Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Voting for Hillary [10/14]

[posted on FB 10/14/2016]

I’m a pro-lifer, and I’m voting for Hillary Clinton.

If there were a pro-lifer on the ballot, I’d vote for that person. There’s not. What now?

I’m a devout Catholic, committed to the teaching of the Church – all of it, not cherry-picked items on the left or the right. The nuanced teaching from Pope Benedict matters to me: a faithful Catholic cannot vote to permit the killing of our brothers and sisters. BUT in circumstances where all ballot options look bad, a person can vote in good conscience for the less destructive option. I am convinced that Trump, if he were elected, would damage the nation and the world in a long list of ways, including that he would increase abortion – by giving permission for thugs to abuse women, by insulting people with disabilities, and by refusing to help pregnant refugees. Hillary’s record on abortion is unambiguous, but not as bad as a Trump eruption.

There is no pro-life option on the ballot. What now?

I do not recall ever noticing Donald Trump before he got into the presidential race. I never saw his show, or noticed his grandiose buildings. So I learned about him during the primary. And I was deeply shocked by the way he treated Heidi Cruz. I thought he should be horse-whipped. What he did was just one misogynist barbarism among thousands, but it was the first that I saw, and I was deeply disturbed by it. I simply cannot understand why other decent people are not equally disturbed.

He should be horse-whipped. But that’s not going to happen. This is 2016, and it’s not Texas. So what’s the social equivalent? That has bothered me for months.

It would be good for the world, and for the nation, and for all decent people, and for all indecent people, and indeed for Trump himself, if he were whipped. For the sake of his son, to end the family’s rotten treatment of women going back to Donald’s pimp grandfather, Trump needs to be beaten badly. Three generations of egocentricity is enough. For the sake of his soul, if Trump can’t crush his own habitual arrogance, he needs to have it crushed for him.

Well, Hillary is going to whip him – not horse-whip him, something more focused and effective. She will expose him as a loser. A list of Republican men tried, and failed; but Hillary will get the job done. I support that, enthusiastically.

My state, Maryland, will go for Hillary; my vote is almost meaningless. But not quite! On Election Day, Hillary will whip Trump. Look at the margin of victory. One tiny but proud sliver of that margin will be me. Deeply angered by what Trump did to Heidi Cruz, and inspired by the words of the graceful First Lady, I’m voting for Hillary.


After the election, I will argue and plead and cajole. But for now: you go, girl. Whip the lard bucket.