Why I Voted Against Hillary Clinton

I don’t post much about politics. Not that I think them unimportant, but I value my relationships with friends on the right and left too much to let political opinions divide us. As a result, I’ve been biting my digital tongue to the point that it’s raw and bleeding.

That being said, my last personal political post was made during the primaries when I encouraged my Christian friends to support a candidate other than Donald Trump. I felt that Trump’s nasty and insulting demeanor during the elections ran contrary to a grace-filled Christian faith. That opinion hasn’t changed.

Then, when I cast my ballot on November 8, 2016, it was with considerable reservation. I felt that I wasn’t endorsing a candidate as much as I was opposing one. Please allow me to explain.

The Constitution Matters

As a Christian, I hold the Bible in the highest regard. Without the Bible, Christianity morphs into a sort of recycled humanism adorned with religious trappings. There are a lot of religious issues that I give little attention to, but having done my research, standing for the authority and the integrity of the Bible is a hill I would die on.

Similarly, as a citizen of the United States of America, I hold the Constitution of the United States in the highest regard. Without the Constitution, the freedoms we’ve all come to know and cherish would sink into oblivion.

I see the Constitution as a masterfully crafted document—certainly not on the same level of the Bible, but brilliantly designed nonetheless. The genius of our founding charter recognizes and accounts for the prolific tendency of human nature to be corrupted by power. Thus, we have three branches of government designed to balance and limit our innate lust for control.

The Edge of a Precipice

Our delicate balance of power has faced multiple threats through the years, but more recently, I’ve felt as though we were sliding to the edge of a precipice. Once our government fell over that edge, collapse and chaos would be inevitable.

Some of my reasons are critical of the political left, but not from the perspective of a stereotypical, right wing conservative. (Actually, after the 2012 presidential election, I switched my affiliation from Republican to Independent because I was frustrated by the “marriage” of the political right with corporate interests.)

1. Over the past several years, I’ve been alarmed at how the political left has bypassed the constitutional process to “legislate from the bench.” I’m referring to judges who disregarded the will of the people and the laws of congress to reinterpret the Constitution as a “living document.” If decisions regarding Obamacare, gay marriage, gender discrimination, and religious discrimination had been made through the due process established by our founding fathers, I may not have been happy, but I would have accepted them as the will of the people. Instead, I was horrified at how political agendas were forced upon us in a way that threatened the very principles that form our national identity.

2. A second key concern was that of collusion. As much as I disagree with the ideologies of Bernie Sanders and his supporters, we share vital common ground: we care deeply about justice while also being marginalized by the political elite. Having followed the WikiLeaks emails, I saw revelations unfold of collusion between the Clinton campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and much of main stream media. In this, I share the ire of Sanders’ supporters and can’t help but wonder how many of them also voted against Hillary Clinton.

3. I found the Clinton email scandal to be outrageous—not because emails were lost but because of the conditions involved. Denials were made, unqualified people handled classified materials (putting lives at risk), and valuable information was either withheld or destroyed. The intentional obstruction of justice was apparent. Due to the gravity of the issues involved, the Department of Justice should have done a complete and objective investigation. If Clinton was innocent, the cloud over her head would have been lifted. If she was guilty, the kind of corruption that eats like termites at any government would have been held in check.

4. Finally, the activities of the Clinton Foundation seem not only to have enriched their founders, but also put our national security at risk. The love of money corrupts as much as the lust for power, and accepting large donations from foreign governments is one of the worst scenarios imaginable. Bribes buy favor while also accentuating the potential for corruption, manipulation, and even blackmail. Again, I am not declaring Hillary Clinton guilty as much as I’m contending that the evidence warranted this to be yet another arena in which a full and impartial investigation should have been conducted.

Having a keen interest in human history, I’ve read of many kingdoms rising and falling through the centuries. We’re foolish to think that the peace and stability we have known for so long will continue without a wise and well-defined rule of law. And in recognizing the signs of governmental decay, I felt we were nearing the point of no return.

If the abandonment of our Constitutional process, cozy collusion between liberal elites, and the potential corruption of our moral fabric were to be given four years of unchecked freedom (and the opportunity to appoint long-term judges), the United States of America would sink into chaos, and eventually, violent revolution.

My decision to circle the oval beside Donald Trump’s name did not come easily or without agonizing contemplation. And in casting my ballot, I wasn’t voting against minorities or women or any of the other groups that he has publicly ridiculed. Instead, I was voting against what I thought would be a death blow to the integrity of our Constitution.

With the Constitution intact, we have a platform from which to address discrimination. Without the Constitution (which was framed on Biblical principles), we have no individual rights.  If the code of law that makes the United States the United States is eroded and destroyed, we’re left only to the opinions of the most powerful. And of this, you can be sure, opinions often discriminate in the cruelest of ways.

You may disagree with my reasoning and have what you believe is solid justification for voting for Hillary Clinton (or against Donald Trump). I get that and respect your right to your perspective. In fact, this nasty election has been so bizarre that I wouldn’t dare criticize anyone for how they did or didn’t vote.

Why I Penned This Post

My goal in writing this post is to help facilitate some healing by showing that not everyone who voted for Trump can be stereotyped as a hater. Furthermore, making such unjust accusations only fuels the destructive rhetoric that has so divided our nation during this painful election process.

The beauty of a democratic republic is that we’re each entitled to our political perspectives and opinions. So, while I respect your rights to view these issues through your own lens, I would hope that you also respect mine. If you cannot, you deceive yourself in thinking that you’re on the “high road,” setting the stage for becoming an oppressor yourself.

Prayers for Our Nation

Do I give my unquestioning support to Donald Trump as the president of the United States of America? Absolutely not. But I will honor him as the elected president of our nation, as I also pray for justice to be fully served on all sides of the political spectrum. And if our newly-elected president is guilty of breaking the law, may he too be brought to account.

I pray that God gives Donald Trump the wisdom to govern wisely, that he jettisons the destructive rhetoric of days gone by, and that he surrounds himself with competent people of integrity. I pray especially that he seeks to appoint judges who hold our United States Constitution in the highest regard and who work to preserve its integrity.

I also pray for us as a nation. I pray for those who were broken through this contentious campaign and for those devastated by the result. May the Lord heal our divisions, lift the heads of those being marginalized, and fill all of our hearts with hope for the future.

We Can Do Better

I don’t expect this post to alleviate the pain of those who have been marginalized and oppressed in recent years. I do hope, however, that it helps some people to move beyond the destructive stereotypes that both sides of the political spectrum have so unjustly utilized.

If we can’t learn to collectively move beyond our contempt toward those who see this world through a different lens, we’ve lost the most important part of the battle, regardless of election results. And if we expect our candidates—representatives of who we are—to be kinder and gentler, then we, the people, need to do better. I’m willing. How about you?

Wikapedia Photo of Hillary Clinton by Gage Skidmore – (CC BY – SA 3.0)