I’ve been attempting with some moderate success to avoid the topic of this year’s presidential election. The reason for this really boils down to what George Carlin said about arguing with idiots: that when you do, you just get brought down to their level and beaten with experience.
Inevitably, however, the topic came up after the first debate while I was doing my regular guest spot on the Kate Dalley show and again when I did a short spot for the No Filter show with Paul Ford and Grady Sinclair.
So here goes.
It likely goes without saying that I am vehemently opposed to a Donald Trump presidency for, well, all of the reasons you should be, too. But let this not be an endorsement for Hillary Clinton, either.
However, I am not in the same camp as those incomprehensibly dishonest people who couch their decision in a “lesser of two evils” argument, especially in the context of where I live: Washington County, Utah. Arguably the reddest county in the reddest state of the Union — a place, mind you, where the Bundys are actually heroes. It is nothing short of a complete crock of shit that the reason for supporting Trump is not that they see him as the best but rather that Clinton is just so god-awful that they could not see themselves getting behind her.
In point of fact, I would wager anyone would be hard-pressed to identify a single conservative in this county who would ever vote Democratic. On anything. That is to say that it would not matter who was opposite Trump in this election; he or she would not be seeing many votes from southern Utah.
Addressing the two-evil fallacy briefly, what is being purported mostly is that Clinton’s handling of Benghazi and the great email scandal make her somehow unqualified. This is just false rhetoric. In the annals of politics, she is no more guilty of mis-stepping in her political career than any other politician on any side of the fence. In point of fact, by her record and resume, Clinton may well be the most qualified candidate for president in the history of this country.
So let’s dismiss any notion that somehow, if there were a better democratic candidate, the good folks of this county would consider it. It simply is not so.
This brings us to ardent support for the man who may well be the least qualified candidate for president in the history of this country.
While it is asserted that he is qualified because of his questionable business acumen and because he is a businessman who has achieved notorious success, which he has, this really is an invalid argument. Contrary to widely held and ill informed beliefs, a country is not run like a business, and no, it should not be. Especially an American one where profit reigns as the singular most important aspect of any decision.
A sovereign nation that is a representative republic run democratically must consider the good of the whole over the good of the singular. This is very much at the heart of the discontent with government on all sides of the aisle, and that is a conversation I wish we were having this election, at least a little more prominently so. But the assertion that Trump’s success in real estate will equate success as a statesman is laughable.
But the conservative and largely Christian base that supports Trump for this reason is part of a pandemic problem in this country whereby power and position is somehow equated with the grace of God. Which is to say that they bastardize the tenets of their own faith by giving a collective nod to a guy who demonstrates not even an interest in Christian values and was not five years ago a Democrat for all intents and purposes. Conservative Christians are revealing their fraudulence and their character by endorsing this man, because they are in essence saying, “Wealth is the by product of God’s grace, therefore even though he is not a Christian at all, or a conservative for that matter, God must be in favor of it because he is rich.” He’s rich, he must be doing something right, he’ll be a good president … this is not so. In fact, it is absurd. The cognitive dissonance demonstrated by his supporters here is confounding.
And that some purport he just says what people who agree with him are thinking might not bode well for those who are thinking it. In other words, he spews a lot of ignorant and hateful shit at will and seems to have no consternation about it whatsoever. But blindly supporting him in lieu of not having anything better to choose from is telling.
It should be noted here that at least some on the right are just not willing to support him in spite of their absolute detestation of Clinton. The Arizona Republic’s historical endorsement of a Democratic candidate demonstrates that their may yet be a chance to return some balance to our critically wounded two-party system.
Not at all to wax religious here, but the “fruit of the Spirit” is a biblical term that sums up nine attributes of a Christian life, according to Paul in his Letter to the Galatians: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
Donald Trump not only lacks anything resembling any of these attributes, but he most importantly demonstrates a complete lack of what could be the most important one for a statesman: self-control. In almost every engagement, he is demonstratively out of control. His prowess as a monopolizer not withstanding, he is anything but a statesman, and his presence in our election process represents something gone fundamentally wrong, not only the Republican party but in our country.
