Among the many apocalyptic predictions about a hypothetical Trump Presidency is one that I find supremely interesting: an implosion of the Republican Party. If Trump were to take the Republican ticket to the Oval Office, his decisions and mistakes would matter, and they would have the attention of the whole world focused on them.  People would notice. If President Trump represents the Republican Party in office the way he is representing it on the campaign trail it is hard to imagine many Republicans winning elections in 2018, and almost impossible to imagine a Republican in the Oval Office in 2020 or even 2024. Trump’s potential damage to the image of the Republican Party as a conservative, responsible, and safe choice could force the party to completely reinvent itself.*

Of course it is possible that as president he could be less of a disaster than many (including myself) predict. He would definitely be embarrassing, and he would definitely be a big step back in the area of racial equality and social progress, among other things. But, while it is possible that Trump could become a non-catastrophic president, it is also very possible that he would be the worst president in modern history. In this piece, let’s talk about what happens then to the Republican Party.

Trump’s buffoonery on the campaign circuit may well be an act that he is putting on for the voters, and we might see a different side of him when he’s no longer campaigning. However, even if we do believe that he’s not as bigoted as he appears or as impulsive as he has lately come off, it is hard to imagine that a man who had not heard of the Syrian refugee crisis in September of 2015 is stronger on foreign policy than we know. It is hard to imagine that a man who has promised to shut down parts of the internet has any depth of understanding of the American Constitution or the structure and format of the American Presidency (or, perhaps even more concerning, what the internet is).

America deserves better than the choice between Donald Trump and whoever his opponent is. Our top candidates should challenge each other on the issues, highlight the most important differences between the choices facing our country, and let the American people decide who best can lead us moving forward. They should be encouraged to base their positions in facts and intellect. In short, they should have a substantive debate.

I would love for there to be a real choice for me to make in November. As it is, my choice is to vote for the Democrat, or vote for someone who, in addition to other problematic stances, doesn’t believe in anthropogenic climate change, refuses to consider addressing the epidemic of gun violence, and is opposed to defending the rights of the LGBTQ community. I wish a guy like Bloomberg could run with the knowledge that if he lost the winner would still be capable of holding the highest executive office without catastrophe. Instead, Bloomberg’s choice was made for him the same way mine was and the same way many of our country’s was. He couldn’t run because if he did, Trump might win. We can’t vote for anyone but the Democratic nominee, because if we do, Trump might win.

There is and always has been an important place for conservatism, and the issues that Republican voters care about are vital. But in order for our country to progress, we need to be able to talk about how to protect religious liberties in conjunction with defending the rights of non-religious people. Religious freedom cannot continue to be used to defend prejudice and exclusion. We need to be able to use the best research available to learn how we can reduce gun violence while still honoring the intent of the second amendment. The Second Amendment cannot continue to be used to devalue the lives taken by gun violence. Our government does have to have a focus on promoting growth and prosperity, but it also has to ensure that the least well-off have opportunity to succeed and enough to survive. Capitalistic and free trade dogma cannot continue to be used as excuses to let millions of people live in deep poverty.

If Trump is inaugurated on January 20th, 2017, we have a lot to be concerned about. But if his presidency is the start of a reinvention of the Republican Party, there could be a bright silver lining to that day. Nothing is more productive than healthy debate, and a strong, reasonable Republican Party would be tremendously welcome. There is, in fact, a longer history of reasonableness than there is of the current insanity in the party. In 1980, George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, two of the more revered leaders in the party’s recent history, talked about immigration with an obvious thoughtfulness and concern for humanity. By today’s standards we would have called their answers liberal. Back then, the two parties could compromise and everyone from the voters to the politicians was less polarized. Maybe if Donald Trump is president the fallout could bring back the level of dialogue that was commonplace in the 80’s and 90’s. Maybe the people who hold conservative views won’t have to put up with their party being opposed to scientific fact and social progress. Maybe we’ll all have a better landscape of choice by 2024.

This might be too optimistic. Maybe I have too much faith in the opportunity for positive change. But just like I choose to believe that Trump will not be our next president, I also choose to believe that if he were, some real good could come from it. For an extra note of optimism, maybe even if Trump loses this election the Republican Party would start to make these shifts. Could the Trump candidacy be enough to cause it? Maybe.

*A note of skepticism about the likeliness of this change: after Romney lost in 2012, the party did make promises to enact big changes in order to stay relevant. Key strategies included doing a better job of appealing to women and Latino voters. Obviously something went wrong there.