I thought any Republican would beat Hillary. Therefore I thought we should select someone who has demonstrated a consistent Ideology. He wouldn't have won by the margin that Trump will win by, but he would have won all the same.
Trump pulls heavily from Democrat constituencies. He's going to cut out sections of voters from Hillary that will make it impossible for her to win.
Mowing the Dems down decisively has a definite value. Everyone is put on notice that this isn’t just a sliver of victory.