How Your Ideals Should Impact Your Vote
A somewhat educated look at this dumpsterfire of an election
I don’t know what’s going on, either. It seems like just yesterday Barack Obama was sworn in and we wouldn’t have to worry about electing another president for a while.
But dammit! It’s all gone! We blew it all to hell! Michelle? Joe Cool? They’re all gone! The O-bomb is leaving and he’s bringing his whole entourage with him! Now we have to elect his successor.
In one corner there’s a veteran politician who elicits all kinds of responses on the public’s emotional spectrum. From “she’s too robotic” to “she’s got a great personality!” to everything in between. She’s about as polarizing as any Terrence Malick film.
In the other corner, Trump. Donald Trump. You know, that guy.
Both of these candidates leave a lot to be desired. Frankly, they’re pretty unlikable. From email scandals to sex scandals to lawsuits to murder. (Maybe not murder… yet.)
But let’s be honest. Unless you really, really love Gary Johnson or Jill Stein, you’re going to end up voting for one of these major candidates. But who should you vote for? What do each of them represent?
If you support LGBTQ rights, vote for Hillary.
This one is easy. GOP Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence spearheaded a movement in Indiana to make it legal for businesses to refuse service based on sexual orientation. That means if all of the ice cream shoppes in Indiana decided to stop selling to gay people, then gay people would legally not be allowed to buy ice cream. That would be an awful world to live in.
The GOP literally included “pray the gay away” camps into their party’s platform. In 2016. It seems like they are heading in the wrong direction in terms of LGBTQ rights.
If you want “an outsider,” vote for Trump.
He’s soooo outside. This must really excite people. Donald Trump has no idea how to be president. He didn’t even know when Election Day was. For anyone looking for an outside candidate without any experience whatsoever, Trump is your man.
If you worry about healthcare, vote for Hillary.
Of course, the Affordable Care Act let a lot of people down. The premiums are a bit on the high side, and the concept of ObamaCare is a lot better than the real thing itself.
However, it at least represents a starting point. The key here is to make sure everyone is covered and has access to healthcare, even people with pre-existing conditions (being a woman is a pre-existing condition). Hillary will move forward with ObamaCare and work to make it better. Trump plans to trash ObamaCare and start over.
Clearly, something is better than nothing.
If you want to say “faggot” and “nigger,” vote for Trump.
These voters must be super excited!
If you want a progressive Supreme Court, vote for Hillary.
The next president could potentially have up to five Supreme Court appointments. That means, if Hillary Clinton wins and appoints new justices, there could theoretically be a 7–2 liberal advantage on the Supreme Court. That means more progressive decisions and more wins for progressivism.
Remember when gay marriage was made the law of the land? Remember how happy (decent) people were? There could be more civil liberty victories like that.
If you want there to be more guns, vote for Trump.
This is an easy one. Hillary doesn’t want to take away your guns, per se. She just wants to make it harder for people — especially criminals and kids — to obtain them.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton actually agree on one thing when it comes to guns: no one on a no-fly list should be able to purchase any type of firearm.
Other than that, the two candidates are black and white on the issue. The NRA has endorsed Donald Trump while spending over $3 million on anti-Clinton ads. Their pitch to the gun-loving public is simple: Donald Trump will protect your Second Amendment rights. Hillary Clinton will take your rights away.
If you worry about jobs and the economy, vote for Hillary.
She has been endorsed by several top economists, while the same economists have bashed Trump’s (lack of) policy proposals.
We have seen a steady decrease in unemployment and an increase in private sector job growth since the start of the Obama administration. If Hillary wins, it’s hard to imagine her presidency will look much different from Obama’s in terms of job growth and our economy. She continually vows to maintain a similar economic strategy.
(In regard to the TPP and all that trade mumbo-jumbo, you’ll have to look that up on your own. Remember, this is a “somewhat” educated look at this election. I never promised anything more than that.)
If you want to force 13-year-old rape victims to have children, vote for Trump.
The GOP war on abortion is ongoing. They want to defund Planned Parenthood and make it harder for women to terminate their pregnancies. Mike Pence is an outspoken right-to-lifer. He would much rather see a teenage rape victim be sentenced to motherhood than see her not go through the emotional and physical pain of carrying her rapist’s child.
If you also want to see rape victims experience the miracle of childbirth, you should vote for Donald Trump.
If you care about anyone other than yourself, vote for Hillary.
This is a tough election, but it’s important to think bigger picture here. Which candidate is best for everyone in the United States?
For example, what if Trump’s new healthcare plan voids all care for people with pre-existing conditions? Your response might just be, “Well, then they are shit out of luck.” But those are people that might actually die without healthcare. Like, actually die.
If you are already wealthy, it’s easy to say, “Well, Trump is my guy because he’ll keep my taxes low. It’s in my best interest to vote for him.” But what about our best interests?
New celebrity/all-around likable guy Ken Bone said something interesting on the news the other day. He agrees more with Donald Trump from an economical standpoint because it’s in his best interest, but he agrees more with Hillary Clinton from a community standpoint.
This is where ideals come into play. Do you care about our nation becoming better for people like you? Or do you care about our nation becoming better for people as a whole (read: “better”)? Obviously, there are always the ups and downs, and if Ken Bone can’t even decide yet, I don’t blame you if you’re stuck on this one.
But you have to think fast. You have less than a month to make up your mind.
Jared is an award-winning (that’s not true) writer who has published featured articles (also not true) in Playboy, Maxim, and Entertainment Weekly (no, no, and no). In his free time, he donates his time to help (don’t know where this is going, but it’s probably not true) inner-city youth learn how to read (yeah, not true). If you enjoyed this piece or would like to troll Jared on social media, his Twitter is here and his website is here.
