Michael Loftin pictured in his days as the editorial page editor of the Chattanooga Times.Six weeks before their convention, congressional Republicans are tying themselves in rhetorical knots over Donald Trump. They have condemned Trump's racist criticism of a federal judge but quickly assure us that, honest, he will embrace a more conciliatory persona Americans expect of political parties' nominees.
The latest oil-on-troubled-waters statement was delivered last week by House Speaker Paul Ryan, the most powerful elected Republican, to ABC: "I do think, hope and believe that he's going to improve the tenor of the campaign, the tone of the campaign, the kind of campaign that he's going to run."
In Tuesday's New York Times, New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte said the criticism was "offensive and wrong." Maine Sen. Susan Collins hoped that Trump "will rethink his position and show respect for [constitutional] doctrine of the separation of powers."
Earlier, Sen. Bob Corker suggested "there could be" a line that Trump crosses that would cost him the senator's support. If he hasn't "pivoted toward being more of a general election candidate" when the GOP convenes, that "would prove to be very problematic."
The political bromides were not particularly encouraging. "Problematic," indeed.
Trump's response was contemptuous of GOP hopefulness: angry Republicans should "get over it," he said early last week. As for Republicans' hope that he will act more "presidential," The D's response was instructive: "You think I'm going to change? I'm not changing."
The GOP was already facing a demographic challenge to retake the presidency, having failed to learn much from its 2012 defeat.
When Trump attracted huge enthusiastic crowds, party higher-ups assumed their road to the White House had been smoothly paved. Thus their glass-full-and-overflowing optimism: Maybe Trump's rhetoric was a small price to pay for the hoped-for surge of voters that a "safe" candidate would garner for the election. What could go wrong?
The party professionals were blindsided by their naivete, forgetting that on the very day he announced his candidacy, he asserted that most Mexicans coming to this country are "rapists" and "drug dealers."
Their sense of powerlessness is focused not just on the presidential campaign. Party realists worry that Trump lacks a muscular campaign organization essential to victory. Major contributors are reportedly focusing on down-ballot races to save the GOP's House and Senate majorities.
As Trump disposed of his 16 primary opponents with blunt takedowns, party elders' unease turned to panic. Now they cling to a wait-and-see attitude. A coordinator of Trump's outreach to Congress, said Trump's speech last week was a "total pivot," and that "we'll see a very disciplined GOP nominee going forward."
There's not much discipline in Trump's candidacy, given his faith in "trust me" platitudes: I'll build a wall and Mexico will pay for it. In that respect he personifies the line from a Ring Lardner story about a boy and his father walking together. "'Are you lost, Daddy' I asked. 'Shut up,' he explained."
Having presumptively won the GOP nomination largely with the tactics he used in the primaries, it's foolish to think he won't use the same weapon against "crooked Hillary." If Republican leaders believe otherwise, they might want to refer to Proverbs 26:11 for Solomon's pertinent judgment in another context: " As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."
Michael Loftin is former editorial page editor of The Chattanooga Times.