Republicans interested in the long-term viability of their party may be wise to change radio stations. Turn off the conservative talking heads who can't get past their intense dislike of Hillary Clinton. Turn on sports radio. There, they might learn the value of "tanking" and how it could save the future of the Republican Party.
The pundits on sports radio understand that sometimes it's necessary to lose in order to win. That's especially true in the National Basketball Association, where one or two stars can be the difference between an also-ran and a playoff contender. Consequently, there is a long-standing NBA tradition of tanking — not intentionally losing, but not trying to win. The goal of a tanking team is to improve its chances in the college draft lottery, hoping to find that singular talent who can become the nucleus of a winning club.
It's time for smart Republicans to tank on Donald Trump. For starters, no one who cares about the country's future should support the election of a candidate who promises to isolate the U.S. diplomatically, economically and socially. Trump's misogyny, racism and vitriol can't simply be written off as that was then, this is now. The most duplicitous "October Surprise" is a candidate who tries to use the general-election campaign to repudiate the very essence of the promises and platform used to win a party's endorsement.
Nor is defeating Hillary Clinton enough of a reason to vote for Trump, no matter the contempt some conservatives have for her. The fact is, the fall campaign will be so ugly and devoid of issues that whoever wins likely will find it impossible to unite the country around a partisan agenda. Clinton will have other barriers to success, starting with Bernie Sanders. Sanders won't be the Democratic Party's nominee, but he has won its heart. Liberals who have been gleeful watching Ted Cruz and his ilk destructively push Republicans to the far right may soon see what the edge of the cliff looks like from the left.
Meanwhile, the next president probably will preside over a domestic economy that, while not about to fall into another Great Recession, seems likely to struggle through at least a few years of stagnation. And, of course, there is the political gridlock now ingrained in Washington politics. The U.S. House of Representatives seems almost certain to remain in Republican control no matter how much damage Trump does to the GOP brand. The Paul Ryan-led House will assure that either gridlock or conservative orthodoxy prevails in public policy.
Much the same can be said about the fate that would await a President Trump. Blue-collar workers who — with much justification — feel they have gotten the short end of the economic stick aren't loyal to a New York billionaire, but to his promised vision of a reinvigorated U.S. An angry constituency will get a whole lot angrier when Trump the president can't deliver on what Trump the candidate promised.
The fact is, when you look at the path that must be traveled by either Clinton or Trump to get to the White House, the ugly fall campaign, the polarized politics that will continue to dominate Washington and the challenging four years ahead, smart money would bet on a one-term president regardless of who wins in November.
A one-term presidency, though, doesn't mean Democrats would be tossed aside in 2020. A Clinton administration could fail without doing great damage to the Democratic brand. Put aside all the Republican rhetoric, and Clinton is a middle-of-the-road Democrat. Her policies — successful or not — aren't likely to undermine the ability of a Democratic candidate to win four years from now.
