On the eve of the 2012 Presidential Election, I put up a post about how I would be voting, and why. By now, if you’ve been keeping up, you know whom I will be voting for tomorrow. And I’ve even explained how I approached making this decision, as a Catholic.
What you might still wonder, though, is what is different about this year. In 2008, I didn’t vote at all. In 2012, I wrote in None of the Above. What has changed? Did I just convince myself to vote for Hillary Clinton because I love her so much and because I’ve always secretly yearned to vote for a Democrat?
Actually, I would have liked to have voted for President Obama in 2008. I preferred him to McCain and I wanted him to win. I would have liked to pull the lever for the first black President. But I couldn’t find a proportionate reason to do so.
By 2012 I had serious reservations about our President, but his policies were still more agreeable to me than Romney’s were. Yet, again, I did not vote for him.
What is special about this election?
Two words: Donald Trump. Donald Trump is my proportionate reason for voting for Hillary Clinton.
Don’t misunderstand–I LIKE Hillary. I don’t believe most of what the conservative media says about her. I agree with nine-tenths of her ideas (and I don’t think I have to explain to you which ones I don’t agree with). And I find a great deal to admire about her. Plus she’s the most qualified person to ever run for President.
But if Jeb Bush were running, if John Kasich were running, if John McCain or Mitt Romney were running, I might be voting for one of them or writing in None of the Above again tomorrow.
Donald Trump CANNOT and MUST NOT be President. I believe he poses a clear and present danger to the residents of this nation, to everything it stands for, perhaps even to its very existence. All the harm he would do as President constitutes–for me–the proportionate reasons my conscience demands.
Now, as you may know, I am in Tennessee, which I have no doubt Trump will win tomorrow. I’m not in a swing state, so why am I “endangering my soul” by the remote material cooperation in evil of voting for a pro-choice candidate?
It would be hypocritical for me to expect other pro-life Catholics in swing states to vote against Donald Trump if I refuse to do the same. My vote may not go directly toward defeating Trump, but it may encourage others whose votes have that power. I will also be demonstrating, through my vote and my testimony about it here and on my blog, that while there is a Catholic process for choosing your candidate, there is no one right choice for every Catholic.
So tomorrow I will cast my vote for Hillary with a clear conscience and the firm belief that Donald Trump and everything he represents must be repudiated.
I applaud your decision. I think it must have been a difficult one for you since you are pro life. I am pro choice, and as the years go by, I understand more fully what a difficult decision that must be for some women. My heart hurts for their decision to terminate a pregnancy. But women have been aborting fetuses (or babies) since the dawn of time. The difference, for me, it should not be legislated by our government. That’s all. I’m not saying it’s right. I’m not saying it’s wrong. It’s just a decision that only a woman and her doctor, with her God, can make.I hope others can be persuaded about the danger of having a Trump Presidency. He could care less about women and our problems.Thank you for being so public about your decision.Phyllis Kramer
For me this election is about not allowing Donald Trump’s breed of politics to guide our country for any amount of time. I’m not a huge Hillary fan, however I admire her successes as a politician. She truly has thrived in a male dominated sphere. I hope after the election the Republican party can reset and regroup so we can have an effective 2 party system that isn’t as divisive as it is right now. The Democrats need to do the same.
The world is a strange place today. I get the feeling anything could happen during this election. Will be watching from the other side of the world!
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https://braedenpoliticslife.wordpress.com/
Thank you!