This week, I attended the Florida Federation of College Republicans Quarterly. It was an event teeming with politicians (most notably the keynote speaker Mike Pence) and young conservatives. Idealists and organizers. It was an amazing event. But this brings me to another point. Surrounded by people who have either wholeheartedly jumped on the Trump Train, those who have resigned themselves to voting for him, and a few Never Trumpers, at an event where Hillary Clinton's name is the equivalent of invoking Satan, I began to reflect on the state of the election.
The last few weeks have continued to roll the October surprises: the Podesta email hack (let's say it again for the people in the back: the Democrats really need to hop off email), the speech excerpts from Wikileaks, Trump's Tapes and more. Both sides are continuing the mud-slinging and it seems like it's not going to stop anytime before election. I mean why should it stop? Just when it looks like someone's gonna run out of ammo new victims, new emails, new scandals come to light and its a shoot out all over again. I doubt the media has ever been so happy- they're sitting at a self-replenishing dinner table with the kind of food you could only dream of.
Here's the thing: for many, voting in this election has been a decision to vote for the lesser of two evils. It's understandable logic. It's the logic you take when you're candidate was cheated out of a fair and just election but you'd still prefer not to vote for the loud mouth racist. It's the logic you take when you believe that electing a particular candidate will put national security at risk for the sake of a pocketbook. It's the logic you take when you understand that voting this election will determine not only the course of the nation for the next 4 years, but, potentially, an entire generation, given the state of the Supreme Court.
This brings me to the crux: we need to stop bashing each other for the decisions we are about to make with our votes. This sounds stupid but allow me to explain. I'm not here to tell you to vote third party or to not vote at all. I'm not here to tell you Hillary is the savior or Trump is Jesus reincarnate and that the other candidate will cause the nation to implode. I'm here to say that this election is essentially a question of turning a blind eye. If you're voting for a major candidate this election cycle, you've likely rationalized that whatever scandal came attached was much less important than the scandal attached to the other. If you're concerned about rampant xenophobia, Islamophobia, racism and sexism then you've likely rationalized that private email servers, a "bimbo clean-up squad", a shady foundation, a permanent ban from practicing law due to perjury, and events like Benghazi are acceptable collateral as long as Trump does not become president. If you're concerned about free speech, taxation, individual liberties and over-reaching government then you've likely rationalized "locker room talk", demeaning impersonations of people with disabilities, stereotyping, and general vulgarity as acceptable collateral to preventing another Clinton white house. Voting this election cycle means pointing your magnifying glass in a different direction and turning a blind eye to your candidate's flaws.
It's unfortunate that we've reached this point but it's our reality. What's worse is this: while Americans should be banding together, preparing to endure the worst 4 years we've ever seen, we are instead consumed with continuing the mud slinging for our apocalyptic horses off-stage. Blocking friends, calling people idiots for voting one way or the other, questioning people's intelligence. It's tearing us further and further apart. So stop.
At this point, with a little over 20 days until Election Day, please stop. Most of us have made our decision. I'm not saying don't talk and discuss those decisions. But understand, we're all ignoring something fundamentally wrong with our candidate to be able to vote and actually count (sorry independents). So, with that and a dose of impending doom, good luck America.
