I’ve noted for quite some time now that I am not #NeverTrump, but, I flip back and forth between being willing to check the box for Trump as a vote against Hillary, because she, like Obama, stands foresquare against almost everything I believe. She would continue the Obama policies that have damaged the country, and double down on some, as well as instituting her own damaging policies. My vote is simply assumed by Trump and the Trumpites, rather than being earned. There is little to no attempt to woo my vote. Instead, Trump, and especially the Trumpites, work hard to denigrate people who aren’t on the Trump train. I’ve been called a traitor and unpatriotic more times in the last 3 months than I’ve been called that by liberals on chat boards, in comments, and in Twitter since I got involved with politics on the Internet back in 2002. Add to that things like RINO, cuckservative, Democrat, and host of nasty terms.
So, the question is, is it immoral to not vote for Trump? Ben Shapiro takes this on
Hannity, Ingraham Say It’s Immoral Not To Vote Trump. Here Are 3 Reasons They’re Wrong.
On Wednesday night, Fox News’ Sean Hannity, apparently desperate to begin casting blame for Donald Trump’s November election loss in August, called out conservatives unwilling to vote for Donald Trump. “Get my point, all you stubborn Republicans?†Hannity ranted. “Hillary Clinton, well, she’s proven she does not have the character, she does not have the temperament to be the President of the United States.†He then accused Republicans of “sabotage†and brought on Trump RNC speaker Laura Ingraham to agree: “They are clearly cheerleading Hillary Clinton, there’s no doubt about it…if you call yourself a conservative and a Republican, it’s actually immoral not to vote for Donald Trump, if only for the reason of the Supreme Court.†She concluded, “I mean, it’s so selfish.â€
It’s rather ridiculous to hear from the respective Trump Train conductor and engineer that Trump losing will be due to conservatives not coming out for him. A strong part of their argument for Trump was that Trump supporters stayed home for Mitt Romney in 2012, and that Trump would bring them forth; at no point did they blame the New Trump Voters™ for the last four years of Obama. And Hannity and Ingraham assured Americans that Trump wouldn’t just be competitive against Hillary Clinton, he’d defeat her because he knew how to play the game in a different way than other Republicans.
Certainly, some Republicans have thrown their support to Hillary. Most, though, are simply choosing to sit it out, with many hoping that Trump will give them a reason to check the box with his name as a vote against Hillary. Excoriating Republicans for refusing to abandon all their beliefs to vote Trump doesn’t help. We just don’t trust him. He can talk a good game, but, does he really believe what he says? He reminds me of the old Spinal Tap gag about turning the amplifier up to 11. He’s so over-the-top that I have a hard to believing in his sincerity. Add to that the number of times that I see things like the US needing an authoritarian to get to liberty (that’s a serious WTF moment) and a rising meme is that this election is about globalism (everyone else) vs nationalism (Trump and the Trumpites). No, no, there’s nothing ominous about nationalism.
But let’s take the argument on its own merits: it’s immoral not to support Trump. Here’s the logic: Trump would be preferable to Hillary Clinton, warts and all. Therefore, it would be immoral not to support Trump.
We get
1. Trump As President Will Damage The Country More Long-Term. If you believe that only small-government conservatism will save the country, having a big government corporatist nationalist with no underlying conservative principles hijack the only supposedly conservative party in America is a recipe for disaster. Trump isn’t going to fulfill his promises to conservatives. And as I’ve written at National Review:
I’ll leave it to you to hit the link, but, let me say this: Trump may or may not be bad for the country. Heck, there’s always the possibility that he would be a great president. We do not have the policy history to know. But, he has been horrible for conservatism, especially with so many Trumpites dumping it for nationalist populism. I’m sure liberals are happy campers over this.
The second reason is that, if (when?) Trump gets blown out, it will be hard to get the stink of supporting him off you. I wonder how many Trump supporters will run for the hills when they see the epic blowout coming. Because the state polls are not trending well. National polls are almost meaningless, since it comes down to the electoral college, based on the state votes. Georgia is in play. Utah is in play. Other states that should be easy are in play. That’s not good.
Then we get the biggest
3. Your Vote Is A Moral Endorsement, Not Just An Instrument Of Policy. Yes, your vote is a choice between Hillary and Trump. But it’s something else, too, particularly for Republicans talking about the election regularly: it’s a statement of principle. You are willing to vote for a longtime Hillary Clinton donor and supporter, but with an R by his name. That’s the new standard for conservatism and Republicanism and morality. So long as a candidate is “not a Democrat,†that’s enough. It doesn’t matter if he’s embraced the vast majority of the Democratic platform at one point or another. It doesn’t matter if he’s personally disreputable, a moral junkyard, a congenital liar and unstable narcissist. All that matters is beating Hillary, and that only matters because anything is better than Hillary.
