Watching conservative "strategists" south of the border slowly wake up to the fact that they let Donald Trump pull off the biggest end-zone run in recent history has been by turns sobering, hilarious and maddening.

And it's only going to get worse for them from here on out.

They can continue to tell everyone that Trump and the people who are voting for him are marginal kooks and that the Donald isn't a real conservative -- as if they're in any position to judge or comment.

They can continue to produce articles about how his ideas are nutty and unrealistic, as if theirs are any better -- or as if they had any worth talking about.

They can continue to pretend that "controlling the message" and "incrementalism" and "a focus on economic issues" will eventually create a pool of voters who will turn out on E-day and make the rational decision to vote for Team Tax Cuts.

They can do all of that, and some people are going to believe them.

Everyone else, however, has moved on.

Trump has proven that the only thing conservatives have to fear is fear itself. All the ghost stories these "strategists" have been telling the base for years about why we can't have the conservative party of our dreams have been proven to be just that.

They've been afraid to own the crazy when their left-wing friends have called them on it. They've downplayed, demurred, and distanced.

They've been too focused on talking points and photo-ops to stand up and articulate in a fearless manner exactly what a conservative party stands for. So Donald Trump has done it for them.

Now let me repeat:

This is absolutely going to happen up here in Canada.

In fact, it'd be far easier for a Kevin O'Leary to get away with it, especially when his main challenger thinks an op-ed defending pipelines equates to a bold stance.

I am hoping against hope that our comparatively smaller political cottage industry won't continue to pretend it can't happen even after Trump makes it happen down there, and we have to go through this whole rigmarole again.

But when a political wind blows through America, it always eventually makes its way up here, so hope on it's own isn't going to do it.

So, if there's a single person in the Ottawa establishment who has the temerity to stand up and make a heartfelt defence of what we're supposed to be fighting for as opposed to complaining about deficits without actually doing anything about them -- make your voice heard.

If Trump can make it this far taking the stands he's taken, then there's absolutely no reason why the experienced and elected politicians you're floating for leader of the CPC can't.

Every day you don't is another day where you come closer to going extinct.

To being replaced by the very people you sell your message to.

Is the fear of being piled on by your colleagues really worth giving in to?

Can you count on your friends and co-workers for so little? Do you have that little trust in people?

Do you really have so little that's worth standing up for?

Maybe. After all, the Republicans did.

And maybe I'm just standing in the way of history myself. I don't know. It remains to be seen.

But if that's the way things are going to go, and if we are going to allow ourselves to be run by reality TV show personalities, then at least let it be said that we resisted somewhat.

That we didn't just do what the Liberals always do, which is go along to get along.

Because if we do?

Then we deserve exactly the kind of government that we're going to get.