Depending on your perspective, the selection of Kellyanne Conway and Stephen Bannon to take over the leadership of a troubled Trump  campaign is either the smartest political move ever or merely rearranging the deck chaise on a campaign ship that’s been taking on water.

Conway is a seasoned political operative whose Reaganesque leanings are a clear attempt to reach out to a GOP political base Trump will need despite his protestations. And, as she noted in the Washington Post, one does not reach out with name-calling and ad hominem attacks:

Conway doesn’t like the name-calling. “Maybe,” she said, “it’s just the mother in me.”

She also said she wants Trump to avoid criticizing people's looks and mental capacity.

Such actions as mocking one’s “lying” and “little” opponents and their appearance and entertaining the most bizarre of conspiracy theories is what spawned the #nevertrump movement. It was formed by those who thought, yes, Ted Cruz is a natural-born citizen whose father was not involved in the JFK assassination. It was formed by those who didn’t believe that Bush 41 lied us into an Iraq war that cost American lives unnecessarily. It was formed  by those who didn’t believe Bush 43 knew about 9/11 and did nothing/ It was formed by those who thought  Carly Fiorina’s face would look fine in the Oval office.

It was said all the #nevertrump people were doing was giving Democrats ammunition for the general election campaign by daring to cite the public record. Donald Trump was fully capable of doing that himself. As USA Today reported on just one such instance:

Hillary Clinton is out with a new TV ad focused on Donald Trump’s business record and his use of outsourcing.

The ad begins with a clip of Trump being asked by David Letterman where his clothing line was made.

“I don’t know where they were made. They were made someplace, but they’re great,” Trump says.

“He knows where they’re made,” text on the screen says.

The video then flips back to close-ups of the shirts. And it is announced they were made in Bangladesh.

“That’s good. We employ people in Bangladesh. They have to work, too,” Trump says.

“He outsourced jobs to 12 countries,” the following on-screen text reads.

Letterman holds up ties and says they were made in China.

Trump shrugs.

Some would say Trump said this, along with other things, before he was serious about running for president. Yet before a candidate runs, shouldn’t he or she be aware of one’s own baggage and be prepared to counter what your opponents inevitably will say? Team Clinton found this gem on its own. It didn’t need Team Trump.

Fox News anchor Sean Hannity has already begun a full-fledged drum beat of blame against #nevertrump for an increasingly possible Trump defeat:

Fox News host Sean Hannity says Republican leaders will be to blame if Donald Trump loses the presidential election.

The conservative pundit told listeners of his talk radio show on Wednesday that he was “sick and tired” of House Speaker Paul Ryan, Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others who condemned Trump’s controversial criticism of the parents of a slain Muslim American soldier.

“If in 96 days Trump loses this election, I am pointing the finger directly at people like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham and John McCain,” Hannity said. “I have watched these Republicans be more harsh toward Donald Trump than they’ve ever been in standing up to Barack Obama and his radical agenda.

“They did nothing, nothing -- all these phony votes to repeal and replace Obamacare, show votes so they can go back and keep their power and get reelected,” Hannity continued. “Sorry, you created Donald Trump, all of you. Because of your ineffectiveness, because of your weakness, your spinelessness, your lack of vision, your inability to fight Obama.”

He added: “I’m getting a little sick and tired of all of you. I am, honestly, I am tempted to just say I don’t support any of you people ever.”

Sean Hannity, like so many others, continue to shoot the messengers documenting Trump’s ineptitude. We are hoping Kellyanne Conway will finally teach Trump how to work and play well with others and that the teleprompter is his friend. We are hoping Hillary Clinton will lose. But we are not the ones snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Donald Trump is.

Team Trump will argue that pieces such as this one are contributing to Trump’s troubles and would be responsible if he loses. Saying the emperor has no clothes does not make him naked. Donald Trump carries around his own china shop. He is his own self-inflicted wound. If you want me and others to contribute to a Trump victory, stop blaming us already for a Trump defeat.

Daniel John Sobieski is a free lance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investor’s Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.