Third-Party Candidates

There is a lot of talk this election of refusing to vote for either of the major party's candidates. People hate Donald Trump because of the way his policies will affect America and they hate Hilary Clinton because, well. . . because they just do. So what about a third party candidate, such as Libertarian Party's Gary Johnson or Green Party's Jill Stein?

Well, I voted for a third-party candidate once. But it was because I saw absolutely no difference between the two candidates as far America’s direction, and neither seemed to have any interest in the issues I was most interested in. But I was young and non-political and did not look into the real issues thoroughly. If I could have that vote over, I would almost certainly vote differently.

This election could not be more different. One candidate—Donald Trump—espouses backtracking on our civil rights gains, continuing to empower the rich while disenfranchising the poor, cozying up to Russia, and the list goes on and on. The other candidate—Hillary Clinton—has  worked almost all her life for the working people of America, particularly women. Her vision would move the country forward in its quest for social, scientific, economic, and even global progress. And her ability to appoint Federal and Supreme Court justices will ensure that reactionaries like Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Huckabee, and their ilk will be shouted down, hopefully for good.

There is absolutely no rationale for voting for a third-party candidate in this election. You are either for progress or against it. There can be no middle ground. Forget personalities and vote for the issues.