Unless a political earthquake of cataclysmic proportions strikes presently, in just a few days one of the most notoriously corrupt and immoral candidates ever nominated for the office will be elected the 45th President of the United States. 

Somehow the architect of arguably the most disastrous foreign policy tenure in American history -- one that included the clumsy withdrawal from Iraq, the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS, bewildering support of disastrous international coups, the fall of Mosul, Iran’s dangerous influence in the Middle East, Russia’s unchallenged belligerence against Europe, and nuclear proliferation in rogue states -- is poised to become “Madame President.”

What seemed unthinkable a year ago appears all but accomplished today. So how did this happen, and who is to blame? Since this national catastrophe has been unfolding like a slow-motion civilizational train wreck, it allows us the unique opportunity to consider a “pre-election post-mortem.”

So let me begin with the group I have been associated with: the #NeverTrump movement. The frustration from Trump-supporting Republicans is understandable as they shout, “How can you live with yourself knowing that you didn’t do all you could to prevent a Hillary presidency?” 

The truth is, all of us opposed to Hillary are doing all our consciences will allow us to do in that regard. For some, that includes voting for Trump -- one of Hillary’s financial backers that many of us believe threatens the long-term efficacy and viability of the conservative movement far more than Clinton ever could; for others of us, we can’t do it. 

If we #NeverTrumpers have failed to stop Hillary, that happened in the primary season when we couldn’t stop the Republicans from nominating the one man seemingly capable of losing a national election to Hillary Clinton. We are no more to blame for this calamity than those who supported Donald Trump when there were at least 15 better primary options.

But I don’t feel much like blaming Republicans who just wanted to win. I can sympathize with conservatives who were fed up with the status quo, tired of mealy-mouthed politicians who recited rehearsed and poll-tested lines, who were afraid to bluntly confront serious problems for fear of alienating voters.  While I contend that it wasn’t wise to let those understandable passions lead us to nominate an unprincipled lifelong Democrat who confuses conservatism with authoritarian nationalism, I get the frustration and don’t ultimately fault the desperation Republican primary voters felt to pick a candidate who they thought would aggressively fight the Democrat-media cabal.

So then, whose fault is it that we now face the almost assured prospect of a Hillary presidency? The fault lies squarely on the shoulders of any American debased enough to cast a vote in favor of this criminally unfit Democrat nominee. It rests in the hands of those who are so divorced from moral integrity that they willfully proclaim, “I’m with her.” 

While much has been made of the fissure that has developed on the right with the rise of the #NeverTrump crowd, there is an unasked question that deserves attention. Why is the modern left in America so bare of principle that a #NeverHillary movement failed to manifest? Even the so-called “Feel the Bern” purists smoldered into a worthless nothingburger willing to shill for an agent of corporate greed and Wall Street cronyism. 

Further, why bemoan Trump’s misogyny when you are willing to vote for a woman who threatened an alleged rape victim into silence, who referred to victims of sexual abuse as “trailer trash,” “narcissistic loony toons,” and “bimbos,” and who even victim-blamed a 12-year-old rape survivor for having a “tendency to seek out older men?” How can you complain about the Donald Trumps of the world when you elevate the women who empower them?

If Trump supporters are expected to morally justify their vote, Hillary supporters bear the same burden. The fact that only the political right is experiencing moral reticence about their nominee is the surest sign yet that the left has given itself over completely to a depraved pursuit of political power as the only virtue worth possessing.

That is unquestionably the road to tyranny. If you’re willing to morally affirm that with your vote, Donald Trump is the least of your concerns.

Peter Heck is a speaker, author and teacher. Follow him @peterheck, email peter@peterheck.com  or visit www.peterheck.com.