Depending on which poll you look at, Donald Trump is about 5 — 7% of the national vote away from winning the presidency. Let me repeat that: A mentally unstable and comprehensively corrupt monster is "this” close to becoming President of the United States.
This is not OK. And it is the Republican Party’s fault.
The so-called Party of Lincoln folded up its big tent years ago when the Democrats embraced civil rights, and the opportunists in the GOP seized the moment to create the “Southern strategy.”
That’s cynical enough to make the politically aware people on the left angry, but it worked. So they grew the strategy, and used racial and cultural division to their advantage — particularly in statewide and mid-term elections. As the years have gone by, the veneer of “dog whistles” and “subtle racism” has eroded.
Now the GOP is all just blatant racism, hate and division: From legal attacks on women, minorities and the LGBTQ community, to overt attempts to block Americans from voting, to never-ending attempt to delegitimize the first African American President of the United States (led by Trump no less). Trump isn’t leading the Republicans down the anti-democratic path. The GOP blazed that trail and put down rose petals upon which he is now treading.
In short, the Republican party hasn’t just gone too far to the right — they’ve left the normal orbit of American politics and that is extremely dangerous.
I understand that it doesn’t help that Hillary Clinton isn’t as inspiring as President Obama was to some on the left, or that some of us may actually buy into the decades of attacks against her character. I get that she is not has left on foreign policy, or may not be speaking to the progressive issues closest to your heart.
None of that matters.
This year, there is no issue greater than keeping Trump from the Presidency and teaching the Republican party to never, ever threaten the bedrock foundation of our democracy again. So they need to lose, by a lot. They need to lose it all. Senate, House, big, whopping electoral landslide (let’s go for 400 ev plus, shall we) for Hillary, state houses. All of it.
Don’t send a message, IMPEACH them. That’s right: Impeach the Republican party at the ballot box. They are so guilty, and are clearly proud of it, and they need to learn their lesson.
Simply put — regardless of how you feel about our nominees, about our party, about specific issues, they NEED to lose, by a lot.
And it’s right there in front of us, seriously. The media may be obsessing over the closer polls in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida (it’s a Presidential election and that’s what they know how to do). But there are red states all over the map where Hillary and Trump are basically tied. Imagine what happens to the GOP if we all show up and vote for Hillary and the other Democrats on the ballot.
To get to the landslide attitude, you need to believe in the infallibility of numbers. Not polling numbers, but real numbers. Bottom line is that either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will win this election. Gary Johnson, Jill Stein and Evan McMullan cannot. Theoretically yes, but in reality no. That’s how numbers work.
This may not be fair, and you might believe the 2 party system needs to change, but this would not be the election to play with that idea.
So, first order of business is to stop equivocating about the fact that none of these candidates are President Obama or Senator Sanders. That ship has sailed. It’s either going to be Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.
Second order of business is to swallow your desire to be inspired, or live for that one issue that you normally live for, or shake up the system. All of these feelings are genuine, but this year they are overridden by a simple reality: Donald Trump threatens the foundations of our democracy (and probably the health of the entire planet), and the Republican Party fathered his candidacy.
Talking heads laugh and giggle at Trump, because they cannot believe he’s remotely being seriously considered by even 35% of our electorate. I wish he was the joke he looks like, but he’s not. And the track record of Republican political behavior is to blame. The Republican party has given us a lunatic monster who could very well inhabit the White House (and blow up the world).
So stop thinking about staying home. Stop thinking about Gary “Is Aleppo Where My Doobie Comes From” Johnson or Jill Stein. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump or not remotely the same. They never have been. Let the disgusted and dissatisfied Republicans who cannot bring themselves to vote for Hillary Clinton make those choices — that actually makes the path to a wave election and a landslide easier.
Don’t trade votes if you live in SC or TX or UT. The polls are close there for a reason. Push them over to blue — because this is the one year that could happen.
Don't get lost in the weeds of the individual call and response of Donald Trump’s unhinged campaign. Don’t wait for Hillary Clinton to issue some kind of clarion call that speaks to you.
Don’t hold your nose and vote. Don’t send a message. Don’t make a statement.
It’s time for us to act with one voice. We ALL need to get out and vote for Hillary Clinton and Democrats on every level on the ballot.
Your vote is a form of punishment this year. Use it to punish the GOP. Remember what they’ve done and continue to do. That’s why we have Donald Trump, and they only have themselves to blame.
The Republican Party and their bad behavior has brought us to a precipice. It’s time for them to go. Show up, vote Democratic and IMPEACH them.