As the election season seems to become crazier and crazier, the ability to vote for either party or candidate with a good moral conscience seems near impossible. Because voting for Trump is the equivalent to voting for the Devil himself, discussing that option morally beyond this sentence would be a waste of time. That being said, voting for Hillary, while appealing to some, does not seem to be that much better of an option especially for those who are staunch supporters of the elderly superhero that is Senator Bernie Sanders.
Sanders giving Hillary his endorsement was disappointing because watching the last droplet of hope fall from America's fingertips tends to feel that way. However, listening to his endorsement, I couldn't help but think of Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton."
In the song "Election of 1800," Alexander Hamilton is asked who he will vote for despite no one from his party having a shot at winning. In Miranda's portrayal of Hamilton's endorsement, he states the following, "The people are asking to hear my voice / For the country is facing a difficult choice / And if you were to ask me who I’d promote / Jefferson has my vote / I have never agreed with Jefferson once / We have fought on like 75 different fronts / But when all is said and all is done / Jefferson has beliefs. Burr has none."
It is truly uncanny the parallels that can be drawn between Sanders' and Hamilton's sentiments. Simply replace "Jefferson" with Hillary and "Burr" with Trump, and the parallels become clearer and clearer. The syllables are even the same! Like Hamilton, Bernie and the rest of the electorate is facing a difficult choice, so here is why Hillary is the right one.
Hillary is Jefferson.
While flawed on many different fronts, they are currently the lesser of two evils. The last office both of them held was Secretary of State. Moreover, both are criticized for wanting to use military intervention too eagerly. Granted, they both commit this in the name of a great ideal: Jefferson in the name of philosophical freedom for France and Hillary does so in the name of human rights and decency. Both are disliked by Hamilton.
Trump is Aaron Burr.
They both disregard the beliefs of the party's platform they are running under, and have questionable motives when it comes to Mexico. While Trump claims he could shoot someone and get away with it, Burr actually did. They both seem to defy campaign norms both changing the way campaigning works. When confronted with disgust, all they can think about is that they have been discussed regardless of content. All in all, a terrible choice for the nation.
Bernie is John Adams.
While earlier compared to Hamilton, Bernie, along with the third party candidates, is really like John Adams. Adams lost the election early on and to vote for him would have been a waste of a vote in an extremely crucial election that could decide the future of our nation. Adams was accused incorrectly of being a monarchist too in the same way that Bernie accused of being a socialist (which is different than a democratic socialist or a communist). They are both politicians who live modestly and have awesome intelligent wives who keep them honest and rival them intellectually.
We the people are Hamilton.
We all have to make a choice for which we don't necessarily like the outcome. Despite the reservations that we have with Hillary or Jefferson, an opponent that we have been fighting with for what seems too long, we have a duty to our still young country to make the responsible choice. Legacy was extremely important to Hamilton, and the legacy we leave with this election will be "the seeds we plant in the garden that we never get to see."
The outcome of this election, like its grandfather in 1800, will determine not only how the world views us and the safety of a variety of minority groups that would be at risk, but it will dictate whether or not this country survives. Hamilton knew the stakes at hand then, and hopefully we too can put aside the ideals we hold to make the decision to uphold what some fail to realize is still a fragile nation. So, when November rolls around, do not throw away your shot.
