Anyone who is friends with me on Facebook knows that I am the kind of person who lacks subtly when expressing my political opinion. I am only explicit and anyone friends with me during this election has been front row to a roller coaster of emotion.
First, I was jaded and complacent that Hillary would just be handed the presidency. Then I got my hopes built by Bernie, which were then shattered by The DNC (something i blame on babyboomers but we’ll go into that later) I went then to being areluctant Hillary supporter, then my sense of self rightousness restored by an out pouring of support for Stein, to now a middle of the road undecided between Stein & Clinton.
At first I was adiment in my refusal to vote for Clinton, but that was before it looked like a losing Trump was only concevable. Now that Trump is gaining on her, as much as I agree with Stein more on policy, the reality is that either Clinton or Trump will be our next president. Now that her victory is less assured I am uncertain as to how a protest vote would feel if the worst did happen and Trump won. And Stein supporters, it doesnt matter what you tell yourselves, a vote for her is a protest vote, until she is on the ballot in all 50 states and included in all debates 3rd parties have no chance at gaining the presidency, period. But if that makes you as mad as it makes me, lets not just change our candidate lets change our whole system.
That being said, as someone who loves Ralph Nader & Jill Stein I will not shame anyone who refuses to vote for Hillary. I agree that voting 3rd party indirectly helps opposition and as such i would be fine letting almosy any other conservative candidate beat Clinton, but is a meglomaniac pathological liar xenophobe like Trump a risk we want to take over the oxford educated lawyer? Now I am not equating suppprt for stein as support for Trump theway many Clinton fanatics are. they way ppl like sam bee, trevor noah,or Seth meyers are talking down to true leftists is insulting. In fact the more you hate on stein suppprters i got news for you clinton fans, the more you send potential voters SPRINTING away from clinton.
At the same time Clinton supporters you have every right ro be frustrated. You are tired of the media equating your former sec of state with a man who qualifies as his own color swatch at Home Depot. However like I said, you do no favors for your candidate by shaming the people ypu want to vote for your candidate. Its like some of you love clinton so much u cant understand why anyone wouldnt love her to. Well I got news for you, if you are trully anti war, been conscious of lgbt brothers and sisters your whole life, and inherently anti capitalist, Clinton is about as exciting as an enema. If you are in love with clinton thats fine but stop acting shocked whenever you find someone is not. But again your frustrations are perfectly fair, hell when she got sick i was fristrated. The women gets a chest cold and we all have a heart attack. They found no wrong doing with benghazi, no wrongdoing with whitewater. Every “scandal” that is supposed to ruin her eventuallybecomes a punchline about her, distracting the media from any good she actually does. Yes millenials, believe it or not she has done some good, hillary got millions of kids, mostly non white, healthcare, not something to be ignored.
But if Clinton doesnt come around on legalization of cannabis and ending neoliberal trade deals, as well as ending us interventionalsim it will be very hard for millions to stomach the idea of voting for her. Instead of of calling peace activists and enviornmentalists idiots, acknowldge your privilege to say such a thing and maybe ackwnolege that she isnt a saint sent to us from the heavens. I may vote for clinton to assure defeating trump, i may vote for stein because i believe snowden deserves a pardon and im sick of suppprting anyone who supports war. The needs of the many out way the needs of the few though, so we can vote for bombing muslims or vote for bombing and banning them. Or we can vote for peace or we can vote purist libertarin freedom. Idgaf who any of you vote for tbh, juat as long as we beat trump.
Now lets enjoy our debate drinking games shall we. I have a bong, a Fosters and a flask of wild turkey ready to got!
James J Jackson 