Doc, you asked me this in another thread, and I thought about replying to this in the thread we were in. But I thought I could just as easily express it in a thread of my own. I had to mull on this for a while. So, I thought it was time to explain my reasoning to the entire board. The other thing I didn't want to do was offer the token "oh he says it like it is!" response. No... it's not that simple.
Aside from his attitude and his mouth, he's a moderate who isn't afraid to change his mind and take flak for it. I do it all the time on this board. It may sound surprising to you, but in some ways I can relate to him.
He's immoral, though. I don't agree with him much and I am quite well aware of his past positions. Everything he does conflicts with my established morals. But, I'm just one of those folks who believe the Republican party has made many promises and just as easily broke them. And I'm at the point where I don't care anymore. None of the candidates (Trump, too) really inspire me. And as a saying of mine, "there is nothing more dangerous than a voter who doesn't care."
Now, let me tell you a tale of how I left the Republican Party and metamorphosed from a Neo-Conservative to pretty much the moderate/libertarian you see me as today. This ties in to the reason why I'm voting for Trump.
When I came of voting age, I was stoked. I was inspired by everything Glenn Beck said on Fox News. I listened to Rush Limbaugh and almost worshiped Sean Hannity. I was finally able to vote and perform my civic duty. I couldn't stop talking about it. So, I gleefully voted for McCain and Romney my very first two presidential elections. As I paid more attention to the political landscape, I was disenchanted. Each year following the 2008 election, I watched my former party consistently fail to enforce the will of the people who voted for them, including mine. Each time they betrayed us, I got angrier. The year 2010 came and Republicans swept the House of Representatives, and I voted straight ticket Republican. I joined the Tea Party then, too; "this is it" I thought, "the establishment finally got the message!"
To me, I thought there was no way Democrats would have their way when we swept them into the House that year. I found out just how naive I had been. Both for thinking the Republicans would finally heed the will of the voters, and for thinking we had finally stopped the Democrats dead in their tracks. For two years after, I watched more of the same, Republicans caving under pressure from the Democrats, wasting precious time voting on bills they knew would never pass. In 2012 I had just experienced one the most hellish years of my life having to resign from my job and admitting myself to a mental facility after experiencing a severe nervous breakdown. When I came home from the hospital, I had plenty of time to think as I was bed-ridden for three months, so I literally had plenty of time to think to myself, mind you.
I figured that many of my views on life were the cause of my mental issues, so I committed myself to changing them, little by little, starting with my political beliefs. So that year I voted for Romney, but when he failed to win, I left, Tea Party and all. I remember the sense of relief I got when I reconciled myself with leaving. It was distressing feeling obligated to defend positions I knew were untenable, so I sat back and watched.
I was appalled and ashamed. Never had I seen such pure hatred and animosity before. The Republicans I supported didn't represent my values in the least.
I had met a friend a year earlier who identified as a lesbian, yes a lesbian. She taught me a lot of things about being objective and backing up my assertions with facts and proper reasoning and also, of tolerance. As such, what I learned had an indelible impact on me. I used that mindset to instill change in my beliefs. I finally disabused myself from two party politics, started forcing myself to look at both sides of an issue, and not thinking of every Democrat I saw as a traitor to my country. I ditched Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity. I began learning to educate myself before spouting off on the internet about things I didn't know one iota about. When I managed to master it, it had the side effect of not only educating me in the political arena, but every arena. When I joined this board in 2013, I was on the way to completing my intellectual and political journey. And I have plenty of people here to thank, too.
But what little was left of my Republican side compelled me one last time to vote for them...
In 2014 I gave my former party one last chance to redeem themselves, and ever since then, they've managed to betray me again. I thought, "never again will I waste my vote on someone who talks me up then lets me down, hard. I will educate myself on any and all candidates and cast my vote for whichever one I deem fit, whether they be liberal, conservative or independent."
I think of that when I listen to Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio repeat their talking points "When I'm president, I'll..." I get tired of hearing it. Many candidates I voted for have made those promises. Repeal Obamacare, secure the border, fight for traditional marriage, ban abortion, those things repeated ad nauseam. I'm done. Let the chips fall where they may. I had my fill of the establishment long ago, and I'm not about to make the same mistake voting for them again.
Trump's unorthodox methods are refreshing in a way. But as my friend taught me, I will remain objective throughout the duration of my support for Donald Trump, while I have the clothespin in hand, ready to clasp my nose shut as I cast my vote. It is sad that it has come to this. I'm voting for him because I feel I have no other choice.
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