Just a Note to Those Who Will Hold Their Nose to Vote

This campaign is a unique one in our history.  I can’t recall another time in my life when more people were voting against someone, rather than for someone.  Heck, even the most devote apologists for the Democratic Party that I know, the ones who blamed all the ills of the nation on George Bush through 2015, the ones who reflect on the economic problems with the nation as being caused by a President who left office in 1989, the ones who believe that Bill Clinton is fundamentally honest and trustworthy, the ones who can’t understand why Barrack Obama hasn’t won the Nobel Prize for Peace more than once, have signs denouncing Donald Trump, rather than signs praising Hillary Clinton.

So let’s talk about you, the voter who will hold his or her nose and vote for Hillary.  I’ll get to Donald in a moment.  You say you are voting to stop an individual who is, to use Hillary’s term, a “loose cannon” or through innuendo an unrepentant racist.  You, and the nation will live with your choice for the next four years (assuming she is not impeached and convicted), and we will see what Ms. Clinton is like when she has the full power of the executive branch to wipe her servers clean and go after her enemies.  What we have seen in her campaign for the nomination was the collusion of the DNC and the media to condemn her opponent.  A nice man from Vermont, that although in my opinion misguided, at least was honest about his views, and gave you a sense that he had the integrity to be an honest President.  If you believed you were voting for an honest candidate then you wouldn’t have to hold your nose, so let’s just stop that argument now.   

My question is why should we expect honesty and integrity in government if we don’t expect it of ourselves?  If you can’t vote for someone then why vote?  Or better yet do vote but write in the name of someone you can support like Bernie Sanders, or one of the third party candidates like Jill Stine, or good old Gary “What’s his name”

What’s that you say, you want your vote to matter?  What does it matter when you elect someone you know will not make life better?  If Ms. Clinton is elected to you think she will have the moral authority or political support to ramrod legislation through like President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Reid did in 2009?  By the way, how is that landmark legislation working out for you and the average American?

Now let’s talk about “the Donald.”  From what I see he has a pretty strong and faithful following.  He hasn’t had to pay people to fill the seats, nor does he have the entertainment industry tripping over themselves to endorse him.  Heck he is having a hard time just getting the professional Republican politicians to endorse him.  He has struck a nerve in the average middle class voter who sees the increasing oppression of the ever growing central government, run by elitists who view themselves as superior to the average American.  Personally I think the people who will “hold their nose” and vote for Mr. Trump will be a pretty small number, but as small as that number is the question to them is the same one.  If you think Mr. Trump will damage the nation less than Ms. Clinton then why not vote for the person who matches your desire for a smaller less intrusive government, like Gary Johnson. 

The bottom line:  The two parties, and the press, have convinced us that a vote for anyone other than the two party candidates is wasted.  Of course they will say that!  The press, for the most part, wants you to vote for the political elite so they can continue their symbiotic relationship.  Think of the press just like a talk show.  Sure, they say it’s just entertainment, but the guests are, without exception, on the show to sell something.  So both sides win. 

The two parties want to maintain the status quo.  The last thing they want is to have the voters actually take control of the nation…heavens to Betsy we can’t have that.

Post Script: Just as an aside, if you insist on holding your nose to vote I’d recommend holding your nose and vote for the candidate who is most likely to affect change since that is what both parties say we want.  Who is most likely to do that? 

Is it someone who has been part of the problem for 30 years, making millions of dollars from influence peddling, or a narcissist?