Trump has sucked the air out of the GOP convention

We had certainly hoped for a different outcome in the hotly contested Republican presidential primaries and caucuses.

Indeed, we had urged voters who participated to consider the fact that there was only one candidate in the field of 17 whose qualifications and experience in government had well prepared him to serve as president.

Unfortunately, Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich, who won re-election in 2014 by a landslide in the all-important presidential battleground state, was unable to be heard over the bluster and bombast of New York City businessman and reality television personality Donald Trump.

Thus today, as delegates and alternates gather in Cleveland on the eve of the four-day Republican National Convention, this question looms: What have the voters wrought?

Although Trump has been on the campaign trail since June 2015, he remains a political enigma.

The billionaire real-estate developer – he started in business with a significant infusion of capital from his father – is hardly the portrait of traditional Republicanism. In fact, Trump has boasted that he was able to attract large numbers of independents and Democrats to his cause, pegged “Make America Great Again.”

Just another project

By running against the party establishment and sweeping a majority of the state primaries and caucuses, Trump has turned this week’s convention into another project that bears his label. He will be running the show, and Republican Party insiders who are attending – many others are steering clear of Cleveland – will be expected to fall in line.

In other words, the GOP presidential nominee and his supplicants will silence dissent as the drama unfolds in Quicken Loans Arena.

Thus, Trump will become the standard-bearer Thursday with a list of unknowns about his personal life and his political beliefs.

During the primary election, we published several hard-hitting editorials about Trump’s candidacy and criticized his willingness to say and do anything to win.

For instance, he energized the millions of voters who rallied to his cause with such far-fetched ideas as:

Forcing American corporations that have moved jobs overseas to bring them back.

Building a huge wall along the border with Mexico and sending the construction bill to the Mexican government.

Deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Banning all Muslims from entering the United States. In fact, he believes that profiling Muslims living in the United States is a legitimate response to recent lone-wolf terrorist attacks.

Destroying the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Setting aside all the multinational trade treaties and demanding new terms from America’s trading partners.

Trump has reacted with feigned anger when asked by reporters for details of his plans. He has accused them of bias.

In fact, the soon-to-be GOP presidential nominee has used the press to rile his supporters.

But his attacks on the media aren’t just a campaign ploy. Five months ago, Trump suggested that the laws protecting a free press should be changed so it would be easier to file lawsuits.

“One of the things I’m going to do if I win, and I hope we do and we’re certainly leading, is to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles we can sue them and win lots of money,” Trump said. “We’re going to open up those libel laws.”

True to form, the GOP presidential nominee-to-be backtracked when the public outcry got too intense.

On one issue after another, Trump has taken extreme positions to fuel the passions of his followers, only to flip-flop when faced with declining poll numbers.

A prime example of this was when MSNBC host Chris Matthews asked him if individuals involved in abortions should be punished. He said they should, and when pressed by Matthews, the Republican presidential candidate said the punishment also should apply to women who have abortions.

He walked back that comment in the midst of widespread criticism.

This week’s gathering of Republicans in Cleveland is about one man, Donald Trump. The prospect of his supporters blindly following him is disturbing.