THE FIRE NEXT TIME (Facebook November 12, 2016)

As we learn more about how Trump won this election, the nature of the Democratic side of the problem is coming into focus.  Trump got fewer votes than either John McCain in 2008 or Mitt Romney in 2012.  Clinton did even worse, simply underperforming among voters who voted for Barack Obama in those earlier elections.  If she’d had Obama-level turnout in even a few states – Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania – she’d be President-elect today.

Most people will look at those numbers and blame Clinton and her campaign for the loss.  I’m here to offer a contrarian view.  Clinton wasn’t the main problem.  Short-sighted, self-indulgent Democrats and left-leaning independents were the main problem.  They bought into the “flawed candidate” narrative and either stayed home or voted Libertarian or Green. 

Flawed candidate?  Of course Clinton was a flawed candidate.  I’m a flawed citizen.  Who doesn’t have flaws?  You want to see what a really flawed candidate looks like?  Take a look at our next President. 

Doing the right thing isn’t always exciting.  We can’t lounge around, fighting vainly the old ennui, declining to bestir ourselves unless we’re swept off our feet by someone with great charisma and perfect policies.  Our job as adults is to make the best choice available from the range of realistic options. 

Am I saying that you may occasionally have to vote for someone who’s not charismatic?  Someone you may not like much, and disagree with on some things?  Yes, that’s what I’m saying. 

If your house was on fire, would you make the firemen wait until you’ve finished a background check on each of them to make sure they’re worthy of saving your life and property?    That’s the best metaphor I can come up with for this election.  Donald Trump was the fire and Hillary Clinton, with all her flaws, was our last, best hope of putting it out.  Instead, progressive voters proved to have a citizenship deficit on November 8. 

Too many people pouted about being uninspired.  Too many others seemed to think that the purpose of their vote was to demonstrate their moral superiority to Hillary Clinton.  Those are extremely self-centered ways to think about exercising your franchise. 

I offer this as an alternative approach.  As a citizen, your job is to use your vote to protect your country and your fellow citizens.  Helping save the country from Donald Trump would have been a nice moral thing to do.  Inspiring, even.

On Twitter, Molly Manglewood wrote “Voting 3rd party is a good way to let marginalized groups know that your abstract principles are more important than their very real lives.”  If your principles helped elect Donald Trump, you’ve got the wrong principles.  Fix them before the next election.  Please.   

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/10/politics/gary-johnson-jill-stein-spoiler/index.html