Update: Wow! I won’t be able to read the comments until I’m off work, but just to give you an idea of my surprise at the positive reception, here’s a text I sent a friend last night: “I [...] posted [a] diary, although probably nobody will ever see it.” This is my first time posting a diary of any substance. I generally stick to posting pictures of my cat in "Pootie Diaries." I'm a Bernie Bro. White, male, 29 years old, comfortably middle class with a support system to back me up if I were ever to fall into disaster. I really didn't want Hillary Clinton to claim the Democratic nomination. I resented those who categorized me as wanting "free stuff." I consider myself to the left of Clinton.
But, Mr. Trump -- Good effing lord! You are barking up the wrooooooooong tree! Are you kidding me!? You think I'll vote for you because of some vague trade deal promises coming from the biggest promise-breaker of all time? I research my candidates, thank-you-very-much, and here are my thoughts: Trump's a hateful buffoon, Jill Stein seems like a pseudo-intellectual with some dangerous ideas, and Gary Johnson is somewhere on the spectrum between naive and nuts. I'm not totally against the idea of a protest vote in a generic election season, but this is anything but! We have a candidate who going Godwin against isn't completely ludicrous -- truly, multiple comparisons can be made between Donald and Adolf's rise, and it really isn't an eye-rolling comparison this time. That, is, scary.
What's my biggest complaint about Hillary? She doesn't always appear sincere due to her evolving stances, and she may have or will catered to special interests. She's appeared hawkish. Pretty standard politician stuff. I'm not happy about it, and there are nuances with which we can disagree upon. But Donald Trump is just... absurdly dangerous. Even if, in the best case scenario, he does absolutely nothing and lets Mike Pence act as acting president -- racists and their ilk would still be emboldened upon a Trump victory, and many ethnic families would face downright dangerous conditions as a result of the policies and social inertia that would follow. Good families may be torn apart. People may die. But why are we considering a best-case scenario? This idiot claimed there wouldn't be any significant repercussions if we shot a missile at an Iranian ship flipping us the finger. He asked why we couldn't use the nukes we have -- multiple times! WTF? This man could seriously get us into MULTIPLE serious, ill-advised wars. Top experts have already confirmed that the nuclear launch procedure prioritizes speed over anything else, and that there is virtually no room for second-guessing if the president decides it's time to press that big red button.
Listen -- if my choices were Hillary Clinton or Mitt Romney, I might be able to sympathize with some sort of protest vote. The privileged like myself could vote for a third party candidate and not see much change in our lives one way or the other. It's ultimately a pretty selfish view, but it is what it is. This year, though -- we have perhaps over a hundred disqualifying (for anyone else) things Donald Trump has done throughout the campaign, and it's just beyond satire at this point. Even if I could take the third party candidates seriously, Hillary Clinton is such a rock of stability and security compared to Trump that I'd still simply have to cast my vote for her. I very much agree with Bernie Sanders, here.
And then there's the sexism. I'm really sorry, women -- I didn't know just how bad you had it until now, and I probably still don't. The double standards are absolutely, positively ridiculous. Let me quote Sam Bee here: “Be perfect but not too perfect. Save us from fascism but, like, don’t be a bitch about it.” In comparison, Bee said, “No one was suggesting superficial changes for Trump — like try wearing a suit that actually fits or embrace your baldness proudly or don’t snort your way through the debate like Jean-Pierre’s prized truffle pig.” ARRRRGH! I see it. Every, single, day. Whether on CNN or Facebook.
How is the race this close? I really just want to ask of my friends who have bought into the Clinton hate machine -- please, please do your due research on your candidate of choice before casting a careless vote for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein. They are very unimpressive. Or perhaps you think your vote doesn't matter? Then leverage it into more than one vote by convincing your friends and family! Vote in a group! The stakes are just too high to not vote for the only candidate who has displayed competency this cycle (not to mention, on paper, she's VERY qualified. Just ask Bill Weld). Just -- please vote for Hillary Clinton. Even if every fantastical scandal about her were true (let's say, minus the REALLY out-there stuff about her being some sort of serial killer or Antichrist), SHE'D STILL BE THE BETTER PICK THAN TRUMP. This is a no-brainer! I'll keep listening to what Bernie Sanders has to say, especially about down-ticket races, but my conscience allows no other choice but to pull the lever for Hillary Clinton (edit: Poorly written line — Bernie is obviously is advocating for the same thing as I am. I mean that I’ll continue to be receptive to attacks on the Democratic establishment if I feel like they are warranted. Most aren’t, but ya’ know).
Even if nothing is at stake for you or me personally -- just consider those families who indeed have so much at stake. Stronger together, indeed.