Facing an unappealing choice of major-party candidates, some voters will be tempted to look to a third party. A letter published in Thursday’s Seattle Times illustrates this temptation for Democrats.
The writer was a supporter of Bernie Sanders, as was I. His response to a plea to get behind Hillary Clinton probably reflects the views of many: "We have had it with the Clinton-Bush-Obama contingency [sic] that pushes the same old neoliberal nonsense onto Americans: endless war to support the military industrialists and global trade laws that anyone with half a brain knows benefit only mega-corporations and hurt working people and the environment." He reluctantly voted for Obama in 2008, hoping "that he might be different this time," but found otherwise. Apart from the reluctance, I can sympathize; Obama has been a disappointment. This year the writer plans to vote for Jill Stein, the presumptive Green Party nominee, believing that "she is the most qualified to be president." Leaving aside her qualifications, she won’t win, and then what? Our writer’s conclusion: "if that means Donald Trump is our next president, oh well!" Cast a protest vote and never mind the consequences.
I am, as these notes probably make clear, no fan of Mrs. Clinton. However, in the real world, choices must be made between real alternatives; the choice between Clinton and Trump is clear, and important. Save abstract principle for a time when the alternatives don’t matter.
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