Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Monday, November 7, 2016

THE CONSERVATIVE CASE FOR VOTING FOR CLINTON



Conservative pundit, David Frum, senior editor of The Atlantic, puts forth an impassioned argument for voting for Hillary Clinton.

It is well worth the time to read it.  The preservation of our democracy depends on it.

Here are some highlights. 

Please read the entire essay.





Why support a candidate who rejects your preferences and offends your opinions? Don’t do it for her—do it for the republic, and the Constitution.


If the polls are correct, many disaffected Republicans are making their peace with Donald Trump in the final hours of the 2016 campaign. The usual term for this process is “returning home.” This time, we need a new phrase. The familiar Republican home has been bulldozed and replaced by a Trump-branded edifice. It will require long and hard work to restore and rebuild what has been lost. 

[skip]

 Yes, I fear Clinton’s grudge-holding. Should I fear it so much that I rally to a candidate who has already explicitly promised to deploy antitrust and libel law against his critics and opponents? Who incited violence at his rallies? Who ejects reporters from his events if he objects to their coverage? Who told a huge audience in Australia that his top life advice was: "Get even with people. If they screw you, screw them back 10 times as hard. I really believe it”? Who idealizes Vladimir Putin, Saddam Hussein, and the butchers of Tiananmen as strong leaders to be admired and emulated? 

Should I be so appalled by the Clinton family’s access-selling that I prefer instead a president who boasts of a lifetime of bribing politicians to further his business career? Who defaults on debts and contracts as an ordinary business method, and who avoids taxes by deducting the losses he inflicted on others as if he had suffered them himself? Who cheated the illegal laborers he employed at Trump Tower out of their humble hourly wage? Who owes hundreds of millions of dollars to the Bank of China? Who refuses to disclose his tax returns, perhaps to conceal his business dealings with Vladimir Putin’s inner circle?

[skip]


America's first president cautioned his posterity against succumbing to such internecine hatreds: “The spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension … leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.” George Washington’s farewell warning resounds with reverberating relevance in this election year.

[skip]


I have no illusions about Hillary Clinton. I expect policies that will seem to me at best counter-productive, at worst actively harmful. America needs more private-market competition in healthcare, not less; lighter regulation of enterprise, not heavier; reduced immigration, not expanded; lower taxes, not higher. On almost every domestic issue, I stand on one side; she stands on the other. I do not imagine that she will meet me, or those who think like me, anywhere within a country mile of half-way.

But she is a patriot.

She will uphold the sovereignty and independence of the United States. She will defend allies. She will execute the laws with reasonable impartiality. She may bend some rules for her own and her supporters’ advantage. She will not outright defy legality altogether. Above all, she can govern herself; the first indispensable qualification for governing others.

[skip]


I appreciate that Donald Trump is too slovenly and incompetent to qualify as a true dictator. This country is not so broken as to allow a President Trump to arrest opponents or silence the media. Trump is a man without political ideas. Trump's main interest has been and will continue to be self-enrichment by any means, no matter how crooked. His next interest after that is never to be criticized by anybody for any reason, no matter how justified—maybe most especially when justified. Yet Trump does not need to achieve a dictatorship to subvert democracy. 

This is the age of “illiberal democracy,” as Fareed Zakaria calls it, and across the world we’ve seen formally elected leaders corrode democratic systems from within. Surely the American system of government is more robust than the Turkish or Hungarian or Polish or Malaysian or Italian systems. But that is not automatically true. It is true because of the active vigilance of freedom-loving citizens who put country first, party second. 

Not in many decades has that vigilance been required as it is required now. Your hand may hesitate to put a mark beside the name, Hillary Clinton. You’re not doing it for her. 

The vote you cast is for the republic and the Constitution.  

33 comments:

Michael K. said...

Trump cannot survive loooosing the election not because of the election loss--hell, they cheated, right?--but because he's tarnished the brand. The brand was all he had left. All the rest of it is leveraged illusion. People aren't going to flock to his hotels. Financing of his ventures will be rather less opaque, and less forthcoming. He's going to court for Trump University, his charity's been told to shut down. On and on. He's done. Make way for the smoother, more competent villain.

Kevin Robbins said...

I'm hoping that lower tier bloggers are very low on Trump's enemies list.

Happy Election Day Eve, y'all!

Degenerate Maniac said...

If you are NOT a "Trump Fan" at THIS point, you are a TRAITOR to the CAUSE of RIDDING us of the LYING, THIEVING, CONNIVING BITCH once and for all.

And I don't give a rat's rump what you –– or anyone else –– thinks of me for saying so.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Mike, I've read, but not verified, that in some cities Trump's name is being taken off of buildings. Also, bookings at his hotels are down. Not verified, though.

D.M. I allowed this comment to get past moderation to illustrate how depraved some on the right have become.



Shaw Kenawe said...

Of all the dumb things The Stupids have said over the past few hours since Comey's letter about the review of 650,000 emails, the stupidest is that The Stupids don't believe computers are able to scan that many emails in 8 days. Actually, today's technology can scan that many in seconds! But that fact doesn't stop The Stupids from exposing themselves to be technologically ignorant.

