Why I’m not voting — and why you shouldn’t either
I told you so
I didn’t vote in the last election. I was tired of being stuck with terrible choices each election and “holding my nose” as they say. My family and friends were aghast.
As someone raised in a conservative tradition and by then having become more libertarian, I refused to support the supposed lesser of two evils. For one thing, I had assessed the probability of attempted dictatorship by the Republican nominee as non-zero. And Donald J. Trump was even in the 2016 election a blatant liar, an opportunist on economic policy, and an utter jerk.
Who looks smart in retrospect?
Few things get you in hot water more than taking a minority political position. Few people on either side can listen, and whoa to she who is in the minority in her geography, workplace, or Thanksgiving table.
Of course, the fact that we barely blink at there being two sides — and only two sides — for all political issues is a huge part of the problem. You’ll probably anger those around you if you support a minority view, but your position is accepted as somewhat normal as long as it is part of the received doctrine of at least one of the two major American parties.
