The problem with ‘100 Things I’d Rather Do Than Vote for Hillary’
If you think she is the ‘lesser of two evils’, you’re just wrong
For most of today’s college students, this year will be the first presidential election where they can actually vote. Needless to say, it’s been an unconventional election season – beginning with over a dozen Republican candidates and resulting in sharp divisions within both major parties. Most Americans realize that this will probably be the most consequential election of their lifetimes.
Even sources like The Washington Post refer to Clinton and Trump as two of the most disliked presidential candidates in history. This election has centered around the idea that many people are voting for the “lesser of two evils,” but no one can seem to agree on who the lesser of two evils truly is.
But if you’re someone who thinks this is an election between “two evils,” you clearly haven’t been paying attention.
On the one hand, you have the businessman who claims that receiving a “small million-dollar loan” from his father makes him a self-made man. Who has insulted prisoners of war as well as families who have lost their children defending our country.
You have the man whose idea of foreign policy is reverting America to its isolationist state – building walls both literally and figuratively, and advocating for discrimination based on race, religion, and country of origin. You have the man who disrespects and patronizes women, both in everyday life and as part of his business in the pageant industry. The list goes on.
On the other hand, you have the woman who started from a working class background and found success through law school.
Who endured international embarrassment after her husband’s infidelity became public, but stood strong in the face of her circumstances. You have the woman who advocated for families and children her entire professional career, including affordable health care initiatives.
Who served as a respected Senator from New York and gained concrete foreign policy experience as Secretary of State.
The e-mail situation is complex and still not fully understood, and pretty much every Secretary of State who has served in the e-mail era has had private servers. But that doesn’t matter. She still can’t get people to trust her.
Yet, for some reason, many people trust someone who fits the first description more. I have always been baffled by this idea, so you can imagine my shock at an article I kept seeing called “100 Things I Would Rather Do Than Vote for Hillary.”
Most of the arguments in this article are very silly, and not at all comparable to the prospect of electing Trump as president.
For instance:
“#10 – Retake the SAT.”
Chances are good, if you had the means, you took the SAT at least twice anyway. The SAT is a three-hour multiple choice test. I give it a 3/10 on the pain scale.
“#11 – Name my first born child ‘Cucumber.'”
It’s 2016. People name their kids after produce. Coldplay’s Chris Martin named his first born child Apple, and I’m sure she’s doing just fine. 3/10 for pain.
“#20 – Inherit our national debt.”
Technically, you’ve already done that. 5/10.
“#27 – Show my boyfriend my middle school yearbook.”
If he can’t handle you with braces and bangs, he’s not worth your time. 1/10.
“#55 – Fold a fitted sheet.”
You can find directions on Pinterest. 1/10.
“#56 – Learn how to knit.”
I already know how to knit and crochet. It’s a very practical skill. I make hats and scarves for the homeless and people going through chemotherapy. It only takes a few hours to get the hang of, and you can make a small difference in people’s lives at the same time. 1/10.
“#63 – Never eat cheese again.”
I’m lactose intolerant, so maybe I’m biased. But I argue that people who do not eat cheese can still live fulfilling, albeit pizza-less, lives. 3/10.
“#77 – Trade in my skinny jeans for gauchos.”
Tell me fifth-grade you wouldn’t have done that in a heartbeat. A fashion staple. 1/10.
“#100 – Drink Pepsi instead of Coke.”
I didn’t realize Pepsi tasted that bad. 2/10.
I have a hard time imagining that anything on this list could be worse than electing Trump as President of the United States.
Even members of his own party agree that he does not have the experience or temperament needed to lead the free world – in attempting to prove his superior temperament on Monday, he managed to interrupt Secretary Clinton 51 times in a 90-minute debate, according to PBS NewsHour.
This election is not about the “lesser of two evils” – it’s between a woman who understands and appreciates the responsibility that comes with the presidency, and a man who entered the race by calling most Mexicans criminals, drug dealers, and rapists.
If electing Secretary Clinton president means I have to name my first born Cucumber, it will be a small price to pay.