Yes, Donald Trump, the FBI Can Vet 650,000 Emails in Eight Days

Jerry Critter said...

Reviewing a few hundreds of thousands of emails is child's play for a government that can review millions of phone calls daily.

Shaw Kenawe said...

EJ Dionne, WaPo:

One does not have to overlook her mistakes or her failings to insist that nothing Clinton has done justifies the hatred that has come her way. She is one of the most prepared and disciplined Americans ever to seek the presidency. She has devoted her life to public service, and her record as a senator and secretary of state won her high favorable ratings — which Congress’s taxpayer-financed investigation machine systematically set about to bring down.

If Clinton does prevail, the country will need to back up its rejection of Trump with a rebuke to those who would use Trumpian tactics to deny her legitimacy and stymie the government’s ability to function. Unending investigations that manufacture accusations based on preconceived conclusions is not Congress’s mission. The vile spirit of this campaign cannot be allowed to contaminate the next four years.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Happy Election Day Eve to you too, Kevin.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Sadly true, Jerry.

skudrunner said...

The good thing is if you have any money invested in the stock market you will do well. Look how good BHO has been for the rich and the poor. The markets reaction to -H-'s win has been good for investors.
The party against the rich, capitalism, banks and the market is the party that assists all four. They play to the big boys at the expense of small business and the middle class.

To bad we cannot have a government that actually works for the people instead of for the elitists.

Bluebull said...

Wow. Sounds like the drooling Republiclowns are really going bonkers over the fact that they are going to lose tomorrow. If I wasn't smiling so much, I'd be worried about them.... :)

Jerry Critter said...

And the republican leaders know that also. They are just betting that their "believers" don't.

Shaw Kenawe said...

skud: "To bad we cannot have a government that actually works for the people instead of for the elitists."

So the Republican Party's candidate owns his own jet, owns several mansions and golf courses, lives in a 33,000 sq.ft. penthouse whose furnishings would be the envy of Louis XVI, and he pays no federal income tax. Yeah. He's for the "people," the way the Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were for the common folk.

You make me laugh.

Now I think I'll go eat some cake.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Bluebull, I start to feel some sympathy for the Trumpistas, but then I remind myself of all the wretched insults and smears they've thrown at President Obama and his family over the past 8 years, and I think they deserve nothing but my contempt.

President Obama has had a scandal-free administration, a real achievement in this day and age, and he's been an exemplary husband and father. But the Goopers never gave him any credit for representing America as a class act, a gentleman. The Goopers are besotted with anger, hatred, and bile. Let them choke on all of it.

On Tuesday night, for them, a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Bob Dylan on "It's a Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall:"

"No, it's not atomic rain, it's just a hard rain. It isn't the fallout rain. I mean some sort of end that's just gotta happen ... In the last verse, when I say, 'the pellets of poison are flooding the waters,' that means all the lies that people get told on their radios and in their newspapers."

Dave Miller said...

Great article...

It does look as if HRC is going to win.

Sadly though, no matter who wins, America will be as divided as we have been since the days of Pres Lincoln. We seem to have no ability to talk to each, or much less care about that fact.

Degenerate males my point very clearly. If you cannot converse with, or have a dialogue with someone who believes differently than you, how are bridges built? Or are they even valued?

On the left, when we see that level of rage, they are called out by our own. While folks like "Code Pink" advocate for extreme positions and interpretations of events, many mainstream libs point out that extremism. But on the right, that seldom happens.

Tomorrow is election day. If conservative voters have ever really valued character, good judgement, temperament and an ability to talk to both our friends and enemies, then they cannot vote for Trump. They don't have to vote for HRC, but they cannot keep their values and vote for Trump.

It's gonna be an interesting couple of days.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Here's another example of why I hold the Trumpistas/Goopers in such contempt.

This headline is making the rounds on TeaPublican news sites and blogs:

FBI AGENT SUSPECTED IN HILLARY EMAIL LEAKS FOUND DEAD IN APPARENT MURDER-SUICIDE
Denver Guardian


It is completely false. There's no such entity as the Denver Guardian.

But that doesn't stop The Stupids from passing this b.s. around. All they need is some smear against Hillary and they're off. They're too lazy to check out the veracity of anything that slanders her, so they repeat and repost and make themselves look like the pathetic dupes they are.

Is it surprising that they fell for the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on our country: DONALD J. TRUMP?

Bluebull said...

You're right, Shaw - they just keep falling for this kind of idiotic lie/fake scandal over and over and even when they find out it's not true, they continue to spread the lie. That makes them beneath contempt, imo.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Dave: "If conservative voters have ever really valued character, good judgement, temperament and an ability to talk to both our friends and enemies, then they cannot vote for Trump. They don't have to vote for HRC, but they cannot keep their values and vote for Trump."

