I honestly did not think there could be a worse candidate for President than Mitt Romney in 2012. Romney was the worst kind of elitist – an elitist (and a literal schoolyard bully) who saw himself as self-made despite having a rich/powerful father and who made his own personal fortune by exploiting the system at the expense of average Americans. Now, we have Trump, who is essentially a clone of Romney except worse, and a blatant racist to boot, which is empowering other blatant racists in America. Essentially, Trump is yet another reminder in the world to appreciate the what we have at the moment, because it can always get worse.
The trouble this year is Clinton. Unlike Obama, Clinton leaves us no way out. The world has been a slow destructive spiral since 9/11, when we fell into a recession and when we started to emerge from it the money pooled at the top instead of making any effort to redisribute it to the masses, and when we went in and basically kicked a bee’s hive in the Middle East while enriching a frenemy in China for the benefit of rich American Corporations. The result of this are growing seeds of hate in the world, that are continuing to percolate and simmer and are manifesting as shootings and bombings that are increasingly more frequent and disturbing, and in new extremist organizations like ISIS — and Donald Trump. Clinton has been part of the 1% elitists who have not only enriched themselves at the world’s expense, but as Secretary of State showed herself to be untruthful and a war monger. So by voting for Clinton, I’m basically ensuring the world continues on its slow and increasingly destructive spiral down.
So, in 2016, we are left with a very strange and can’t win choice where for the first time in my lifetime I do not believe there is a “safe” or “less destructive” choice. In a way, I feel like it is a combination of 1860 and 1930, but instead of Abraham Lincoln or Roosevelt as a candidate, we have a choice of Hitler’s little brother or a Robber Baron for President. To vote for Trump is to support a blatant, elitist, ignorant, lying buffoon who will probably be harmless in many ways (who will listen to a buffoon?) but will plant divisive seeds of hate in the domestic US while allowing powerful enemies to run unchecked in the world, probably resulting in a horrific world blow up and race divisions in America. And on the other hand, if I vote for Clinton we are sure to continue growing the seeds of hate and discrepancy in the world while the 1% continue to enrich themselves, essentially ensure things will be worse and more violent in 4 more years but with less likelihood of an immediate world wide catastrophe.
So, it is like the world is giving me The Lady or the Tiger choice. It is a true dilemma. Do I vote for cointuined pain to ensure the world does not blow itself up (Clinton), or do I burn the house down in the hopes of re-building a better house (Trump)?
Honestly, I am going to write in Bernie Sanders. I am not wise enough to vote see the smart decision for Trump or Clinton, if it is better to vote for revolution or a continued unhealthy world order. So I am going to go with my ethics, and write in Bernie Sanders. It is the only time in my life I’ve written in a candidate.
First Name: Robert | Last Name: James 