He writes:

I tend to come down on the side of the GOP being able to do whatever the hell it wants to do with its rules. It's a private party with a specific membership group, and if they want to elect a demagogic lunatic, more power to them. Let me be clear: I'm no Hillary fan, and have long been uncomfortable with a lot of what the Democratic party has on offer (surveillance; the use of force in foreign policy; gun rights; censorship; and on and on). But, by and large, I've always been struck to a greater degree by which the GOP has stood for bigotry, disproven and fantastical economic theories, and anti-intellectualism. Gun to my head, I would vote for Clinton over Trump (but as of now, my personal preference lies with Johnson). Still: why should the GOP have any larger obligation to anyone but themselves? The only individuals hurt are the 13+ million Americans who opted to identify as Republican during this cycle and voted for Trump. The private club owes no allegiance other than to itself. If that private organization sees itself as a standard bearer for little-D democracy, keep him. If they truly care about any semblance of this country as an inclusive, realistic state, they can opt for republican ideas and dump him.

Malcolm Collie, a British observer of American politics, believes that closed primaries, caucuses, bound and unbound delegates, and winner-take-all simple majority referenda are all flawed, “which is why systems are in place to take their results as advisory.”

He writes:

The Party nomination is really about who gets the benefit of the RNC's considerable fundraising and media backing. If the Party grandees philosophically feel they don't want to extend that to Trump they are absolutely free to do so. Call it vote with one's conscience if you like, but that's what it comes down to. There is no 'denial of democracy'. Trump is democratically free to run as an Independent, the people who wanted him to be the nominee are free to vote for him in a General Election. Is it risky? Sure, but if Trump is so toxic to the Republican Party, as the RNC defines it, it is the choice they ought to make, and live with the consequences. The problem this raises is that the Republican Party still wants Trump's voters, who really don't subscribe to the economic conservatism the Republican Party wants to advance. That's a pickle.

Says Eric Zelt, who plans to abstain in 2016 rather than choose what he characterizes as the lesser of two diseases. He writes:

My military service taught me that I was always to obey a "Lawful" order. Blind fealty was to tempered by my own certainty and application as to what constituted "lawful." Precedents of international law, my own christian-based upbringing, my patriotism helped inform my decision-making criteria. Now, I never had occasion to really question an order, but knew in my heart and mind that I would know what to do if ever I had to. Another aspect of this dilemma is summed up in one of my favorite quotes: "Good managers do things right; good leaders do the right thing." So if a Republican delegate looks at Trump, looks at the world, the political health of our country and decides that supporting this buffoon is not in the best interests of his/her party, and country, NOT voting for Trump becomes a very easy decision. Again blind loyalty to Party or personality is more often than not, destructive in the long haul, and does not reflect the wisdom in acting against the grain from time to time.

Dabney Dixon also believes that Republican delegates should let their conscience guide them:

Conscience is our ability to reason on behalf of the good and the greater good, discerning between right and wrong… it warns us when we are immoral, unethical, duplicitous, or even overly self-centered. Customs may vary widely around the world, but conscience has bedrocks of speaking the truth, caring for our community, supporting those less fortunate, and looking toward the long-term health and stability of our society. Over the centuries, conscience has at times demanded a very high price. Amazing Grace has shown us the sacrifices of British Members of Parliament as they worked to outlaw slavery through the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a victory finally accomplished in 1807. Early suffragettes in the United States were vilified for their efforts, but their constant refusal to give in to societal pressure resulted in the 19th amendment in 1920. During World War II, the great theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was first jailed and then executed for his refusal to accommodate the Nazi regime. Those who understand the consequences of societal actions need to listen to their conscience. Moving against the current norms can be expensive in terms of time, money, and perceived lost opportunity. Nonetheless, the courageous must hear the quiet interior voice and act, accepting the consequences now for a more just and peaceful future.

Marianna’s rational for “dump Trump” is even simpler. She simply detests the man:

I'd like to see the delegates vote their conscience, period, because I am horrified beyond words by Donald Trump and Newt Gingrich (or whomever he might pick for VP). Call me naive (and you'd be correct), but I could never have imagined the existence of such a pair of lowlifes, especially the former, whose every word and gesture are offensive. The very existence of Trump and his supporters is already a horrendous blow to our country. The odds are that Hillary will still come out ahead, so one could argue that things should be allowed to play out according to the rules. But my feelings of repugnance outweigh that idea, so DOWN WITH TRUMP, the sooner the better!

Steven, a millennial from NYC who voted for McCain and Romney, changed his voter registration as a result of Trump’s rise in the Republican Party. “Trump has spewed hateful speech, showed no knowledge nor desire to learn the issues, changed his mind literally daily, and has not even run on an actual Republican platform,” he wrote. “He believes in 45% tariffs (45%!!!), and just said Saddam Hussein was a good leader.” Registering Libertarian “doesn't do anything to stop Trump,” he acknowledged, “but I wanted to be able to point that I was more strongly against this moronic bigot being the head of a party -- which is not my party -- than our cowardly republican leaders like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell.”