I've been thinking long and hard about the upcoming election. I haven't made any statements about who I'm voting for because I honestly haven't really known until now. But before I reveal anything to you, I want to talk about what lead me to my decision and things I have learned.
Rule number one: never trust a source that indicates its political leanings in its URL or title.
Rule number two: don't really trust any other sources either.
I learned that one of the easiest ways to really understand where you fall on the political spectrum is to read sources that you know are biased and find which ones give you a feeling of solidarity and which ones make you want to rip off someone's head. While living in Utah I have slowly been developing my political ideation and as most of you can probably guess, it doesn't quite align with the culture. In fact, the longer I live in conservative communities, the more liberal I seem to become. I'm not really one for going with the flow. And this has become increasingly clear throughout this election season. I cannot even scroll through Facebook without becoming irrationally upset about something someone posted. And so far I've had the decency to not argue with anyone. You're welcome.
For the record, I'm the last person to tell you not to vote third party. In fact, I strongly encourage you to do so if you feel like a third party candidate is more suited for presidency. Because let's face it, the options we have been given are less than ideal. Both major party candidates are plagued with scandal and mistrust. So I started looking into third party candidates. But the problem I quickly faced was the lack of left wing leaning third party options, or at least ones that I could see myself behind.
I decided that I wanted my vote to both voice my political opinions and influence the outcome of the election. In Utah, that leaves me with three choices: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Evan McMullin.
Donald Trump angers and disgusts me to my very core. Hearing him speak, seeing his face, even reading words from his supporters fills me with an insane amount of rage. I knew from the very beginning that there was no way he could ever earn my support. If his policies and beliefs weren't enough to dissuade me, his impossible temperament and character sure did. He has never been a justifiable option for me and I don't understand how he is for anyone else. But I'm not going to turn this post into a Trump bash. You're also welcome for that.
Evan McMullin has shown upstanding character and this initially made him appealing. But unfortunately, I agree with him on very little policy, which, believe it or not, is still important in this election. I'd also like to point out that it seems to be that many individuals (not all, don't fight me on this please), specifically in Utah, have decided that he would make a good president merely because he is Mormon. Sadly, his religious affiliation is not a valid qualification for the office. Sorry, Mitt Romney.
Finally we come to Hillary Clinton. She has been under political scrutiny for the majority of her career and a good portion of her life. The name Clinton is laced with scandal and conspiracy. I recognized this and judged her accordingly. But then I realized that the only reason I disliked her, was because I was being told to. I had no idea why I hated her. So I stopped doing so and looked from a clean slate perspective. Tabula rasa, if you will. And I realized that our political standpoints line up pretty well. 85% if you ask Isidewith.com. And I also realized that I am going to put faith in our governmental system; though I still plan to be judicial in that matter. But if the FBI says that there was not sufficient evidence to indict her, I am going to believe that. And I am not going to judge her based on the actions of her husband. I am going to judge her based on my own perspective. I'm going to look at what she has done in her career. I'm going to look at her proposed policy changes. I'm looking at her professionalism, her experience, and her temperament.I am not going to look at her as a supreme leader. I'm going to recognize the checks and balances put in place to ensure that the US is a democracy. I'm going to stand beside the civil and human rights movements that have become a strong part of my values.
And I am going to stand by the candidate who's policies and beliefs I think will make our country stronger, more united, and more equal. So with that, I guess I'm telling you all that I'm With Her, no matter what that means to anyone else.
