I want to preface this post that up until 2012 I was a registered Republican. Additionally, all throughout my voting career, I have consistently voted for whatever candidate I thought was best, regardless of party affiliation. Many times I have voted third party, knowing the candidate likely wouldn't win, but I truly felt he or she was the best candidate for the job. So, I don't say this lightly when I say that I will not be voting third party this election and will be putting my full support behind Hillary. Yep, that's right, you heard me. I said I'm voting for Hillary Rodham Clinton. If this bothers you and you can't associate with me anymore because of it, I'm ok with that. I don't mind having individuals of all political ideals in my life, quite honestly, I think it helps me grow. What I can't have are people in my life who are of the mindset of "If you are voting for Hillary just unfriend me now." So I'm willing to take the hit, but just know I have many (in my opinion far too many) Trump supporters on my friends list and the only ones I deleted are the individuals who make racist/bigoted/close minded posts so frequently that I can't handle the negativity. Fortunately, those people were few.
So why? Why am I voting for Hillary? I admit, she wasn't my first choice in candidate and honestly I probably share more ideals with Jill Stein than I do with Hillary Clinton. So why would this Bernie supporter back someone who really isn't my top choice even without Bernie in the race? Quite simply it comes down to one thing: Donald Trump scares the shit out of me. Never in any election previously have I so feared for the lives of my friends and family, as well as feared for the outcome of this nation as I have this past year. The vitriol that continually comes out of Donald Trump's mouth literally scares me and causes me to believe that he doesn't have enough self-control to interact appropriately with other foreign dignitaries. So, it's true, Hillary isn't my first choice, but I'm praying harder than ever that she will beat Donald Trump. She has already worked with world leaders and has a proven track record of positive interactions with those world leaders. Do I think she's the most trustworthy person in the world? No, but I feel that way about pretty much every politician in the U.S. Donald Trump has changed his position so many times depending on who he is talking to that I have no idea where he stands, and that scares me. And honestly, I think the only thing he stands for is himself. Donald Trump does not love America; Donald Trump loves himself. There is no way I want that man in charge of nuclear weapons, our military, or nominating supreme court justices. Supposedly he knows how to run a business (although law suits and several bankruptcies would beg to differ), but the government is government, not business. You can't go to China and say, "Hey China, I'm not going to pay the money I owe you" like he has done to many small businesses before. That's how you destabilize a global economy and start wars, and frankly, I'm pretty tired of war. The United States has been at war almost my entire life span. I'm more than over that. So, here is my coming out party: #imwithher because #nevertrump.