As Shapiro goes on to note, you can have your morality. For those not supporting Trump, most do not support Trump either, because she doesn’t fit our morality.
Regarding this piece, Allahpundit wonders if there are lines a Republican candidate would cross that would make Republicans withhold their votes? Of course there are.
Two: How much responsibility does Trump bear for his current electoral problems? The blame game we’re playing between Trump fans and #NeverTrumpers is fun but it conveniently obscures the question of how much blame the man himself should be charged with. Even Hannity scolded him recently for attacking Republicans on the stump instead of focusing on Clinton, and most Trumpers, I’m sure, would stipulate as an abstract matter that there are things he could be doing better. But that’s a boilerplate admission. Every candidate can always be doing things better. What I’m interested in is why the tone from fans like Hannity is so much sharper when criticizing anti-Trumpers than it is when criticizing the man himself. Trump is, after all, in the process of blowing a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a populist “outsider†to swoop in and win the presidency…..
There’s a whole bunch more to that paragraph, well worth the read.
Votes must be earned, not assumed. Hillary will not earn the majority of votes from the non-Trump folks. But, Trump isn’t earning ours. And the more Trump supporters attack us, denigrate us, slur us, the less likely we are to hold our noses to check the box for Trump.
And, yes, the Supreme Court is important. So are all the federal judgeship appointments. That’s a main argument made. If that’s the case, then why not earn our vote? There comes a point where principles override political pragmatism. There are only so many principles that can be dumped before the line is crossed.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
It’s not immoral, but there seem to be two types of “Not Trump” posters.
There are those who will attack and criticize Trump at every turn while giving the far-worse Hillary a free pass, or even worse, actually saying she’s not as bad as Trump!
There are others who don’t care for Trump, but who are also equally critical of Hillary (if not more so). This group is at least consistent, and people I can respect.
But anyone, ANYONE, who thinks Trump is a worse choice than Hillary is either deeply stupid and ignorant, or outright malevolent. Last I checked, Trump didn’t leave US citizens to die in another country. Last I checked, he didn’t wage an ACTUAL War on Women to protect a serial-rapist spouse. Last I checked, he wasn’t running a private email server to hide “pay for play” emails and to stymie FOIA requests. Last I checked, he wasn’t part of a crime syndicate like the Clinton “Foundation.”
And based on how hard the Republicans are fighting him (and how nonexistent their opposition to Obama is and was), I think it is safe to say Trump will NOT be the Right’s version of Obama, doing as he pleases while the Press and Congress give him a free pass.
No one is obligated to vote for Trump. But if you’re not only not voting for Trump, but you’re being silent on Hillary’s numerous, sizable flaws and failings? Don’t pretend you are principled, because you are either a willing or unknowing Leftist shill.
(Obviously not you, Mr. Teach, you have been anything but silent on the failings of the Left)
No one is obligated to vote for Trump. But if you’re not only not voting for Trump, but you’re being silent on Hillary’s numerous, sizable flaws and failings? Don’t pretend you are principled, because you are either a willing or unknowing Leftist shill.
Another Drive by Trump crony trying to shame everyone to vote for a man totally incompetent to be commander in Chief and unable to see past his own EGO.
Trump did his job he was absolutely the only person On this planet that if the GOP nominated him to run could effectively create a wave election against the GOP.
Driving by blogs and begging people or shaming people to vote for an Absolute moron is almost comical if it wasnt so sad.
Hillary is everything Trump says she is…..and she is not capable of being president…..But it is what it is….
Sometimes we have to stand on pricipals dude. The LEFT WILL VOTE FOR WHOMEVER IS ON THE (D) ticket.
and the Right is supposed to follow suit?
No thanks. I have principals and I cannot in all good conscience vote for The Donald. Just as nearly half the Dems could’nt either by showing their support for Bernie Sanders….
But now….they will cast aside their principals and pull the handle for Hillary….someone just a couple months ago they were railing against as being a crooked liar?
Sorry Friend….drive by any time but you make a weak argument because we have the weakest candidate we could ever put on the ticket.
Try again, Liam. Reread what I wrote, and what you wrote. You fall into the second category, because you’re not ignoring Hillary’s flaws.
