If you are a thinking person, aware of world and national events, then you know that Donald Trump should never be president of the United States. Trump should never hold any position of authority at any level, yet he is one of two candidates for the most important job on the planet.

Republicans, you did this. It is your fault.

Did you not know that your primaries had been taken over by the most radical people in the American political spectrum? Did you not notice that, while the Tea Party members elected wanted only to disrupt government, that those elected next by Republicans wanted more extremism than the Tea Party?

Did you not notice in the primaries that, when a candidate actually made sense like John Kasich or Rand Paul, they were ignored or booed by the radicals who wanted to follow Trump’s race and sex hatred?

Apparently you did notice, but you looked away.

And you nominated the most poorly qualified human ever for the office of president of the United States, Donald Trump.

And now, as you run for the exits to save your own seats in government, you still have not spoken, but for a brave few, to disown Trump. You will disown Trump, you know you will. When Labor Day arrives, and Trump trails Clinton by 10 or more points, you will tell the world you never really supported Trump, and you always had reservations about his temperament.

You will run from Trump, and every Republican will be on his or her own to save their job. You will not allow Trump to campaign with you, you will never mention his name and you will refuse to comment unless it is to condemn his latest attack on some group of Americans.

You will beg the Republican National Committee to help you raise money to advertise to save your own election. There will not be enough money, but the RNC will have stopped giving any money to their own candidate by this point in the election, so you may get one ad.

But you cannot run far enough or fast enough, and you know it. Far too many voters vote a straight line ticket and that means they are not voting for Trump, and therefore not voting for you.

Republicans, you did this. It is your fault.

After listening to Trump’s limited vocabulary, his slights of so many Americans, after all he said that was so very wrong, when Trump said, “I’m, like, a really smart person,” you believed him?

When, on foreign policy, Trump said, “I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things,” that made sense to you? Now that Trump can receive a security intelligence briefing, should he instead give the generals a briefing? Does that make sense to you?

When Chris Matthews asked Trump why American presidents shouldn’t suggest using nukes Trump replied, “Then why do we make them?” This is the guy you want with the launch authority? Of course not.

That Trump can be baited with a tweet, that didn’t bother you?

Republicans, you did this. It is your fault.

Recent polling indicates Trump may, until he has more speaking opportunities, be able to win the white male Republican vote. Good news? Not so much, ten million more women than men voted in 2012, and 57 percent of them will vote against Trump. Minorities? Trump has done an amazing job here, reducing support to 12 percent. Wow. Under 45 aged voters? Trump scores 30 percent.

Oh, you will run from Trump, you will. Unfortunately, Trump may take the entire Republican Party with him into defeat.

Republicans, you did this. It is your fault.

 Jim Crawford is a retired educator and political enthusiast living here in the Tri-State.