Here's something I wrote four years ago about why I supporte Hillary--and why I didn't want Trump for President:
I grew up with parents who often canceled out each other’s votes at the polls on election day. One would vote one way, one the other. Dad was an Italian Catholic, and Mummy was a WASP. Their respective parents fervently opposed the other family's cultural differences, and my dad’s mother hated the fact that my mother did not seem very submissive to her. My grandmother actually chased my mother down Forbes Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh waving an umbrella.
But their differences afforded me the knowledge as I grew up that it was okay to hold an opinion different than those held by other family members. So why does this Trump-Clinton contest bother me so much?
I grew up with parents who often canceled out each other’s votes at the polls on election day. One would vote one way, one the other. Dad was an Italian Catholic, and Mummy was a WASP. Their respective parents fervently opposed the other family's cultural differences, and my dad’s mother hated the fact that my mother did not seem very submissive to her. My grandmother actually chased my mother down Forbes Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh waving an umbrella.
But their differences afforded me the knowledge as I grew up that it was okay to hold an opinion different than those held by other family members. So why does this Trump-Clinton contest bother me so much?
My opinion rides alongside the remarks by Khizr Khan on the
last night of the Democratic Convention, followed up by an interview on MSNBC
on the subsequent night. As I grew to adulthood, it was accepted that after the
election, the winner became everyone’s president, even when he was a
Republican. As an adult, I became less reluctant to support Conservatives, but I
threw my personal best wishes and support behind those who were elected such as
Ronald Reagan (Ronny Ray-Gun as I loved to call him), George H.W. Bush, and,
later, George W. Bush. Of course I was much happier when Clinton or Obama won,
but I always respected the office of the presidency.
In recent years, I have hated the divisiveness of people like Rush Limbaugh, who openly wished that Bill Clinton would fail as a president and perpetuated the myth that Obama was not an American-born president.
In recent years, I have hated the divisiveness of people like Rush Limbaugh, who openly wished that Bill Clinton would fail as a president and perpetuated the myth that Obama was not an American-born president.
Then Khizr Khan talked about the death of his son, who grew
up in America, joined the Army, served beyond his discharge date, and was
killed by a suicide bomber while he was protecting others. Khan gave a very
emotional speech at the Democratic convention, speaking out against Donald
Trump, and asking Trump if he has read the American Constitution, and holding
out his copy for Trump to borrow if not. Khan’s grief-stricken wife stood
stoically alongside him.
On MSNBC the following night, Khan said he had given only
half of his speech. The other half of his speech was aimed at Mitch McConnell
and Paul Ryan, the respective Republican House and Senate leaders, and I got
the impression that Khan’s real loyalties lie with the Republican party.
However, Khan said, McConnell and Ryan have failed to repudiate Trump as the
leader of the Republican party and so for this reason he will vote for Hillary
Clinton.
I respect Khan for verbalizing his position. Trump must not
be elected. I would feel much better about the current political contest if we
had someone qualified to oppose Hillary Clinton such as Jeb Bush or John
Kasich. Trump’s candidacy rings with
discord for someone who has no experience whatsoever in the rendering of public
service and who assigns brutal nicknames to all his opponents. He makes fun of
women, persons with disabilities, foreign-born Americans, Jews, Muslims, war
prisoners, and others.
On the other hand, Hillary Clinton is accused by her Republican opponents of killing people in Benghazi—but she was cleared after eight interviews in front of the Republican Congress. She was accused of illegally handling her emails while she was secretary of state—but the totally nonpartisan FBI director refused to indict her after investigating. Although he stated she had been extremely careless, that carelessness did not amount to an indictable offense. And Hillary Clinton also has forty years of experience rendering services to the public.
On the other hand, Hillary Clinton is accused by her Republican opponents of killing people in Benghazi—but she was cleared after eight interviews in front of the Republican Congress. She was accused of illegally handling her emails while she was secretary of state—but the totally nonpartisan FBI director refused to indict her after investigating. Although he stated she had been extremely careless, that carelessness did not amount to an indictable offense. And Hillary Clinton also has forty years of experience rendering services to the public.
And so as the Republican party has disassembled slowly but
surely over the last four years, split by the Tea Partiers opposing the
traditional conservatives, their turmoil has given rise to the candidacy of
Donald Trump, reality TV show star. It’s like watching Richard Dawson
persecuting Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 movie, The Running Man. It’s antithetical to everything I know about what’s
right and what’s wrong.
If Donald Trump is elected, I just don’t think I can accept him as the president who governs us all. I worry about someone who can be baited with a Tweet, as Clinton said, being in charge of the nuclear codes. So, even if you don’t care for Hillary Clinton, or if you don’t remember that her husband Bill Clinton brought more income into American middle-class households and presented Congress with a balanced budget—and left office with a surplus—at least consider the fact that Trump is not the best choice to lead our country over the next four years.
This is not a contest between a valid Democratic candidate and a valid Republican candidate. Trump’s candidacy is a symptom of the unease underlying a large segment of our national culture. His point of view chiefly represents the hopes of the largely uneducated white males who feel that everyone else has been put ahead of them. Those people do not bother to read about trade, domestic and foreign policy, and other issues. They do not care that Trump proposes no workable ideas for foreign policy, the environment, education, the budget, or other chief areas. Please read more about both candidates and give the issues much thought before you cast your vote for this comical reality TV star in November.
If Donald Trump is elected, I just don’t think I can accept him as the president who governs us all. I worry about someone who can be baited with a Tweet, as Clinton said, being in charge of the nuclear codes. So, even if you don’t care for Hillary Clinton, or if you don’t remember that her husband Bill Clinton brought more income into American middle-class households and presented Congress with a balanced budget—and left office with a surplus—at least consider the fact that Trump is not the best choice to lead our country over the next four years.
This is not a contest between a valid Democratic candidate and a valid Republican candidate. Trump’s candidacy is a symptom of the unease underlying a large segment of our national culture. His point of view chiefly represents the hopes of the largely uneducated white males who feel that everyone else has been put ahead of them. Those people do not bother to read about trade, domestic and foreign policy, and other issues. They do not care that Trump proposes no workable ideas for foreign policy, the environment, education, the budget, or other chief areas. Please read more about both candidates and give the issues much thought before you cast your vote for this comical reality TV star in November.
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