My problem is with the people who will poo-poo Trump, and stay silent on Hillary or compliment her — you have not (stayed silent).
I am sorry that you feel I was attacking you. I was not. In your case, yes, you clearly have principles, and you are being consistent.
Not all of our votes are equal. I can vote for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party nominee, without it making one bit of difference, because Hillary Clinton is going to carry Pennsylvania, period; no Republican presidential candidate has carried the Keystone State since 1988. A vote for Donald Trump in Pennsylvania is a wasted vote, while a vote for Gary Johnson at least sends a message . . . and wouldn’t leave me feeling like I’ve soiled myself.
But our host lives in North Carolina, where the race is expected to be very close; whether he votes for Mr Trump might actually make a difference.
i also live in a state that will undoubtedly give Clinton the win
I have the luxury of voting forcehomever I wish
Even if NC were close ( I don’t think it will be) if Clinton is going to win easily in the electoral college even in a battleground state how much will a vote for tRump really matter ?
Rather than performing a theatrical wringing of the hands about tRump perhaps Teach should be more concerned that finally a Federal court has stepped in to stop the racial gerrymandering of NC’s congressional districts
Unfortunately to late for this election so NC will once again be able to elect 80% GOP House reps in a state that should be close to 50-50
Teach did the state rep you voted for put the Blacks into a ghetto like congressional district ?
A vote for the Haggard Harridan is a vote for the continued corruption of the current administration.
And more spokesvaginas such as this:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/291181-frustrated-reporter-goes-off-on-state-dept-spokeswoman-am-i-not
Teach
NC is a battleground state so probably your vote does matter
But
If it looks in November that Trump is going to lose NC will you still vote for him?
And a vote for Trump is giving up on America.
If you don’t vote for Trump, or if you are stupid (like Gruber said) and vote for Hillary, the country is gone. Hillary is a lyin, crooked, murdering incompetent fool.
Hillary is a corrupt, crony capitalist, felon with sever health problems…no question I can’t vote for her. But if the only thing anyone can point to for Trump is “he’s not Hillary”, it’s not sufficient, there has to be positive criteria, policies he ascribes to for more than an hour.
Fortunately my state gives me the choice of ‘None of the Above’
Probably the best reason I’ve seen to vote Trump was expressed by some commenter on another site…
Don’t Overthimk It! Vote for Trump!
His new slogan. Thimking is for losers!
The last two GOP nominees, Senator McCain and Gov Romney are decent men and honorable. I opposed them because they supported the standard Republican positions on most issues and would likely further our descent into conservatism – further tax cuts for the wealthy, opposition to even reasonable regulation, fealty to corporate American etc etc. Conservative policy out of Washington has been strangling America since 1980.
By no stretch is Mr. Trump as decent or honorable as either McCain or Romney, but he does promise to support the same “economic” policies as they did.
This year, neither party selected a candidate most likely to win the general election. National polls showed Senator Sanders winning against any GOP choice, while Clinton led only Trump and Cruz. (Gov Kasich could easily have been our next President!). Head to head, Trump couldn’t beat Sanders or Clinton.
Perhaps it’s time for our political parties to necropsy their nomination processes.
Why is there such wailing and gnashing of teeth in the GOP over Trump? He’s the worst candidate, the worst person, to win a major nomination since… forever?
I worked hard against George W. because I thought he’d continue disastrous conservative policies (he did) and might do something really stupid (he did – Iraq), and his opponents, Gore and Kerry were eminently more qualified – but he was our President, a decent and honorable person (except for Iraq – which Trump supported before he opposed it).
Trump is a salesman – a natural liar, a showman, a raving narcissist – PT Barnum in an orange fright wig. He is unfit intellectually, emotionally, temperamentally, psychologically and ethically to be our President. For a salesman, the sale is the thing, winning is the only thing – for a salesman it is unethical NOT to lie if the lie gets the sale, the win. Salesmen have a moral compass that differs from that of decent folk. Trump is a salesman.
Clinton has been a middle of the road liberal, taken a bit left, a bit less corporation-friendly, by Senator Sanders. She’ll be a solid President and will be able to get more done with the battered Tea Party Congress than that Black man ever could. Tim Kaine will also be a solid President in 2021 after narrowly defeating Paul Ryan in a campaign focused largely on issues. Imagine that. Mr. Ryan will become the leader of the House minority, and the Democrats will begin rebuilding the nation after the 40 year conservative nightmare.
So is spelling!
Yep, that Haggard Harridan of Benghazi and deleted email fame certainly has a moral compass and she never, ever lies…