So What. Chris Cillizza

Lots of establishment Republicans believe that the best way for the GOP to get back to its conservative roots is for Donald Trump to lose the election this fall.

1. Donald Trump isn’t going anywhere. If he loses in the fall, there’s a 0% chance that he will concede. Trump has already said that the only way he can lose this election is if Democrats cheat him out of it. Do you think he is suddenly going to have an election night conversion and admit he lost fair and square?

2. The base of the party doesn’t have any interest in a return to the past. The smartest quote in the Politico piece comes from longtime GOP strategist Terry Sullivan: “You’re assuming Republicans have a top of the ticket problem and not a voter base problem. It’s not like our leaders have been leading the voters to the wilderness against the voters’ judgment.”