Never Trump quandary: When you want Trump to lose but can't bear his Democratic opponents

. . . Only a few Never Trumpers would be able to support a Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, or Kamala Harris. Some would probably be happy with Joe Biden, but perhaps more the Biden of their memories than the man who will have to move far enough left to capture the Democratic nomination. So, with no hope of stopping Trump inside the GOP, and with Democrats moving in an unacceptable direction, what to do? . . .

Byron York  "The Democratic debates have been hard on Never Trumpers. The small but vocal group of Republicans and former Republicans who oppose President Trump has watched in horror as Democrats veered leftward, embracing "Medicare-for-all," virtually open borders, sky-high taxes, and other positions no conservative could ever accept. The Never Trumpers see disaster coming in the form of the president winning reelection over a Democrat who moved too far left for the American voter.

"So they issue warnings. The Democrats' performance in the most recent debate was "worse than farcical," the New York Times' Bret Stephens wrote. "It's tragic. It will make the Trump campaign's job of selling the president as the non-insane option in next year's election shamefully easy."

"Bill Kristol, the former Dan Quayle aide who founded the now-shuttered Weekly Standard, tweeted, "Best moment in this debate: 'It's time for closing statements.'"

"After the first debate — a widely watched event that gave voters across the nation their initial impression of the Democratic field — some Never Trumpers were deeply alarmed.

" 'Trump wants to portray Democrats as open-border socialists," wrote the Washington Post's Max Boot. "And in their eagerness to court progressive primary voters, the candidates are playing into his hands."

"The alarm sometimes felt personal, as when the Times' David Brooks issued a plea: "Dems, Please Don't Drive Me Away." The columnist announced that he could "never in a million years vote for Donald Trump" and plaintively asked Democrats: "Will there be a candidate I can vote for?"

"Maybe not. The fretting and complaining, coming from people who had been Republicans until Trump came along, set some liberals on edge." . . .

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