In light of the recent pearl-clutching from #NeverTrump conservatives, especially their advice cum threats that Democrats should slow down on their leftward shift in order to woo them and thus save the country, I would like to state unequivocally: 1/

If in order to save the country we have to compromise on the rights of people of color, then the country is not worth saving. 2/

If in order to save the country we have to compromise on the rights of LTBTQ citizens, then the country is not worth saving. 3/

If in order to save the country we have to compromise on the rights of women, especially the right to make the most basic reproductive decisions, then the country is not worth saving. 4/

If in order to save the country we have to accept assaults on the right to vote of any citizens, then the country is not worth saving. 5/

If in order to save the country we have to accept any part of the dehumanization of people seeking their futures here, then the country is not worth saving. 6/

If in order to save the country we have to accept the tyranny of the gun as the price of "freedom," then the country is not worth saving. 7/

If in order to save the country we have to accept the inevitability of vast and growing wealth inequality, then the country is not worth saving. 8/

If in order to save the country we are willing to let one person starve so that others can live in luxury, then the country is not worth saving. 9/

If in order to save the country we have to accept the mortgaging of the future for the comfort of the present by refusing to face the realities of climate change, then the country is not worth saving. 10/

If in order to save the country we have to be willing to send our young men and women to die to no discernible benefit to the country, then the country is not worth saving. 11/

If in order to save the country we will not dignify work with a living wage, then the country is not worth saving. 12/

If in order to save the country we have to surrender the dream of access to healthcare for all, then the country is not worth saving. 13/

Truly. Sorry y'all. But not sorry. I am not willing to harm ANY of my fellow Americans to gain a single #NeverTrump vote. If the things he's done aren't enough to convince you to vote Democratic, then you were never really bothered by Trump's positions, just by the fact... 14/

...that he says the quiet parts out loud. Because there isn't much he says that deviates from the core principles of the Republican party as it has evolved over the last half-century. 15/

And I know, I just KNOW, that if we moved rightward to meet you, if we compromised our core beliefs to bring you in, that when the crisis has passed you'll go back to doing the same old thing and we'd end up fighting the same battle all over again. 16/

No. #NeverTrump means exactly that. Never. Trump. It means you unite with us in this single common cause. You hold your nose and vote for the candidate WE have chosen because YOU fucked up. 17/

That's harsh, but as so many on the right are fond of saying, the facts don't care about your feelings. 18/

Plus, of course, we're mostly talking about the presidency. The same loons will return to the House. The Senate will still be undemocratic and tilted in favor of the red states. The next president to win office with a minority of the vote will still be a Republican because... 19/

...of the stupid Electoral College. The courts you packed will still be a hindrance to real progress of at least a generation.

But you might help save the Republic. And if that isn't enough to rouse the electorate, and you specifically, then the country is not worth saving. /end