David Frum, a bona fide conservative, chose Hillary instead of not voting or voting for a third party, and he gave his reasons for doing so. He's no big fan of hers, but he recognizes that she's a patriot and not about to fundamentally change America. She may push it more to the left, which is the prerogative of the office, should she win it. That's how our system works. But she has not, as Trump has many times, promised to make changes to the 1st amendment or to break national and international laws.

Trump's been a disaster for everything that makes our country great, but his supporters are, IMO, worse for helping him get as far as he has. That's the real tragedy.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Bluebull, you're correct. They really are beneath contempt.

skudrunner said...

Lets just say that people either wake up and decide they cannot vote for the clinton corruption machine or they sit home and Trump wins. Who will pay for the suicide watch for all the progressives on this site? Will that be covered by obamacare, after your $6000 deductible is satisfied of course.

The Purveyor of Truth said...

Now that his Presidency is in his final days, Obams feels he can strip away our patriotic and Christian American traditions without any fear of repercussions, since his stay in power will be over.
He decided to remove the American flag from the East Room of the White House, replacing it with the simple gold drape found in formal Muslim ceremonies.

Jerry Critter said...

skud,
You can't seriously believe that a republican administration headed by Trump will work "for the people instead of for the elitists" more than a Democratic administration.

Shaw Kenawe said...

The Purveyor of Bullshit said:

Now that his Presidency is in his final days, Obams feels he can strip away our patriotic and Christian American traditions without any fear of repercussions, since his stay in power will be over.
He decided to remove the American flag from the East Room of the White House, replacing it with the simple gold drape found in formal Muslim ceremonies.

NOT A WORD OF WHAT THE PURVEYOR OF BULLSHIT WROTE IS TRUE.

But T.P.o.T., like the rest of his demented group, has no relationship with the truth. They are contemptible creatures who delight in stupidity and deceit.

The next four years, and hopefully, eight, will be painful for them.

Bluebull said...

Perverter of Truth -- go back to whatever right wing hole you crawled out of. They'll buy your lies over there. We won't here. Shooo...

skudrunner said...

JC
They are all crooks no matter the party. I don't have any faith in either candidate but the American people did this to themselves. The DNC promised -H- in 2008 that she will get the nod and they kept their promise by driving bernie away. You have to wonder if they are kicking themselves for their promise.

The wacko right got behind -T- thinking he would represent them because he owes no one. I do think -T- would do a better job that -H- in representing the middle class but he won't win. Face it, the clintons are nothing but a sophisticated crime family who leverage their positions to make money for themselves. -T- used his wealth to increase his wealth. Did he do some underhanded things, probably but he never sold his government position to increase his wealth.

Call Me Hank said...

Shaw, in addition to what the purveyor of b.s. posted here, there's another bunch of b.s. being published on wingnut blogs that has quotes from Hillary that are completely taken outta contest from what she said and manipulated to make her look bad. They're a bunch of lying bastards but that won't change what's gonna happen tomorrow night. They can kiss my ass. Hillary will beat the assh*le Trump and no one will give a sh*t about their lies and b.s. to make HIllary look bad.

Shaw Kenawe said...

skud: "-T- used his wealth to increase his wealth. Did he do some underhanded things, probably but he never sold his government position to increase his wealth.Cl

skud, what sort of drugs are you on? Trump has NEVER had a "government position." But he has cheated his contractors out of money owed to them and he's sued them to settle for what HE wanted to pay them. He lied about his academic achievements. He bragged about sexually assaulting women. He mocked a disabled journalist, a POW, and a Gold Star family, and just recently he bald faced lied about President Obama's treatment of a heckler at a Clinton rally. Trump makes Hillary look like Mother Teresa, FFS! And then you come here and say he's never sold his government position to increase his wealth? He's done that in every other instance in his sordid life, what makes you think he won't do so as president?

To predict future actions, look at his past. When you do that, you'll see that Trump would be the most corrupt president in US history because he's a first class liar and fraud.

You're welcome.

Shaw Kenawe said...

BTW, in addition to Trump's cheating people out of money he' owed them, he's been exposed for his scamming charities. Reporters have uncovered the fact that he's boasted about giving to charities and then gave them nothing.

The more fact-finding on Trump, the more we discover what a con artist he is.

Bluebull said...

I just watched the idiot Drumpf screaming that there is no way to read 650,000 emails in 8 days! HA. I guess he's never heard about computers. I can't wait for this piece of orange crap to just go the Hell away, already.....

Shaw Kenawe said...


Bluebull, It's not just Trump who's technologically dumb, a lot of his surrogates and Trumpistas have no clue either. But for Trump to continue to promote that lie just shows how much his campaign and he depends on misinformation to dupe his followers.

Anonymous said...

Shaw, reading the right wing blogs.


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Les Carpenter said...

Watching Hannity the propagandist extraordinaire and that dingbat Ingram tonight and LMAO.

Clinton now with a 70% likelihood of winning.

Les Carpenter said...

Rudolph Julianne :-) is up, true to form he reads his prepared script (with all its BS) well.