Synopsis: While Mr Trump has been getting a lot of media attention lately, and says all the right things in interviews, if he sincerely wants to do what is right for America he must understand in his heart that running as a darkhorse candidate will re-elect President Obama to second term.

Dear Mr. Trump,

In recent weeks the announcement that you intend to run for President has captured the public imagination. The news was greeted with mixed reviews ranging from enthusiasm to mockery, but you have worked hard to convince many people that you are serious. Some polls have even placed you as the GOP frontrunner.

Many Americans, myself included, are intrigued by the prospect of a proven leader in the business community taking the national reins. In scores of interviews you have been saying all the right things, taking positions that strongly appeal to Conservatives. Clearly, you understand that a genuine Conservative candidate has the best chance of defeating President Obama in 2012. Your statements on monetary policy, China, taxation, and myriad other economic issues have been rock solid. We remain curious about your views on numerous foreign policy issues, and we are not yet convinced of your ability to lead as Commander in Chief – to make the tough, heart-breaking life-or-death decisions that a successful President must make exceptionally well – but you have plenty of time to make that case for yourself.

Frankly, your arguments and positions have forced me – and many Americans like me – to take you more seriously. That is a testament to the hard work and consideration you have already put into your campaign. To anyone hearing you speak on various radio and television programs, it is obvious that you sincerely care about America’s future, that you genuinely are frightened – as we are – by the radical policies of the current administration, and that you have carefully considered plans to turn things around.

Personally, I believe you really do have the best interests of this nation and its citizens in mind as you make a run at the White House. If that is true, there is one issue on which you must reconsider your position. In the event you do not win the GOP nomination, you have indicated your willingness to run as a third party candidate. It is imperative you understand what a catastrophe that would be for America.

Seldom in American history has a darkhorse candidate won an election. In living memory, third party runs have succeeded in only one thing: handing the election to the opposing ideology’s candidate.

In 1992, Ross Perot’s right-of-center campaign siphoned enough GOP votes to deny George H. W. Bush a second term. Thinking back to Perot’s platform, ask yourself whether the overwhelming majority of Perot voters were Democrats or Republicans. It is inconceivable that many Democrats cast their ballots for a fiscally conservative candidate, thus the more than 15% of the vote Perot attracted were mostly Republican. If those votes had not been drained away to Perot, most likely they would have been cast for Bush and America might have been spared the indignities and epic failures of the Clinton administration.

It works both ways. In 2000, Ralph Nader ran a Green campaign that bled a small percentage of voters away from Al Gore – enough to throw the election into a dead heat, with the victory going to George W. Bush, after a contentious post-election dogfight in which Al Gore turned the American electoral system into a laughingstock. Without the Green Party darkhorse pulling Democratic voters away from Mr. Gore, the Vice President would have cruised to victory. America owes Mr. Nader a debt of gratitude, for it would take the imagination of Dante to envision what it would have been like with Al Gore at the helm on the morning of 9/11.

Mr. Trump, your campaign is refreshingly Right-wing, well to the Right of most other likely GOP candidates. Americans appreciate your tough talk, and no-nonsese stances on issues. If you win the nomination, you have a good shot at winning the election. But if you fail to win the nomination, your Right-wing platform will siphon millions of votes away from the GOP nominee, which will split the GOP voter base, and hand President Obama his best shot at re-election. It would be the best gift anyone could possibly give him. If, as I believe, you genuinely care about America, you will not do that to our beloved country. A man of character knows there times when he must put aside his own ambition, for the greater good.

When the primaries are over, if you are not the nominee you might feel tempted to go through with a darkhorse candidacy simply because you truly believe you are the best man for the job. You might believe you can win, that your platform is so good you can defeat both the Republican and the Democrat candidates. Without question, it is your right to run as a third party candidate. But there is a great difference between a right and a wise course of action. Before you make that decision, consider the stakes. And consider as well the horror you will feel, the morning after Election Day, when President Obama has coasted to re-election because you did not put America first. If you are the patriot I believe you to be, you know what must be done if you fail to win the GOP nomination.

I wish you the very best of luck in your campaign. If you win the nomination, I will vote for you. If you do not, the Leftist media will certainly court you, build you up, encourage you and urge you to run on a darkhorse ticket. They drool at the prospect because they, too, know exactly what it will mean. Listen to them, but not to the sycophantic, manipulative rhetoric. Listen instead with a strategic ear, keeping in mind the absolute certainty of their ulterior motives. That alone should tell you that a third party candidacy must not be considered.

Sincerely and with great respect,

Michael J. McNamara Sr.

Mr McNamara is a political blogger, and author of “Chuckleheads,” a collection of satire tales available for download at Amazon.com.