Neither

I am openly proclaiming my total and complete lack of support for Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton.

Clinton has proven herself to be untrustworthy and Trump and proven himself to be reprehensible.

Though every election is touted to be historic, this one certainly is. It is historic in relationship to how unpopular both candidates are. According to the polls, the candidates are nearly tied for the popular vote, but they are exactly tied in their un-favorability rating of 59%.  Those who strongly dislike both candidates come in at 47%

Trump has unapologetically ridiculed or demeaned the other primary candidates, the disabled, the press, women, Hispanics, Muslims, and a gold star family. He speaks in vague terms, lacking substance and detail and says pretty much whatever comes to his mind at the time. Even his campaign has been hugely divisive. He seems proud of his bad public behavior. If he behaved anything like that as president, it would be disastrous. He would take everything personally, be openly vindictive, unreliable in his positions, and unnecessarily make lots of enemies both domestically and internationally. Our country would be in constant self-inflicted turmoil.

Clinton, on the other hand, is deceitful and tries to cover up her misdeeds. Is that better or worse than Trump? On one hand, you could say at least she knows they are wrong, on the other you could say that Trump is more open about his deplorable behavior. Hilary and her husband have been under investigation for most of their public life, not as a result of some right wing conspiracy, but as a result of their unethically dealings. They have been caught in multiple public lies to the citizens of this country and have become extremely wealthy as a result of using their positions as a golden opportunity to wield influence.

They are historically horrible candidates, but politics is politics and people are gullible. So, there are some perspectives on this election that I find deeply troubling.

The Blind Eye – I have been amazed at how so many people are willing to turn a proverbial blind eye toward the immense faults on their own favored candidate while turning an unforgiving spotlight on the other.

The Lesser of Two Evils – Never has this statement been more true than in today’s politics. But what if both of the evils so obvious, so sickening, and so serious that you can only picture how undeserving each candidate is and how disastrous each will be as president? What if you can not decide which is the greater evil?

The Default Vote for the Other Candidate – I keep hearing, “If you don’t vote for Trump, you are essentially voting for Clinton or if you don’t vote for Hillary, you helping Trump get elected.” This is a faulty line of reasoning. By treating both candidates the same (not voting for either of them), I not helping either one get elected, which is exactly what I want to do.

The Solo Issue – What is the most important issue in this election? Is it immigration, trade, abortion, the Supreme Court, income inequality, or equal rights? Well they are all important, but what if you decide there is one supreme issue and vote accordingly, feeling you are claiming the moral high ground? What if once your candidate is elected he or she stays true on that issue, but takes a devastating position on another issue? The solo issue is simply a ploy used by political operatives to get to overlook an array of faults to get you to vote for their candidate.

The Church and State Blur – It is sickening to see church leaders and Christians become politicized. Jesus lived in a nation that was occupied by a cruel militaristic superpower that was complicit with a corrupt religious government. His only comment about government was to pay your taxes, i.e., give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s. Followers of Christ have a duel citizenship status and our primary citizenship is in a kingdom much greater than The United States of America. It reflects poorly on Jesus when we become ardent supporters of such obviously corrupt people, especially when we do in the name of our faith.

The Un-American Argument – Is it un-American not to support one of these candidates? That’s a personal question that everyone must answer for himself. For me it is un-American, immoral, and unethical to vote for either one who I believe will bring great harm to our nation.

Character Doesn’t Matter – This one looks really hypocritical when Christians say it or vote as though it is true. Character affects everything you do. When someone has more power, there is a greater opportunity for the character flaws to become more pronounced. Character is more important that skill, ability, giftedness, competence, or the ability to work well with others because it is so prevalent. It is part of the very fabric of a person that colors how he does everything.

Our governmental system is brilliant, but it has become deeply flawed and needs reform. The two-party system, which is not part of the founder’s design, is not working. The electoral college is outdated. The oligarchy of the professional politicians and giant corporations  has been eating away at our representative republic for so long that our representatives no longer represent their true constituency. The loss of civil discourse keeps the base fired up, while it destroys our country.  

I am not saying don’t vote. I will vote, just not for president because that is my conviction, unless it is a write-in. I am not saying don’t be involved. It’s great to be involved in our government. As a matter of fact, it will take our involvement, to make any improvements. Just don’t get the two kingdoms confused.