Kelly,
I came across your article while scrolling through Facebook one evening, and I was immediately intrigued; I have not come across many women who support Donald Trump. Maybe that is because I am surrounded by many women who think and act like me. Regardless, I chose to read it with an open mind. You make a lot of valid points. However, I disagree with a lot of your statements. This does not mean that one of us is right and the other is wrong or that I’m shaming you for having an opinion that is different than mine. I respect the fact that you have your outlooks just like I hope you respect that I have mine.
My first disagreement is when you said that Hillary Clinton has contributed more to rape culture than Donald Trump. For one, she did not want to take the case to defend the rapist; she requested to be removed from it, but the judge denied her motion. Because she was assigned the case, she was legally obligated to defend her client to the best of her ability—all lawyers are, regardless who they are defending. That is a hard fact about our democracy; our Constitution grants everyone, including guilty child rapists, access to an attorney and a fair trial. Do I like it? No. Is it a right granted to everyone under our constitution? Yes.
Secondly, you noted that the comments made by Donald Trump were years ago (11 to be exact). The rape case Hillary was assigned to was 41 years ago. Donald Trump was speaking his mind. Hillary Clinton was doing her job; an attribute I can respect even if I do not agree with her. However, Donald Trump has been and continues to be, more than derogatory. He is hurtful, and his actions mimic the traits of an abusive individual. All generations of individuals, young and old, prejudice and impartial, hurtful and loving have been exposed to what he deems appropriate behavior. He is a candidate for the presidency of our great nation. A job of national leadership. A job like that requires respect, and I find it very hard to respect a man who evokes values of hate and shame onto others. Just look at the voter turnout he was able to raise because of his injurious statements that appealed to prejudice individuals. During his rallies, his encouragements of violence and harassment did just that; caused attending members to assault and harass peaceful protestors. To me, his actions and words have had more of a ripple effect on our nation than Hillary’s past has.
I agree with you, the media has a TREMENDOUS influence on polarizing our nation and is one of the largest influencers of public opinion. Yes, issues are resolved when people come together, yet our society is so concerned with the fact that “she’s a liberal” and “he’s conservative” that neither party listens to the other. The only way for others to start listening is for us to stop being so hateful of other ideologies and the opposite party. John Kasich hit the bull’s-eye on that point during a Republican debate last year, but no one heard his message over the other candidates’, namely Donald Trump, name-calling and finger-pointing.
You make your next point about national security. Just as other countries have attacked the innocent of our nation in the past, we have attacked the innocent of other nations as well in response. Am I defending the heartless acts of terrorists? Not at all. Am I equating the U.S. Military to terroristic actions? Not even slightly. I am saying that blood of the innocent of all our countries has been spilled at the hands of the other. One of my closest friends is a member of the Marines, and even though it makes me uneasy knowing he faces that kind of danger daily, I still have a very strong respect for what they do.
The media has given Americans this idea that the middle-east is only filled with radical terrorists, but this is not the case. Do you really think that a majority of the people living there are killers or want to live under the authority of those who kill others because they can? Would you? Why do you think there are so many refugees, so many people seeking refuge in a nation that prides itself on being the best nation in the world? I know that if I had to live in conditions like theirs, I would do everything within my power to send my family and children to America. I am truly blessed to have been born in this great nation, and that is why I must empathize with them. "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God” Leviticus 19:33-34. We were all foreigners to this great nation at one point in our family’s history.
As for national security policy, Hillary Clinton is not going to just open up the borders willy-nilly. She plans to do just as you stated; allow individuals who have not been deemed at athe threat to our society to legally immigrate into the United States. When it comes to protecting Americans, she has every intention to do so. Our nation has 3-10 year barrs, meaning that is the length of time it takes for someone to be granted citizenship. I am not surprised that there are so many undocumented individuals within our country because the road to citizenship is so convoluted, and I agree with you, there needs to be reform. Some families who have BEEN established, who have become a part of our society could be deported by Donald Trump’s stance on the issue, even if they are close to becoming a citizen. I would really like to stress “Love thy neighbor” here.
As far as Second Amendment Rights go, Hilary Clinton does not plan to take away these rights. She is actually pushing for the reform you talked about: screening individuals before they are allowed to purchase a gun.
As far as your economic stability argument, I have some points to raise. You may be aware of them, you may not. Donald Trump has filed bankruptcy for four businesses. In addition, there have been multiple cases where he has bullied people by not paying them fairly for their good work. Yes, if he is elected president, it will be his job to do business with other countries. However, I am concerned that his temperament would hurt ties between our trading partners instead of strengthening them. If he were to use those same bully business tactics on other countries, the United States’ reliability and merit would become tarnished. As far as wealthy business owners are concerned, a majority are not all are fair to others. Most do not pay women equally. Most have shipped their businesses overseas for cheaper labor. I am fearful that his economic plan will not be as effective as you and he says it will be. How much of his businesses have added to the well-being of the middle and lower classes besides bribes and pay-offs? How many of his companies and jobs are overseas? He is a businessman, and if what your argument holds, other wealthy business owners have characteristics similar to his.
Now my biggest argument, like yours, concerns the Supreme Court. It was instilled within our democracy to uphold the Constitution, regardless of justices’ political affiliations. Yes, justices who identify with different political ideologies may interpret the law differently, but there have been many Supreme Court cases where justices who differ politically are on the same side of a case’s opinion. If you are mainly concerned about your rights as a citizen, I would be more focused on who becomes elected/reelected into Congress. Our Congressmen and women are the individuals who implement new laws and instill policies; not the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court takes on cases that typically have discrepancies between lower level courts. So if any group of individuals holds the future of our country, it is those who we elect to Congress.
As far as pro-choice/pro-life is concerned, Donald Trump is opposed to abortion except for rape, incest, and life of the mother. You cannot label Hillary Clinton as someone who does not value human life, because just as you are allowed to have your opinion on the issue of whether an unborn child has constitutional rights, so is she. Having that stance is also a political advantage for her to gain liberal and women’s votes. Like you said before, she’s a politician.
I in no way mean to frustrate you or others; we are all entitled to our own opinions and I respect that. I just wanted to shed light on the other side of the argument. In order for people to make an educated and thoughtful decision about this election, it is good for others to see different perspectives, and as you said, look at the bigger picture. To me, this is my bigger picture.
If you take anything away from this letter, it is that you encourage people to get out and vote, not just for the presidency. Many people are unhappy about the state of our nation, and it is mainly because of who is elected (or not elected) into Congress. We are a part of this great democracy, but so many do not exercise this powerful tool our Forefathers granted us! So everyone please, before the election, educate yourself about the issues surrounding your community. Don't just vote for a party, vote for a representative because of what they stand for, regardless how small the issue may be. Voting is like college; you have to take time outside of the classroom to study, and if you want to pass the class you have to show up. You can't rely on your friend who took it last semester to tell you what is going to be on the exam; you have to read the textbook.
We aren't allowed to gripe and complain about the state of our nation if we the people:
- Have not done research about what each candidate stands for (this includes candidates running for local, state, and federal positions)
- Do not know why each candidate is running for office
- Do not turn out to vote
- Only expose ourselves to one outlet of media that markets itself to a particular party (only get biased information)
So please, for the love of this country, do your homework and show up to class-- your grade depends on it.
Kelley Quelette's post can be accessed by clicking here
