Who's Really to Blame for Trump's Election?

 

I'm not going to be nice to a certain group of people. I doubt that many of my readers belong to this group, but if you do, you better listen up.

Several times over the past four years, I've been blamed for Trump's election. Why? Because I voted third party. I voted for Johnson. I'll let you get your laughter out and then we can continue.

Why did I vote for Johnson? Simple answer: out of Johnson, Trump, and Hillary -- Johnson was the one I actually wanted most to be our president.

But then ... I'm told that I had missed my opportunity. Let's consider a little game theory and assume I don't like Trump. If my goal was to keep Trump from getting elected, then giving my vote to Johnson would not have helped anyone -- after all he was never going to win -- third party! What I should have done was to vote for Hillary, and then my vote could have pooled together with other Hillary voters and Trump would have lost. Look at New Mexico where Hillary got 48%, Trump got 40%, and Johnson got 9%. "Trump could have won that state if Johnson weren't in the race." (Only if all of those 9% would have voted for Trump.)

I totally understand this position. After all, that's why so many people voted for Trump -- because they hated Hillary. And they figured the best way to achieve that was to vote for Trump, and not Johnson. There's nothing wrong with carrying out this strategy.

So, why didn't I vote Hillary? Simple answer: I didn't like her, either. It was either Hillary to threaten our economy and religious freedoms, or Trump to threaten immigrants and allow incompetence. I really didn't care which one won. I wanted Johnson, so I voted for him, and I still have no regrets even after seeing Trump's first 4 years.

Because, if Hillary had won, the world would have been different, and I would have had different complaints. And 100% chance, people would blame me for letting Hillary win. In other words, in 2016 I was put into a position in which I was screwed no matter which of the two main opponents won, and I would be blamed for letting whomever win. I voted for the person I wanted, and I was sad he didn't win, but I got over it pretty fast.

But if it's not my fault Trump won, then whose fault is it? Simple answer: more electoral votes went to Trump. Wouldn't that make the most sense? Simple math. More votes, more winning. So, I suppose we could blame everyone who voted for Trump.

But you know what? I'm not going to go there. These people voted for the guy they wanted, and he won. They exercised their Constitutional rights, and good for them. They did their civic duty.

So, whose fault is it? Really? Perhaps you see where I'm going by now. For if the question has to be asked, the person asking is most likely a Democrat looking to blame other parties for Trump's success. It's been demonstrated many times that more people wanted Hillary over Trump, as judged by all the "Not My President" protests.

And yes ... I do believe more people wanted Hillary, but on Election Day 2016, a large number of Democrats sat on their butts at home thinking Hillary had it in the bag -- so why go vote? I heard so many people tell me that year: "I'm not going to vote. I'm just one person and my vote's not going to count anyway. There's no reason for me to stand in long lines." And would you like to guess how many of these non-voters complain and protest? I would like to know.

Because ... all you Democrats who stayed home ... especially in states like Pennsylvania and Michigan that should have been blue ... it is YOUR fault Trump got elected. Conservative people who sincerely wanted Trump to win were very happy that YOU decided to stay home. That sea of red hats you see on TV all the time? YOU helped that to happen.

You had YOUR chance to stop Trump from getting into the White House, but you threw it away. At least people like me braved the long lines to vote for the person(s) we wanted. The way I see it, you don't even get to participate in these discussions, because you have absolutely nothing to complain about. If you didn't participate when it mattered most, why do you even think to participate today?

Why don't you do something about it now in 2020 and show up at the polls? Because I can tell you right now, Trump's supporters are going to be there. They are going to be energized, and there are going to be a lot of votes for Trump. If that bugs you, there's only one clear action for you.

Afraid of coronavirus? Believe me, I am, but I'm still voting. If you're healthy, you should strongly consider voting in person (or early voting if available). Standing in long lines has some risk, but voting lines are not believed to be superspreader events. I talk about the risks in this post here. It's not as risky as you might think.

If you're more susceptible to the disease, strongly consider absentee voting. Every state has some version of absentee or mail-in voting. If you're not sure, just find your state on this voting help website and check out the rules. There may even be drop boxes in your state. Some states like Texas require an "excuse" to be eligible for absentee voting.

In my state of North Carolina, anyone can obtain an absentee ballot, and then you can mail it in, or deliver it in person, or have a near relative deliver it for you. There are no drop boxes in most (and I think all) NC counties.

Or you can do what I'm planning ... I'm ordering an absentee ballot just in case I catch COVID right before I vote. If I get sick I can mail it in and stay away from the polls. But if I'm healthy, I'm going in person. (If you order a ballot in NC, you can still vote in person as long as you don't send in your mail ballot later -- but check the rules in your state, first.)

 

In order to avoid the fiasco that will undoubtedly surround mail-in votes, you will probably want to vote in person if at all possible. But if you're serious about your vote, have a backup plan.

A few weeks ago, the US Mail announced that they can't guarantee your mail-in votes will arrive on time. However, steps have been taken since then to start speeding the mail back up. If you're squeamish about your vote being lost in the mail, then find a drop box near you and use it. (Unless you live in NC, where it'll have to be delivered in person by you or a near relative.)

So vote for Biden, vote for Trump, vote for JoJo ... I don't care ... just go vote, and no excuses. If you ultimately decide not to vote (and you're legally eligible), then I suggest you shut up for the next 4 years and sleep in the bed you let others make for you, because you took absolutely no action when it could have mattered the most.