The moral case for Hillary Clinton: this isn’t the year to back a third-party candidate

from http://www.salon.com/2016/07/31/the_moral_case_for_hillary_clinton_even_if_you_might_dislike_her_this_isnt_the_year_to_back_a_third_party_candidate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

"With the exception of auditing the Federal Reserve, which would actually do some good, Trump's policies would be an unmitigated disaster. Not only would his border wall cost at least three times as much as he claims, but it would be a logistical nightmare in terms of getting the rights to private land, avoiding an international incident with Mexico (which is our ally), and actually building the darn thing. Between that and his ban on Muslim immigration, Trump would cultivate what Mitt Romney accurately described as "trickle-down racism" – i.e., a national climate in which bigotry flares up against minority groups like Mexicans and Muslims. By repealing the Affordable Care Act, Trump would rip away services and legal protections that could help or have already benefited hundreds of millions of Americans. Finally, because there are legitimate concerns about Trump's mental health, his blasé attitude toward nuclear weapons poses an existential threat to not just our nation, but the entire world.

To answer my friend's question: In an election where there is no substantive difference between the policies proposed by the Democrats and the Republicans, I would vote for a third-party candidate. That said, while it may be popular in some circles to claim that Clinton is no better than Trump, this assertion doesn't bear close scrutiny. Elections are about more than conflicting ideals; they are about the hundreds of millions of lives both here and abroad that will be shaped by who happens to occupy the Oval Office. Based on the facts of what Clinton and Trump would do in office, I cannot in good conscience vote against the interests of the people Clinton would help… or, for that matter, disregard the lives of the people Trump would hurt.

This post originally appeared at the Good Men Project. Reprinted with permission.

Matthew Rozsa is a Ph.D. student in history at Lehigh University and a political columnist. His editorials have been published on Salon, The Good Men Project, Mic, MSNBC, and various college newspapers and blogs. For a full review of all his published work, visit matthewrozsa.com. "

rest at http://www.salon.com/2016/07/31/the_moral_case_for_hillary_clinton_even_if_you_might_dislike_her_this_isnt_the_year_to_back_a_third_party_candidate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow