Do you really think 62 million people are evil?
Election Day is 6 days away, and this has been an incredibly divisive election. At this time in 2016, I was very weary of it and ready to be done with it. I do not think this one has been quite as bad as 2016, but it has certainly been worse than it should have been. As I explained last month when I defended Joe Biden voters, it is possible to vote for either candidate and still be a good person.
Of course, we are seeing the usual foolishness about cutting off family members who vote for Donald Trump as we did four years ago. This is because Trump is such a reactionary figure, and such a departure from the norms, right? Nope. We saw the same thing in 2004 when George W. Bush was re-elected. A lot of folks don't remember this, but the hatred for Bush was every bit as intense as the hatred for Trump. Trump is derided as a racist, but remember that Biden said that Mitt Romney would put black people in chains in 2012.
This is how you got Trump in the first place. With cultural institutions owned by the Left and with Trump voters attacked in very personal terms, many people voted for Trump as a big middle finger to the elite. Remember when Hillary Clinton made her "basket of deplorables" comment? She said that half of Trump's supporters - 31 million people - were "racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic" and so forth. Is it surprising that they reviled her in return?
Look, this election, like almost all elections, is one where one of two candidates will win: The Republican or the Democrat. There are Democrats who are not thrilled with Biden or even dislike him, but will vote for him anyway to vote against Trump. There are Republicans who are not thrilled with Trump, but are concerned about the direction of the country under Biden and will vote against him by voting for Trump.
Voting for Trump does not mean that we endorse every single thing he says or does. That is a childish and simple-minded meme that is frankly very boring and tiresome. Every single candidate who has ever run for office at any level is flawed in some way - some more than others. I have repeatedly criticized Trump for his behavior, especially his childish vendettas and petty feuds that ought to be beneath the President of these United States. I also disagree with some of his policies - especially raising import taxes.
But on balance, I approve of cutting taxes, loosening regulations on the economy, anti-abortion policy and defending due process. Trump also has a strong non-interventionist streak, which is refreshing. When I cast my vote for Donald Trump, it is an endorsement of the things I like and a rejection of radical Left, which is using Biden as a Trojan horse. My vote for Trump is in spite of his flaws, not because of them.
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