candidate is preferable to the Democrat and has the best chance to win. They don’t have any strict ideological tests for the nominee…
Given this reality, the Right would be mistaken to adopt the view that the more Establishment candidates there are, the merrier.
Though it’s true that several big name Establishment candidates may be competing in 2016 for money, staff and resources, there will also be a flood of candidates seeking conservative support. So, conservatives won’t be able to simply sit back and enjoy the carnage.
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