My Facebook post on the election (1 Viewer)

[NauticalGent]

Well folks, the election is over, and I feel compelled to get something off my chest.

BLUF: I voted for Trump, and I feel *sick* about it.

Since 2008, I’ve consistently voted for third-party candidates. Those who know me understand why, and I’d ask that you hold off on remarks about “wasting” my vote. Please read this whole post, and I think you'll understand where I’m coming from.

For my Democrat friends and family who are puzzled by Trump’s decisive win, it’s time to take a hard look at why.

Back in 2020, you chose a candidate whose grasp on reality was questionable. You insisted this wasn’t the case, demanding that we all go along with it. By the time you acknowledged it, it was too late to field a viable candidate, and the party had no choice but to proceed with who they had. You refused to acknowledge her weaknesses and insisted we should just follow along. When others tried to debate you, they were labeled as racist or misogynistic. Instead of engaging, I stepped back, observed, and took notes.

I watched as Democrats launched a full-court press to discredit Trump. Allegations of election fraud were dismissed outright—allegations that, according to certain sources, had some basis, though still hotly debated. The New York court’s felony conviction for falsifying business records was rare, especially for someone of Trump’s status, and it left many of us wondering what the real goal was. To me, it looked like an attempt to freeze him out. But why the fear?

The final straw for me was the reaction to the recent incident in which Trump was allegedly “shot.” I admit, my first thought was that it might be staged (and I’m still not entirely convinced otherwise). However, I was appalled by people I considered decent who implied that the “real tragedy” was that it didn’t work.

So, when it was my turn to vote, I did what I’d promised myself I’d never do: I didn’t vote *for* someone—I voted *against* someone else. For years, I’ve criticized others for playing into this two-party trap, and now I feel I’ve lost the right to argue against it.

Did my vote alone put him over the top? Of course not. But how many others share my story? How many voters on the fence might have been pushed toward Trump by the very actions of those opposing him?

The part many people don’t understand is that the president doesn’t wield the most power. If that were the case, neither of these two candidates would have made it this far. Real power lies with Congress and with local and state governments. I, and many like me, voted not just for Trump but for Republicans across the board. As a result, the Senate, House (where laws originate), and governorships are all Republican majorities. If you understand how government works, this—not the individual in the Oval Office—is what should keep you up at night.

So yes, I voted for Trump, and it makes me sick, but there’s no one to blame but yourselves.

 

[Pat Hartman]

I get your dilemma. Mine was similar in 2016. Should I vote for the philandering, sharp, NY businessman who sounded stupid or condescending when he spoke or the woman who was running a criminal enterprise (the Clinton Foundation - where she was accepting donations from foreign actors in exchange for favorable treatment) against the direct orders of her boss, President Obama who told her in no uncertain terms. If you want to be Secretary of State, shut down the money machine. She didn't. A woman who defended her philandering husband, a former President, against any and all accusations using smear campaigns. None of this "believe the woman" business when they were attacking her money train. A woman who was using a private email server against regulations in order to keep her influence peddling scheme a secret and free from FOIA investigations. But it was the middle of the night phone call that really turned my stomach where she let our people die in Benghazi rather than unleash the Marines to save them. This was not a person I wanted in charge of our country's safety. And I was vindicated in my choice. Clinton turned out to be even worse than we knew at that time. Silly thing is, if the Dems hadn't cheated in 2008 to give the nomination to Obama rather than Clinton, I would have voted for Clinton because I was never voting for John McCain. Trump turned out to be an industrious and capable President. He suffered years of constant attacks for mostly made up "crimes". They accused him of causing chaos when it was the "if it bleeds, it leads" mantra of the press that was pushing every negative story that surfaced with total disregard for facts that was causing the chaos.

We won't relitigate 2020. If Biden had governed as he promised, Trump would have gone quietly into the night. But, given that Biden was not ever in control of the White House, we ended up with the most radical policies of the Obama people that they never dared to implement when Obama was in office. So, Trump needed to run. then all hell broke lose again with the multiple lawsuits. We won't relitigate the bogus lawsuits. Trump has prevailed against everything the Democrats threw at him.

