Dear Mr. and Mrs. Never Hillary,
I hope you’re paying attention this week.
Far be it from me to suggest that the “Never Hillary” movement is made up of men too insecure to follow a woman, and women too angry to support someone who forgives a philandering husband. Just like I would never suggest that nearly half of America has spent the last eight years looking for ways to not say they don’t like having a black man in charge.
But, since you’ve decided to enact a zero-tolerance voting policy, I thought I might trot out a couple of thoughts.
First: zero-tolerance policies are, generally, bad ideas. They are the refuge of frightened people unwilling to accept the responsibility of making difficult decisions, or incapable of seeing the totality of an issue or finding compromise.
Second: Odds are, if you’re taking a voting booth stand against Hillary Clinton, you’re going to end up taking a stand for the Republican Party.
Hey, to quote the leader of the great state of Indiana, you’ve got to stand for something.
(Yes, that’s a John Mellencamp lyric. You didn’t think I was citing Mr. No Gay Cakes, did you?)
I get it. Clinton’s convictions seem a tad malleable. She gives off the appearance of someone who identifies less with the morality of a position than its political opportunity.
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And that differentiates her from Donald Trump/Mike Pence (the guy who was a registered Democrat from 2001-2009, and the guy who voted for someone else in the Indiana primary) how?
I would suggest that both Clinton and Trump arrive at their respective positions with an eye for the demographic gains therein. Where I suspect they will differ is in their willingness to see a position result in actual policy.
Trump, to make a dated media reference, wants his name in the papers to build his personal brand. His brand requires nothing more than notoriety. Whatever the outcome of the general election, he has already won by ensuring his logo will continue to move units of that to which it is affixed.
Clinton, I am convinced, would prefer to appear on the pages of history books. Her legacy requires accomplishment. That means more than simply being the “first woman to…”
Barack Obama’s legacy is not merely “first black president.” His resume also includes the Affordable Care Act, the legalization of same-sex marriage, a reopened embassy in Cuba and the death of Osama bin Laden.
However you feel about those signposts, realize you are voting for someone who will set out his or her own agenda. So judge them for their ability and willingness to accomplish those things, and for the things themselves.
Which brings me back to Mellencamp.
A stand for the Republican candidate means a stand for the Republican Party Platform, which will certainly be articulated in greater detail during the ongoing Republican National Convention. So you should be paying attention — starting from Monday’s first-billed prime-time speaker, one of the goofs from Duck Dynasty — drives home the notion born of your “Never Hillary” stance.
These are your people.
And this is your platform — at least, these are some of the planks of the Republican Party Platform (according to multiple news reports — the formal document will be approved during the convention):
*A wall between the United States and Mexico. A literal wall, capable of stopping vehicle traffic.
*A constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. Because, you know, it’s important to protect the sanctity of the institution into which Trump has entered three times.
*An emphasis on appointing judges “who respect traditional family values.” Here’s a suggestion: How about appointing judges who respect the law enough to not let their personal biases overrule an objective interpretation?
*The turning over of federal lands for privately owned ranching, forestry and mining operations. Because why have a national forest when you can have fun with fracking?
*A declaration that coal is “an abundant, clean, affordable, reliable domestic energy resource.” Ask any chimney sweep.
My dad always said he voted for building schools, not prisons. That more or less shapes my approach to this day. I try to vote with an eye to the protecting the future.
In this election, that choice might come down to building solar panels or border walls. Or the choice between a living minimum wage or hoping the robber barons running the Old Growth Redwood Saw Mill allow birth control as part of their health plan. Or, “Climate Change: Fact or Fiction?”
You can’t just stand against something, because there’s always a flip side to that coin. You always end up standing for something. What’s it going to be?
Phil Arvia is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.