Thread by @Neoavatara

Oh man.

Do I have thoughts about this.

LOTS OF THOUGHTS.

And none of them will make me any friends.

Oh well, you know me...diving right in...

https://twitter.com/RadioFreeTom/status/1322331183481577472

Tom starts:

"What I do know is that...two aspects of the Never Trump movement will outlast Trump. First, we will always be able to say that when Trump and his thugs took over GOP and then the elected branches of the govt, we did not cut and run. We stood and fought."

LOL.

There was no fight. Some of the capitulated. Some of the TRIED to capitulate (look for jobs, and didn't get them). Others valiant stormed the beaches of Twitter, and that was it.

They didn't 'run' because it was core part of their business model. Where exactly would they have run to? I do admit it is easier for us that were not financially dependent to cut our losses, but in hindsight it was quite clear that staying was the wrong move from the beginning.

"I believe that if all of us had caved, Trump would now be much closer to victory, not just at the polls, but over the Constitution itself. Many of us instead held firm and made the case for democracy and the rule of law from the right flank against our own tribe."

Wut?

Do you guys remember why Nichols left the GOP?

It wasn't really because of Trump.

It was because of BRETT KAVANAUGH.

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

"I have written how I feel...I initially viewed his nomination positively, as standard GOP judicial appointment; then grew concerned about whether he should continue on as a nominee with the accusations against him; and finally, was appalled by his behavior in front of Senate."

"It took almost half an hour before Collins got to the accusations against Kavanaugh, but the rest of what she said was irrelevant. She had clearly made up her mind weeks earlier, and she completely ignored Kavanaugh’s volcanic and bizarre performance in front of the Senate."

If anything, Nichols has been PROVEN WRONG about this.

Have any new allegations come up against Kavanaugh? Any new proof? How about all of the allegations that were debunked? How about Avenatti blowing up?

And is there any evidence BK is some angry jurist?

NOPE.

If anything, Nichols owes BK an apology.

Kavanaugh to this point has disproved every single detractor. He IS a standard GOP nominee...the same kind Dems have attacked unfairly for years. Nichols fell for it, and now can't admit he was wrong.

Now, lets note: I joined the Never Trump team in MAY OF 2016. I lost tons of friends for it. Lost other things too. But I stated my position, and have lived with it.

Attached is blog post from then (the blog is since dead).

After Trump won, I said I would call balls and strikes as well as I could.

And I have made mistakes. But I didn't blindly revolt against Trump just for the heck of it.

And when Kavanaugh was being unfairly attacked, I stood up for him, because IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

Nichols is not wrong about Trump. But he is wrong about a lot.

If you can't stand up for a conservative like BK, who has still to this date had NO PROOF presented against him...then you are never going to be a defender of what is right.

You are just a defender of what is easy.

It would have been easier to agree with my liberal friends.

But they were WRONG. And to attack a man without any proof in such a way...is obscene.

And going along with it is to be without honor.

I mean, by Nichols standard, Biden should have been held to that standard, no?

He has been accused. Why is everything he says about Kavanaugh not true about Biden?

For the record, without evidence, I think it would be horrible to smear Biden. I am consistent. Nichols isnt.

For two years, Nichols sat in the GOP, while I was ostracized. And he wants to say he held the high ground?

Sure.

But his failure to defend what was right DESPITE hating Trump is where he failed.

If your entire moral compass is defined by Trump...you need to re-evaluate.

As for Trump...I didn't vote for him in 2016. Not voting for him now. I haven't voted for anyone that went full Trump. And I know I've burned bridges with that, but my true friends (even those that support Trump now) don't hate me for it.

But Never Trumpers do.

So I don't care. But in the end, I have always said I think the GOP is functionally dead, no matter what happens Tuesday. The party may go on, but won't be the same, ever.

But if Nichols et al think anyone is going to build a movement around them, they are deluding themselves.