Any and all scenarios/possibilities that are being discussed in this thread, would involve a organizational nightmare in its attempt. With time, deadlines and the like, involving nothing but pure chaos (Rep chickens running around without a head).
It would be so messy, that Trump and any third party candidate, would lose easily.
The goal wouldn't be to win. These folks think Trump is doomed in a 1-on-1 general election contest with Clinton anyway, so they're not really worried about whether they might end up boosting Clinton's chances of victory.
The goal would be to "preserve the brand" of individual Republican politicians, by giving them an alternative national leader to hitch their wagon to. As explained in Greenfield's piece, they're thinking about the danger of Kirk, Ayotte, et al. being associated with a toxic figure like Trump. So give them some alternative presidential candidate to endorse (even if that candidate has little funding, and doesn't have ballot access in all 50 states), and then after Clinton is elected and Trump is a loser, continue on as normal as a "united" GOP, hoping that Trump doesn't happen again in 2020.
