The Right, The Left, and NeverTrump 2020

Dan

The desire shared by many on the right to defeat Donald Trump in 2016 does not exist today. After his nomination and (especially) his election over Hillary Clinton, the most strident NeverTrump (NT) people on the right went full Democrat while the Democrat Party itself and their supporters in the media went completely off the rails. Many on the right who did not vote or wrote in a candidate in 2016 now appreciate certain of Trump’s accomplishments in office. Though they may still find him distasteful as a person, at least a large subset of these will likely cast their votes for the incumbent in November. 

The hard-core NeverTrump former ‘conservatives’ created a pro-leftist movement which tried with all its might to curry favor with the original leftists, who used (and still use) the former ‘conservatives’ kowtowing hat-in-hand appeals to leftists as some sort of ‘proof’ that their own Trump Derangement Syndrome is justified and reasonable. Meanwhile, democrats in government and the media openly and viciously scorned (and still scorn) formerly NT conservatives who did not vote for Clinton in 2016.

While Justin Amash is toying with the idea of declaring his candidacy as this election's ‘principled’ option, his reach will not extend past his own circle, which appears to have  shrunk considerably since he abandoned the Republican Party. Also notable is that both the Democrats and NT former Republicans expressed dismay at Amash's announcement. Democrats fear a Libertarian candidate will steal votes from Biden, and NT has already firmly severed its connection to any conservative values. They all want to defeat Trump with a Democrat. That would only leave the Trump-skeptical Rs who haven't swung left (as the NT movement did) who might vote for Amash. One problem Amash faces is that no one wants to get burned and embarrassed again. 2016 was the year that third party voters would rather forget. This road was traveled with Evan McMullin, who turned on any conservative values to become fodder for left-wing politics. Republicans aren't interested in protest votes that churn out inevitable opponents to Republican values. Another issue for Amash is that third-party voting Rs may be resistant to helping Ds after witnessing the scorn with which all Republicans were treated after the election. Republicans are less likely to aid Ds in the current climate than 2016, not more. 

Even the Rs with the most distaste for Trump's character would concede the benefits of his presidency, including court appointments and pro-life policy, as well as a booming economy (until the Chinese pandemic struck).

The pandemic recovery will be the issue of the election. Amash has no part in this fight. The issues of character which dogged Trump and swung some voters to McMullin or another third party candidate are no longer front and center, most of them having been nullified by Trump's opponents who have proven themselves to have similar if not worse character flaws. Lack of faith in media reporting has hardened and even increased, and the right is not in Amash territory. Republicans crossing over to the Ds is even less likely. The Democrats have had three years to pull themselves together, form a reasonable, responsible party, and present a realistic candidate. They did not do that. This will be purely D candidate vs R candidate - who can rebuild the country? The gloves will be off. And this time, the Rs will be OK with that.