#DENY270
Posted: November 8, 2016
It is Never Too Late To Do The Right Thing
At first, when McMullin joined the race, I dismissed him as a vote for Hillary. I agreed with Chaffetz, he was a “fast-track to nowhere.” That leaves me going back and forth between major party candidates trying to decide who I dislike more. What happened? We nominated a “crazy third world dictator.” It’s a terrible joke. Real events have play out like rehearsals of Saturday Night Live.
A vote for Mcmullin isn’t a vote for Hillary.
Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse), if you can draw the subtle distinction between a vote and an endorsement then you should be able to see that a vote for McMullin isn’t a vote for Hillary. It is a vote for principles. Trump has an established pattern of behavior. He isn’t sorry. He hasn’t changed. He believes he can do anything. He disrespects women as he does the party. But Trump is the star so you will “let him do anything”. I get that YOU need to vote for Trump. To win or at least not give in. Because you have put party before principle. Respect yourself, “If this is the best our party gets then our party should quit.” Celebrity is a value, but it isn’t one I share.
Misdirected Voter Values
I’d like to think I can appreciate where Trump votes are coming from. Peter Thiel is a contrarian and supports Trump for president. Thiel is a tech investor most notable for founding Paypal among other name brand tech startups. While the New York Times labeled him toxic, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg defended him saying, “It would set a bad precedent to cut ties with him because of his political views.” In a speach to the National Press Club, #NPCLive , Thiel makes several good points:
Voters do not pull a lever to endorse a candidates flaws. While this election may appear crazy, it’s less crazy then the condition of our country. It’s not a lack of judgement that leads Americans to vote for Trump. Both major candidates are imperfect people to say the least.
Median income is lower than it was 17 years ago. Fact check: While that is true, it is comparing now to a time in the economy just before the tech bubble of 2000 burst. It was a time of excess.
Student Loan Debt This is the only country where students take on loans they will never escape, even by filing bankruptcy.
Government is the problem. We judge the leadership of our country to have failed. It isn’t surprising to see people vote for Bernie Sanders, or Donald Trump, who is now the only outsider left in the race.
Thiel identifies a call for new american politics that overcomes denial, rejects bubble thinking, & recons with reality. He suggests that if we fail to elect Trump we may ask, “Did the new american politics come too late?”
Don’t confuse the strengths of Thain’s oratory with Trump’s strengths. Agree or disagree, Thain is persuasive. He knows his audience: Bernie supporters. I don’t even know if Mcmullan is on his radar. He frames Trump with Bernie. Trump is the last independent candidate. This point has two benefits (1) it speaks directly across the isle to fringe democrats that supported Bernie, (2) it gives Trump supporters something to share with friends and family. He also does a great job of identifying a widely held pain: that Washington is fundamentally broken and that only an outsider can fix it. The flaw in Thain’s argument is the suggestion that Trump is the answer.
Trumps Plan for America Looks Like A High School Assignment
I googled, “trump plan for America”. To be fair I also googled, “Hillary plan for america”. Trumps big plans are shockingly immature. For example:
- Ensure that the opportunity to attend a two or four-year college, or to pursue a trade or a skill set through vocational and technical education, will be easier to access, pay for, and finish.
That is it. The whole thing looks like is was formatted by a high school student in MS Word. It reads like a vague job responsibility. It is woefully inadequate. It is confirmation of the criticism that he is all buzz and little substance.
In comparison Hillary’s blog is an inspiration. Literally, the design inspired me to be a better blogger. Visually it is beautiful. I don’t have any issues with Hillary. I have issues with the system. She is a product of that system. She embodies the problems. But she isn’t the problem, they are systemic. She can’t be the change we need.
We Need To Be The Outsider.
I agree with Thain whole-heartedly in his call for a new american politics. Hillary cannot fix the problems. Trump cannot fix them either.
Enter McMullin.
Mcmullin cannot fix them either. We need to stop waiting on others to fix our problems. We need to stop holding our nose while we wait to see what our parties bring us. That starts with acknowledging our mistake. Republicans have messed up. Instead of acknowledging this they are toeing that party line and pointing the finger at Hillary. That isn’t acceptable.
So on November 14th when this is old news. I will reach out to my local leadership. I will volunteer. I will learn from my mistakes. I will humbly begin the process of learning to actively participate in the political process.
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