by Rod Williams, Nov. 6, 2016- I early-voted on Thursday and voted for Evan McMullin. It is not that I expect him to win, but I do not view elections as a game of sport where you put your money on a winner. I know it feels good to vote for a winner; we all like to win, but surely elections are about more than feeling good because your team won.
There is no way, I could ever have voted for Hillary Clinton. I don't need to list all of the reasons why. If you know anything about the issues, you know why a conservative could not support Hillary. You also know why a person who believes character and ethics are important could not vote for Hillary. Despite all of the other reasons I could never vote for her, her endangering national security by the way in which she mishandled classified information disqualifies her, in my view. The only way I could have voted for Hillary was if I thought that her opponent was so despicable that she was the lesser of two evils and if I had the deciding vote. There was a time or two when it might have been a close call as to who I thought was the greater evil, but on balance, I think it is Hillary.
So, while I could not vote for Hillary, I could not bring myself to vote for Donald Trump either. His view on trade, growing the government, and increased spending were all factors, as was his crude comments and attitudes. His attitude toward women is almost as bad of that of Hillary Clinton who enabled her serial abuser husband and smeared and demeaned her husbands victims. It was not only women, however, who he demeaned but John McCain for getting captured, a disabled reporter, Hispanics and Muslims. Trump is a jerk. I do not want to vote for a person like that. Also, his lack of self control, his view toward NATO and nuclear proliferation leads me to think he is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief. (For more, see Why I cannot vote for Donald Trump)
I have been told that a vote for McMullin was a vote for Hillary or that I wasted my vote. That is not the way I see it. As far as my vote being a wasted vote, then unless you pick the winner, your vote is always a wasted vote. There has never been any doubt that Tennessee's eleven votes were going to go to Trump. My not voting for Trump in no way affects the outcome of this election. We do not have a national election for president; we have 50 state elections for president. Even if I did hold my nose and vote for Trump, it would not cancel out a Hillary vote cast in another state. The system simply does not work that way.
I can not vote for the crook or the jerk. When neither candidate comes up to your minimal level of standard of acceptability then I think you do not have an obligation to vote for the lesser evil. Voting for a third party candidate or writing in a name is an honorable and moral thing to do, rather than voting for evil. Not voting is also a moral option and is not an indication you do not care. Not voting may be a statement that you are not going to choose between evil choices. I would have felt slimy if I would have voted for either Hillary or Trump. I don't feel slimy.
For more on why you should not be pressured into choosing between Big Evil or Lesser Evil see these articles.
There is no way, I could ever have voted for Hillary Clinton. I don't need to list all of the reasons why. If you know anything about the issues, you know why a conservative could not support Hillary. You also know why a person who believes character and ethics are important could not vote for Hillary. Despite all of the other reasons I could never vote for her, her endangering national security by the way in which she mishandled classified information disqualifies her, in my view. The only way I could have voted for Hillary was if I thought that her opponent was so despicable that she was the lesser of two evils and if I had the deciding vote. There was a time or two when it might have been a close call as to who I thought was the greater evil, but on balance, I think it is Hillary.
So, while I could not vote for Hillary, I could not bring myself to vote for Donald Trump either. His view on trade, growing the government, and increased spending were all factors, as was his crude comments and attitudes. His attitude toward women is almost as bad of that of Hillary Clinton who enabled her serial abuser husband and smeared and demeaned her husbands victims. It was not only women, however, who he demeaned but John McCain for getting captured, a disabled reporter, Hispanics and Muslims. Trump is a jerk. I do not want to vote for a person like that. Also, his lack of self control, his view toward NATO and nuclear proliferation leads me to think he is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief. (For more, see Why I cannot vote for Donald Trump)
I have been told that a vote for McMullin was a vote for Hillary or that I wasted my vote. That is not the way I see it. As far as my vote being a wasted vote, then unless you pick the winner, your vote is always a wasted vote. There has never been any doubt that Tennessee's eleven votes were going to go to Trump. My not voting for Trump in no way affects the outcome of this election. We do not have a national election for president; we have 50 state elections for president. Even if I did hold my nose and vote for Trump, it would not cancel out a Hillary vote cast in another state. The system simply does not work that way.
I can not vote for the crook or the jerk. When neither candidate comes up to your minimal level of standard of acceptability then I think you do not have an obligation to vote for the lesser evil. Voting for a third party candidate or writing in a name is an honorable and moral thing to do, rather than voting for evil. Not voting is also a moral option and is not an indication you do not care. Not voting may be a statement that you are not going to choose between evil choices. I would have felt slimy if I would have voted for either Hillary or Trump. I don't feel slimy.
For more on why you should not be pressured into choosing between Big Evil or Lesser Evil see these articles.
No, you don’t have to vote for Clinton or Trump, by
Ramesh Ponnuru, American Enterprise Institute.
No, My Vote for a 3rd Party Candidate Is NOT a Vote for Your Opponent, by Brandon Morse, Red State
You Are Not Morally Obligated to Vote for the Lesser of Two Evils, by Robert Coleman, Foundation for Economic Education.
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