Famous science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov once said:
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
This assertion is irrefutable, and the fact that Trump has somehow ascended to quite literally become a possibility for leader of this nation is proof. The man who espouses he will make this country great again understands little of what once made it great, the most important of those reasons being equality, premised in a self-evident truth that is founded in the notion that human governance requires decency over all things.
That some of my friends and colleagues try to give a hint of integral support for Trump only assures me of the steeliness of their resolve to simply not consider anything outside their own religiously conservative paradigm, which contradicts itself blatantly and often.
But sadly, for the first time in my life, in the context of this election I am guilty of almost the same thing, albeit for very different reasons. Because while I have voted with my brain on most occasions, meaning I have voted for candidates on all platforms, this time I am not necessarily voting for Hillary Clinton as much as I am voting against the sheer madness and stupidity that is Donald Trump.
How does that differ from my conservative counterparts?
Because while I think there are discussions that need to be had regarding overhaul like reform of our legislative branches both state and federal, and while I see the problem with a Congress that can be lobbied at all — let alone by the monopolizing companies of this country (like the ones Trump claims to own) — and while I readily acknowledge that there could have been a better candidate for the Democratic ticket and the people as a whole, at least Clinton is an actual serious contender.
The same cannot, in any sense of the word, be said about Trump. And there’s the other option wherein the Chicago Tribune’s compelling endorsement of Gary Johnson also very astutely articulates what I have concurred with here: that Trump is not qualified to lead this nation and Hillary is. However, anyone with a modicum of an understanding of American politics knows that Johnson is simply not an option in this election.
Sadly for America, this is a one-contender election, which on a personal level is very disconcerting to me. I wish in relative vain that a serious contender would have emerged to take Clinton on. I do not like being given a singular choice, and in my opinion, that is what I have been given.
See you out there.
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A sad state of affairs, indeed. I’ve been a voter since 1972 and though I’ve seen plenty of candidates I did not care for or agree with all of them had the qualifications needed to be president. Now we have an election pitting the extremely qualified but unlikeable Hillary Clinton against a puffed up braggart who, for reasons beyond my understanding, appeals to the people with the least reason to vote for him.
Hillary and The Donald are not the only presidential candidates on the ballot. You could actually vote for a good candidate: Jill Stein of the Green Party.
Chinese Democracy – the death of the Republican party is inevitable. If you can’t win the Presidency, you have a fist fool of political nada. The two party system becomes one party. Some may argue it has always been a one party system made up of lawyers and Ivy league graduates. Trump is his own worst enemy no doubt. Yes he lacks emotional intelligence, and yes, he is bombastic and crass, but he is also a political outsider which is what this country needs desperately. There is no doubt in my mind that unless Wikileaks has a time bomb Hillary will win the election. Unfortunately this outcome will split this country further in half. Until there is a reformation of the political process, and the SCOTUS Citizens United ruling is somehow reversed, future elections will be a battle of billionaires. I’m surprised you took a side Dallas. Kind of disappointing, but it is your perogative and right to do so. There are intellectual reasons to vote for Trump BELIEVE IT OR NOT ~ Ripley. It surely doesn’t make you an idiot. Maybe a FOOL perhaps, but that remains to be seen. I still believe Jason G. got it right in his recent political opinion. May the force, or farce be with you. We are all Bozos on this bus. Firesign Theater
There are a lot of people that believe that Trump is a pawn of the ruling elite and his role in this election is to scare voters into settling for Clinton, or to at least make them believe that Clinton’s inevitable victory is legitimate. I’m one of them and I refuse to play the “lesser of two evils” game. I will vote my conscience. I will vote for Jill Stein.
Trump is Trump. That is evident. He is not a pawn. Robert Anton Wilson, the OG of conspritorial theory, before there was an Internet, would be laughing right now. There is no conspiracy at that level. A vote for Jill Stein is a token jesture. But GOD BLESS TOKEN JESTURES. It doesnt matter who you vote for at this point. Hillary is coming to a theater near you. Follow the $$$. If this election is not an excuse for the American people to wake up from their deep sleep and force political reform of the 300+ year old electoral process then we deserve Chinese Democracy. Even Hyland ain’t getting it!!!! Oh my, “The Walking Dead” is starting on AMC right now, got to run. 🙂