The candidate I oppose is a terrible candidate and represents everything I think is wrong with this country. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t trust much of what I hear in the news anymore, but if half the crap I’ve heard about the candidate I oppose over my lifetime is true, then I don’t understand how anyone in their right mind could support the candidate I oppose.
But you know what? I don’t need to trust the news; I just have to listen to the words the candidate I oppose has said. I know politicians like to paint their opponents as flip-floppers, but the candidate I oppose has taken the art of pandering to a new level. Nobody has to paint anything — it’s all out there for me to hear myself.
How can I trust the candidate I oppose on the few policy positions where we agree when there’s such predominate history of saying whatever it takes to grab a headline and a vote?
And as a leadership quality, I appreciate an individual’s ability to accept responsibility and own mistakes. If the candidate I oppose had perhaps done that just once, I might feel differently — Lord knows there have been opportunities. But that hasn’t happened either.
“But look at the accomplishments,” people tell me. I’m not impressed. Sure, the candidate I oppose has accomplished a few things, but given a huge head start and a penchant for unscrupulous behavior, who among us wouldn’t have experienced some success?
I don’t see any signs of legitimate ability or strong leadership qualities in the candidate I oppose. Wait, I take that back. The candidate I oppose does have one admirable quality — survival instincts. But by that measure, I could just as easily throw my support to a cockroach. What I really see in the candidate I oppose is a history of bullying forward, and when things get a bit hot, the candidate I oppose seeks shelter in the courts and legal system.
The candidate I oppose is the epitome of might makes right.
And don’t even get me started on the tawdry sex scandals. The candidate I oppose has a heavy basket of dirty laundry. That’s fine; we all make mistakes. But I don’t think we should have it flying on the White House lawn. Haven’t we learned our lesson there? Haven’t we embarrassed ourselves as a country enough?
I reject the candidate I oppose. But in so doing, I must also reject the candidate I’m told I have to support.
I reject the idea that I must vote out of fear. I reject the garbage candidates I’ve been force-fed by the two-party system.
Instead, I’m going to vote in support of a candidate whose principals and values largely align with my own. I’m going to vote in support of a candidate with legitimate administrative experience and a history of bipartisan success. I’m going to vote in support of an imperfect candidate who I at least trust has been honest with me as he and his running mate have sought the Presidency.
Good luck defeating the candidate you oppose without me.
