Columns

ECLECTIC RANT: I'm Voting for Hillary, and Here's Why

Ralph E. Stone
Friday July 29, 2016 - 09:41:00 AM

I will vote for Hillary Clinton no matter what happens between now and November. I figure a vote for a third-party candidate or not voting at all is really a vote for Trump. I am not only voting for Clinton, but I am also voting for the democratic platform, which is not perfect, but is, thanks to Sanders, the most progressive Democratic Party platform in history. True, if Clinton wins, she is not beholden to follow it. But then again, there will be a lot of pressure for her to adopt some or all of it. 

For disgruntled Sanders’ supporters, I say let’s focus on what is, not what you hoped would be. It is now Clinton versus Trump. It is time to look at the big picture. 

I will vote for Clinton because I cannot imagine a president Trump representing me at home and abroad. I recoil at the thought. In my opinion, whatever Sanders movement achieved would not survive a four- or eight-year Trump presidency. To me, even the status quo would be better than a Trump presidency, which would send the country backward to a time when discrimination and hate were not only accepted but celebrated. 

In short, my choice is simple: I am a sure vote for Hillary Clinton, who on July 28, 2016, became the first woman to accept a major party’s nomination for president of the United States.