If you’ve heard it once, you’ve probably heard it a hundred times:

Vote Trump or Clinton wins. This election is all about the Supreme Court. Clinton appointees will be a disaster! Kiss your constitutional rights good bye. If Hillary gets elected, sayonara Republic!

Eeny-meeny-miney-mo.

Conservatives may be caught in the middle this election, torn between voting their consciences or watching Hilligeddon roll in.

I get that. Really. I do. So here’s a suggestion: Stop. Calm down. Breathe.

Ready? Good. An argument that’s been making the rounds  related to November is the “lesser of two evils” argument. It goes something like this: Trump may not be perfect, but at least he isn’t Clinton. So suck it up buttercup, and pull the lever for Trump in order to defeat Shrillary.

Essentially, the argument is predicated on the assumption that a Trumpidian presidency would be better than a Clintonian one. To date, however, there’s precious little in Trump’s campaign or track record to support the notion. On the flip side, the adolescent temper tantrum that’s the Democratic National Convention demonstrates that the Party of Debt, Detroit and Decay is deeply divided. So let’s finish them off.

Your call.

Meanwhile, back at Camp GOP, savaging Ted Cruz and his supporters has become a favorite indoor sport. I expected this from the donkey party. They haven’t had a new idea since Woodrow Wilson. Ditto the GOP establishment. They wouldn’t know Principle if it walked up to them on a street corner and shook hands. But for “Conservatives” to join the anti-Cruz pile-on?

Look. I’ve been hearing Republicans bemoan the lack of backbone in the party for years. Cry out for “another Ronald Reagan.” Leadership with some spine. A tireless defender of the Constitution. A courageous conservative willing to put Principle above party.

Along comes Ted Cruz. He does just that.

And the GOP throws him under the bus.

Whether you love The Donald or plan to hold your nose and vote Trump in order to stop Clinton is up to you. The bigger issue in play is this: Has the conservative movement become so mushified, dilute and anemic that we don’t even recognize principled leadership when it shows up? If so, now what?

By the way, met any Whigs lately?