Why would "Rule or Ruin" Republicans want another convention like the 1912 Republican convention?

By Michael Gaynor

The "Rule or Ruin" Republican Establishment may stop Trump from winning a three-person race with Hillary Clinton and the Republican establishment's "NotTrump" nominee, whoever he or she may be, but the winner would be Hillary.

Woodrow Wilson became a two-term Democrat President because the Republican Establishment thwarted the will of Republicans by mistreating Teddy Roosevelt.

That was a HUGE mistake by the Republican Establishment then from which the Republican Establishment now should learn immediately.

Donald Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, pledged to support the 2016 Republican presidential nominee.

His pledge was based on the understanding that he, like the other hopefuls, would be treated fairly.

If Republican Establishment sore losers think it would be better to do everything possible to block Trump from becoming the Republican nominee, they should study what happened at the 1912 Republican National Convention and the terrible consequences.

Teddy Roosevelt was not the kind of man who tolerated mistreatment.

Beware, neither is Trump.

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1912_Republican_National_Convention):

"The 1912 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held at the Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois, from June 18 to June 22, 1912. The party nominated President William Howard Taft and Vice President James S. Sherman for re-election.....

"This convention marked the beginning of a split in the party, resulting from a power struggle between incumbent Taft and former president Theodore Roosevelt. This was the first year for Republican primaries. Though Roosevelt had endorsed Taft as his successor, Taft's perceived drift to the right had alienated Roosevelt, who launched a challenge to Taft's re-nomination. Roosevelt overwhelmingly won the primaries – winning 9 out of 12 states (8 by landslide margins). Taft won only the state of Massachusetts (by a small margin); he even lost his home state of Ohio to Roosevelt. Senator Robert M. La Follette, a reformer, won two states. Through the primaries, Senator LaFollette won a total of 36 delegates; President Taft won 48 delegates; and Roosevelt won 278 delegates. However 36 states did not hold primaries, but instead selected delegates via state conventions.

"Entering the convention, the Roosevelt and Taft forces seemed evenly matched, and a compromise candidate seemed possible. The Taft and Roosevelt camps engaged in a fight for the delegations of various states, with Taft emerging victorious, and Roosevelt claiming that several delegations were fraudulently seated. Following the seating of the anti-Roosevelt delegations, California Governor Hiram Johnson proclaimed that progressives would form a new party to nominate Roosevelt. Though many of Roosevelt's delegates remained at the convention, most refused to take part in the presidential ballot in protest of the contested delegates. Roosevelt ultimately ran a third party campaign as part of the Progressive Party (nicknamed the 'Bull Moose Party'). Taft and Roosevelt both lost the 1912 election to the Democratic nominee, Woodrow Wilson."

The "Rule or Ruin" Republican Establishment may stop Trump from winning a three-person race with Hillary Clinton and the Republican establishment's "NotTrump" nominee, whomever he or she may be, but the winner would be Hillary.

At the first Republican presidential candidates debate this year, all the candidates were asked by Fox News anchor Bret Baier whether they would support the winner in the general election.

All but the astutely wary Trump did so immediately, and he eventually did so after he was assured of fair treatment.

So be it!

Cheating Trump will not bode well for the United States or the Republican Party, and the Republican Establishment should know that.

© Michael Gaynor