Trump is hated by politicians of both parties and by everyone the lame stream media has been able to brainwash. The politicians hate him because he is such a threat to their power base. He says what he is thinking (a large part of his problem). He means what he says. And he makes every effort to keep his promises. What politician does that? Look at Harris. She is the poster child for the power hungry politician. She was even adopting Trump's policies because they polled well

 

[Isaac]

Well folks, the election is over, and I feel compelled to get something off my chest.

BLUF: I voted for Trump, and I feel *sick* about it.

Since 2008, I’ve consistently voted for third-party candidates. Those who know me understand why, and I’d ask that you hold off on remarks about “wasting” my vote. Please read this whole post, and I think you'll understand where I’m coming from.

For my Democrat friends and family who are puzzled by Trump’s decisive win, it’s time to take a hard look at why.

Back in 2020, you chose a candidate whose grasp on reality was questionable. You insisted this wasn’t the case, demanding that we all go along with it. By the time you acknowledged it, it was too late to field a viable candidate, and the party had no choice but to proceed with who they had. You refused to acknowledge her weaknesses and insisted we should just follow along. When others tried to debate you, they were labeled as racist or misogynistic. Instead of engaging, I stepped back, observed, and took notes.

I watched as Democrats launched a full-court press to discredit Trump. Allegations of election fraud were dismissed outright—allegations that, according to certain sources, had some basis, though still hotly debated. The New York court’s felony conviction for falsifying business records was rare, especially for someone of Trump’s status, and it left many of us wondering what the real goal was. To me, it looked like an attempt to freeze him out. But why the fear?

The final straw for me was the reaction to the recent incident in which Trump was allegedly “shot.” I admit, my first thought was that it might be staged (and I’m still not entirely convinced otherwise). However, I was appalled by people I considered decent who implied that the “real tragedy” was that it didn’t work.

So, when it was my turn to vote, I did what I’d promised myself I’d never do: I didn’t vote *for* someone—I voted *against* someone else. For years, I’ve criticized others for playing into this two-party trap, and now I feel I’ve lost the right to argue against it.

Did my vote alone put him over the top? Of course not. But how many others share my story? How many voters on the fence might have been pushed toward Trump by the very actions of those opposing him?

The part many people don’t understand is that the president doesn’t wield the most power. If that were the case, neither of these two candidates would have made it this far. Real power lies with Congress and with local and state governments. I, and many like me, voted not just for Trump but for Republicans across the board. As a result, the Senate, House (where laws originate), and governorships are all Republican majorities. If you understand how government works, this—not the individual in the Oval Office—is what should keep you up at night.

So yes, I voted for Trump, and it makes me sick, but there’s no one to blame but yourselves.

Well said, NG, and I certainly have noticed you holding back in discussions - which in and of itself merits a certain respect, because it takes discipline to do that in any case.

I dislike some things about Trump (and even more strongly some - some - of his followers), but I couldn't imagine wanting the country to go any further in a leftwing direction.

My voting process was

1. read the Arizona Proposition pamphlet thoroughly, make notes on the For and Against argument, and note which I was YES and which I was NO
2. keep those notes and pass them on to my 2 voting kids and wife
3. vote for Trump, Republican if I didn't know the candidates, and Men for all the judges.

Bam. Voting on the permanent mail list is easy and I did it weeks ago, hopefully helping Arizona be less purple.

You're right, the methods they used against Trump were noxious.

 

[NauticalGent]

noticed you holding back in discussions ... because it takes discipline to do that in any case.

Thanks Isaac, kind words but not entirely accurate! I learned a few years ago that people (myself included) do not want to change their minds. They want to change others' minds because THEY are the ones who are wrong.

Those posts mutate into drawn out arguments that become impossible, for me anyway, to keep up with and the best I can do would be to say "yeah, what he/she said!"

With no sarcasm intended, those folks are much more informed and smarter than I am and were I to contribute, THAT would become obvious to the most casual observer!

 

[Jon]

When people argue in public, they entrench their position. There are evolutionary reasons for this. They don't want to lose face and appear wrong, because it degrades their status within the group. Consequently, no matter what the facts are, people end up arguing the unarguable, and it turns into utter nonsense. But even with just opinion, rather than facts, the same thing happens.

Just my opinion, before someone says that is not a fact.