“Just vote straight ticket R.”

I keep hearing people in our community making that argument in good faith. I also hear people tell me that the GOP can be reformed in the primaries. It is hard to square either with what happened to Roy Moore in Alabama. It is happening again now with Steve King in Iowa:

“Republicans are fighting for their lives in the House this year, with the odds against their holding on to their majority. If they lose, it will mean divided government, Democratic-controlled committees embarking on fishing expeditions trying to hamstring the Trump administration, and possibly even impeachment of the president. But Republicans signaled this week that there is at least one competitive seat they are willing to lose. Iowa representative Steve King is facing the toughest reelection fight of his eight-term career. Nonetheless, the National Republican Congressional Committee felt it had to draw a line in the stand between King and the rest of the party. The NRCC’s chairman, Representative Steve Stivers of Ohio, didn’t mince words … King’s comfort with white nationalism — as opposed to the nationalism of patriots who love their country as the standard-bearer of freedom — makes the false accusations of racism against other Republicans look credible. He is no victim of biased media or Trump-hating conservatives. He is, instead, a cautionary tale of what happens when conservatives allow a justified concern about a broken immigration system to turn into a debate about race and a conflict between whites and those who are black or brown. …”

Steve King is currently in a tough race in the general election.

Are all the True Cons who want you to vote for candidates like Mitt Romney supporting Steve King? No, the NRCC and National Review are attempting to take out Steve King on the eve of the election. This is an opportunity to take out a nationalist in Congress who has been a thorn in their side: “Republicans signaled this week that there is at least one competitive seat they are willing to lose.”

Observe this is how the GOP establishment plays politics. They would rather lose elections than support a nationalist or populist. Keep that in mind on Tuesday.