I had the privilege of being raised by parents who were both wise and instilled in me the value of hard work and doing one's best. Among the many lessons they told me, one has been applicable throughout my life: sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do. On any given day, these "things" include waking up, making my bed, and wearing pants. This November, I'll add a new one to the list. I'll be voting for Hillary Clinton.
While many of my social and environmental beliefs align with policies that are common to the Democratic Party, I often find myself more in the middle, favoring a number of traditionally Republican approaches to fiscal and government assistance-related issues.
Thus, I tend to struggle during election years. Social issues like gay rights affect my life every day. Voting for more conservative candidates could mean I lose my right to get married. But are the social issues more important than the fiscal ones? For some, they may be. For others, not at all.
Given my bias to liberal social policies, it may seem a no-brainer for me to vote Democrat. Truth be told, I would have voted for Kasich. I would have voted for Gary Johnson. Hell, I'd vote for my roommate's cat if I could. But I and much of America have found ourselves between what feels a lot like a rock and a hard place, and not voting is not an option.
The loss of Bernie Sanders as a potential candidate for the presidency has created among his supporters two main groups of Democrats. First, the "conscience voters." They do not like Hillary, they do not trust Hillary, and they will not vote for Hillary as their consciences cannot bear it. They may vote for Gary Johnson, for Jill Stein, or simply not at all; none is a wise decision.
The second group of voters are those who feel they must choose the lesser of two evils. Given the alternative of a Trump presidency, they will begrudgingly vote for Hillary.
The lesser of two evils? Really? This should never be the method by which we choose a president. We should be able to elect someone in whom we believe, whom we trust, and whose values we also value. Sadly, this election lacks such an option for many.
So why would I vote for someone who I don't really support?
When we elect a president, we do more than choose a leader for ourselves. We send a message to the rest of the world that this person represents the things that we find most important, and values the things that we value. We choose someone with a plan for our country, a plan that we believe to be an effective method to solve our nation's problems.
If we elect Donald Trump as our next president, what kind of message are we sending to the world?
We are letting them know that we think it's funny to make fun of the disabled. We're letting them know that we think it's appropriate to make public jokes about women's bodies. We're letting them know that yeah, we think Mexicans are rapists too.
We're letting them know that if they don't want to be massacred by terrorists then, well, maybe they should be carrying guns. We're letting them know that we venerate someone who blatantly and unapologetically makes things up, who has such a concept of how to run a business that he has filed bankruptcy not once, but four times. We're letting the world know that it's fine to be anti-Muslim.
We're letting them know that it's ok that he can't exactly describe his plan for healthcare, but that hey, that's alright. We're saying that we do not value experience and would prefer a leader who actually has none at all.
When did we become so desperate?
When did it become acceptable to nominate a man who has no respect for the office of President of the United States? When did it become appropriate to degrade and mock minorities of every kind? When did someone like Trump become the kind of person we wanted to represent or country? Is that really what we're all about?
When you go to the polls this November, I beg you to consider the kind of person you would want to represent you. Think about the the person you want your daughter to date. To speak at your wedding. To be a reference for a loan, or to babysit your children.
Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do, but electing Trump is not one of those things.
