It is surely obvious by now that the new Republican nomination process devised by Michael Steele is not working. Republican primary voters have made it absolutely clear that they do not like any of the Lackluster Four candidates. If the Four had any concern for the future of the country, or even for the Republican Party, they would all withdraw forthwith so that we could start over with somebody who arouses enthusiasm and is more likely to beat Obama.

If Romney accumulates 1144 bound delegates, the Republican nominee will be another RINO loser, like Dole and McCain. The other possibility is that the four candidates will go on tearing each other apart, ruining the chances of beating Obama, until the Convention at the end of August. Given the increasing probability of an open Convention, it is time for better candidates (Marco Rubio? Chris Christie? Jeb Bush? Sarah Palin?) to start positioning themselves to become the selected nominee. What we need is one or more well-funded new candidates who begin campaigning against Obama right now, ignoring the petty bickering of the primary process.

Whether the Convention chooses someone new or one of the Lackluster Four, the nominee will have only 2 months to bind up the Party’s wounds and campaign against a President who (1) has the advantage of incumbency, (2) has much more money; and (3) has been campaigning for 10 months.

The probable consequence of this stupidity will be another four years of Obama. If that happens, the policies adopted by the RNC will be blamed, and the Republican Party will cease to exist, hopefully being replaced by some more responsible conservative organization. More importantly, a lameduck Obama will surely try to convert the United States into a totalitarian socialist dictatorship. He has already installed the tools he needs. First, the National Defense Authorization Act last January gave him the power to detain US citizens indefinitely without trial – i.e., he can, if he has the nerve, set up a Gulag for citizens who oppose him. Second, the Executive Order he signed on March 16 asserts that if he issues a Finding that there is some risk (not certainty) of a national military or other emergency (Iran might get the bomb? Israel might attack Iran? The climate might get warmer? Martians might invade?), he will then have the right to abrogate all existing legal contracts and to take control of the whole economy. We must not let that happen.

If we cannot restart the nomination process with some better candidates, there are two actions by the RNC that would mitigate the catastrophe they have created for the Party and the country. First, they must change the rules to allow all delegates to vote as they choose on the first as well as subsequent ballots at the Convention. This would reduce the incentives for destructive negative campaigning by the Lackluster Four and improve the probability that a new and much more inspiring nominee will emerge. Second, the Convention must be rescheduled to a much earlier date, such as July 1. June 1 would be better, even though this would force 14 states to move their primaries and/or state conventions. The purpose is to minimize the time spent in internecine squabbling and provide more time (4 or 5 months) for the election campaign.

I am sure these changes would cause problems and cost money – but the election in November is much more important than the misguided, arbitrary rules adopted by the RNC. We cannot accept the destruction of America just because the Republican Establishment exhibits a pronounced death wish.

Philip K. Chapman, Sc.D., Scottsdale, AZ; [email protected]. For biographical info, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhilipK.Chapman