I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Democrat. I don’t ever remember voting Democrat–the first Presidential election that I could vote in was when Jimmy Carter was running. Though I liked him as a person, I don’t believe I voted for him.
I have never liked Hillary Clinton. In fact, I liked her less than I liked Bill. I seldom could bring myself to watch or listen to them. I have been one of those who believe that Hillary is at best a liar, and possibly a criminal. And, I have been one of those who has secretly hoped that one of the rumors about her would be proven true, and her political life would be over. It bothered me that she of all people would go down in history as being the first woman to be a major party candidate for President. Like many other conservatives, I was emotionally biased against Mrs. Clinton.
And then there was Trump, who was funny for a short period until I realized a lot of people were taking him seriously. I believe that Trump is a liar and a fraud. I also believe that he’s incompetent, ignorant, a bigot, a narcissist, and a loose cannon who is fundamentally dangerous.
The Turning Point
One night, I was watching an episode of “Black Sails,” the Starz show set as a prequel to Treasure Island, when there was a very interesting exchange between the characters Long John Silver and Billy Bones. At this point in the story, both knew than Captain Flint was a liar and a murderer, acting solely out of his own self-interests. Billy asked Silver how he could serve under and support such a man. Silver’s reply was that even though he hated Flint, he knew that Flint was a more than capable captain and their best hope at surviving the situation they were facing.
I immediately thought of Hillary Clinton, and the logic of Long John Silver’s analysis cleared away the fog, and I looked at things logically.
Hillary, unlike Trump, has the necessary qualifications to be President. She has 8 years of White House experience, plus having been Secretary of State. She probably has more respect around the world than Obama. And, she’s not crazy. She may have ego issues, but that can work for a leader: She won’t let the country fail, because that will reflect on her. Trump, at least so far, doesn’t seem to care. His MO is to blame someone else, proclaim his greatness, and move on.
Bill will also be a great asset as First Man (or whatever). He obviously will have the most experience of any First Spouse, and in spite of my not liking him personally, I always admitted that he was, in fact, a pretty good President. And neither of them are going to dump the country, as it’s not in their best interest.
And, Hillary has consistently been the most truthful candidate of this election (that is, of the statements made throughout this election cycle, objective analysis has found her to have been the most truthful). Then, there is the point that in spite of the myriad attempts by her enemies to find some skeletans in her closets, none have been found.
So, this is the process by which I overcame my avulsion to Hillary Clinton. And considering I find Trump’s policies (such as they are) morally repugnant, I will have no problems voting for Clinton. And I actually expect her to do a pretty good job.