Why did I vote for Hillary in the early polls in Maryland? The easiest answer goes back to Ronald Reagan: Are you better off now than you were eight years ago? And my answer is a resounding yes. At this moment, I'm healthier, stronger, wealthier, and generally happier than I've ever been in my life. The economy is doing well, my employment & income are stable, my basic human needs are well covered, LGBT rights are stronger than ever before, and I see no significant threats to my wellbeing on the horizon. Of course, not all of these can be linked back to the president or politics in general and none are perfect, but if Hillary represents a continuation of the bulk of Obama's policies, I'm all in favour. More of the same, please! I don't want this particular train of progress to stall or rewind.
Apart from obvious self-interest, I think Hillary has an amazing resume. Her past political experience shows she can be a shrewd operator, a dignified representative, a forceful advocate and a balanced negotiator as needed by the situation. True, not every decision was a good one and lord knows she's made some mistakes, but that's the price one pays for actually doing something instead of being a passive by-stander. Show me a perfect track record and I'll show you an under-performer who can't handle risks or leadership. "To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing."
For all of the noise made about how untrustworthy she is, all I can say is that the accusations are being made by those whom I deem to be even more untrustworthy. Years of investigations by people who have dedicated their lives & careers to attacking her still haven't found the evidence they are convinced exists somewhere. So many of the stories are clearly fakes, distributed among the true believers in her being Satan incarnate: she isn't dying, she isn't sick, she isn't hosting drunked orgies, she doesn't have a half-dozen love children, she isn't having a lesbian affair, she isn't hosting satanic rituals, she isn't high on drugs, etc., etc.. She's simply a good target for conspiracy theorists who profit from selling tabloid fiction to the tinfoil hats. ProTip: If you have a stack of assumptions, dig for years for the evidence to confirm them and come up with nothing, perhaps your assumptions are wrong.
She is a woman, which in the eyes of many is enough to disqualify her for elected office, not to mention employment anywhere or even treatment as an equal. By contrast, I think it's high time a woman was elected into office. I checked the constitution: there is no requirement of a penis for the office of president, although there are some people who clearly think otherwise.
I could go on about how horrible Trump is, but it's not enough to vote against someone. I would vastly prefer to vote for a candidate than against their opponent. It's not good enough to simply give my vote to the least evil among evil people: if that was my choice, I'd skip that particular question on the ballot or write in another person if there is an option. This election however, I chosen to affirmatively vote for Hillary.
On Trump, I've only talked to a few of his supporters as my area is highly Democratic. Most of them complain about how horrible Hillary is, and how they're loyal Republicans, but few every speak openly of their love of Trump. They seem to be voting against a candidate rather than in support of their own. I have no patience for those who blindly vote their party without regard to the candidates. This isn't a sports team you may love in good times & bad with no consequence: the choices on the ballot will affect the future of everyone and requires consideration of the candidates more than the party.
Those who did voice support for Trump loved his anger, his promise to destroy convention, his blather, his ego and his unpredictability. These may be fine on reality television, but I absolutely do not want that in a manager let alone a president. I can see this as being attractive to voters who perceive themselves as having nothing left to lose: it's a roll of the dice which can't make things worse but have a chance at making something different and perhaps a faint hope of something better. I disagree: I think Trump can make things much worse for everyone, including himself. I would much prefer to fix the things which are broken than throw out everything, good & bad, to begin again from scratch. There is much wrong with the country, but there is also a great deal which is working well and should be preserved.
My vote was cast last week and we are mercifully in the final days of the election campaign. In my dreams, Hillary wins the White House, and the Democrats take both the House and the Senate. Trump concedes graciously, then the lame duck session of Congress proceeds to work on the stalled legislation & appointments in compliance with the declared will of the people, including the Supreme Court nominee on hold.
More likely, Clinton takes the White House, Dems take the Senate, Republicans keep the House, and Trump concedes grudgingly as a sop to history even as his ego urges him to scorch the earth with wrath about stolen & rigged voting. (FFS, Donald, just read the prepared speech on the teleprompter as written then step away from the microphone!) There is noise already that the Republicans will do all they can to block all judicial appointments forever until a Repubican regains the White House, but I hope no one actually thinks this is a good idea or sensible policy. I also hope that a Democratic majority in the Senate will push these appointments along the pipeline to conclusion.
We'll see how it all shakes out next Tuesday evening.
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