Now that the primaries are over and it's been determined that the candidates are Clinton for the Democrats and Trump for the Republicans, I've been reading more and more that a lot of Bernie Sanders supporters are deciding to vote Trump in the election this fall and I just don't get it. Sanders and Trump couldn't be any more opposite on their views and goals for the country. I'm not saying Clinton is the perfect presidential candidate because she isn't by far, but Sanders has publicly stated he's going to vote for Clinton to keep Trump out of office, so why is there any amount of Sanders supporters that are voting Trump? Why wouldn't they continue to support his views on the election as it stands right now?
Comparing each candidate side by side and looking at their views on each of the major economic, domestic, defense, and individual rights issues, Sanders and Clinton agree on most, I repeat most and not all, of the issues. They share similar views on things like abortion, legally requiring the hiring of women and minorities, gun ownership, prioritizing green energy, and finding a way for current illegal immigrants to become legal American citizens. Maybe they have different ideas on how to achieve those goals but if their end goal is similar I don't see why voting for Clinton wouldn't be the second best option if you're original intention was to vote Sanders.
Now, let's address the elephant (or should we say the donkey...?) in the room: the myriad of scandals Clinton has taken part in over the years. I can see why anyone would have trust issues voting for Clinton based on those scandals, but I would rather take a leap of faith than vote for someone like Trump. Plus, let's be honest, there are plenty of politicians that get caught in a load of lies and scandals. Clinton is certainly not the first or the last politician that will make some bad choices and get caught doing it and I'm sure there are plenty more politicians that make similar bad choices and just never get caught.
The conservative German newspaper, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, describes Donald Trump in the following way, "If a communist propaganda ministry had commissioned a gifted cartoonist to draw a typically-American rogue, he would have invented a figure like ‘The Donald’: a man who embodies the wealthy, boorish philistine, from his self-important attitude to the way his hair is folded this way and that, and someone for whom nothing is sacred — other than money, bosoms, success and power." Why would we want our president to be described this way by another country? Disregarding his views and goals entirely, this opinion, similar to many others from different countries, is enough to make me not vote for Trump.
If you can't bring yourself to base your vote on who is the lesser of two evils, maybe consider voting for the Independent candidate. You never know, they might make a decent president. I actually have no idea who that candidate may be but I know I'll do my research before voting this year. If you decide that no option is the best option, throw your hands in the air in great frustration, decide not to vote at all and let the cards fall where they may, that's fine too. Just please don't vote for a candidate you share no opinions with just so the other candidate doesn't win.
